A change to his mental approach, more than any physical alteration, helped soccer star Liam Newton-Smith elevate his game to the next level. By focusing on the space between his ears, the senior forward from McIntosh High School is scoring more goals and gaining more notoriety.
“I used to get in my own head a lot,” Newton-Smith said. “I would miss a shot, and I would beat myself up over it and get out of my game.”
Being able to forget the misses — a hurdle that even the best athletes in the world struggle with, has enabled Newton-Smith to score more goals without necessarily taking more shots.
Before he began to reshape his mental focus. Newton-Smith was successfully finishing on about 30% of his chances as a freshman. But the coaches saw how hard Newton-Smith was willing to work and knew he could produce more goals. In addition to his physical training, McIntosh coach Bunky Colvin and the staff began working on the mental aspects.
“One of our coaches taught me that if I miss a shot, so what? Who cares?” Newton-Smith said. “Just move on and think about the next play and go after it again. Don’t lose any confidence. Just keep doing what you do. Misses are going to happen, but it’s not the end of the world.”
This year the numbers have jumped tremendously, with Newton-Smith making 72% of his shots on target. He scored 30 goals, with eight assists, last year and already has 24 goals and five assists through the first 10 games of 2025.
Newton-Smith has taken other steps to become a better player, too. His diet has gotten better, and that has carried over to other areas of discipline related to the game.
“I think it’s the work ethic that’s made him special,” Colvin said. “He’s become a well-rounded player, and I think that’s made a difference for him. As a freshman he would stay in the box and look for chances, but now he’s more involved in the play. Now he can drop into the midfield, get a ball at his feet, combine with people, lay a ball off, so that’s made him even more dangerous. His soccer IQ is going way up, and he knows where all the dangerous spaces he could be.”
The point was driven home last year in the Class 4A semifinal game against Midtown. After spending the entire match going head-to-head with one of the best players in the state and having few opportunities to shoot, Newton-Smith got his chance in the second overtime when a pass landed at his feet. He turned, without even thinking, and fired the game-winning goal into the net.
Colvin said, “They gave him one opportunity, and he beat him. That’s when we realized how he had matured, and he began to understand situations and opportunities. He got one chance, and it was a perfect shot to win the game. That’s what makes him special.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Mc
Credit: Photo courtesy of Mc
Newton-Smith said, “That was probably the greatest moment of my life, to be honest. I’m just getting chills right now just thinking about it. It was just amazing. I mean, just straight joy from everyone.”
A week later McIntosh won the state championship, beating Decatur to complete a perfect 23-0 season.
Newton-Smith plays for the AFC Lightning club team and was a first-team All-American selection by the United Soccer High School Coaches. He plans to announce his decision on college before the end of the season.
This season he and teammate Adan Dollens, an All-Southeast player, have the Chiefs on a path to potentially repeat their title run. McIntosh is 11-1, losing only to undefeated Dalton.
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