Eager for a free T-Shirt, Duke students stood in a long line at the entrance to the Duke Soccer Stadium, 45 minutes before the Blue Devils would kick off against the College of Charleston last Wednesday evening. Upperclass soccer team members Jay Heaps, Josh Henderson and Evan Whitfield walked by without much notice from the spectators. Suddenly, members of the line began to chant, "Ali, Ali, Ali," as freshman Ali Curtis passed by.
Certainly, Curtis has not received as much athletic recognition as the more senior members of the team, but word of mouth has flown across campus about the freshman sensation.
"Right now [Curtis] is getting the most attention," coach John Rennie said. "It usually happens if a player scores a lot of goals."
Curtis, from Milan, Mich., has provided an offensive explosion for the Blue Devils in '97. With seven goals at this point in the season, he has already surpassed the top scorers from last year's team. Brian Kelly and Troy Garner each had six goals to lead the team for the 1996 season.
It was against No. 1 Indiana and in front of a packed Duke Soccer Stadium that Curtis scored his most memorable goal of the season. With Duke down 0-1 in the second half, Curtis fired a hard shot from about 30 yards out. The Hoosiers' goalie was unable to handle the ball, and it trickled into the net to tie the score.
Curtis celebrated immediately after the goal by stripping off his game jersey, and sprinting in circles around the field with his team behind him, much to the delight of the fans.
"I don't know where Ali got that," Rennie said, laughing. "It sure was effective in getting the crowd into the game though."
Though Curtis has some experience celebrating goals with his club team, this particular outburst was invented on the spot.
"It was something spontaneous," Curtis said. "I didn't think about it or plan it-it just happened."
In the Blue Devils' first game of the season, Curtis debuted with two goals in Duke's 3-1 victory over Pfeiffer. In Duke's next game, Curtis again scored twice, comprising all of Duke's offense in its 2-0 victory over Louisville.
"I never really imagined myself scoring my first collegiate goal, and it was so exciting when I did," Curtis said. "I was so ecstatic. I really can't describe it-it's something you really can't prepare yourself for. It's really something special."
Curtis' strength on the field lies in his quickness and his finesse with the ball. As his reputation spreads across the collegiate soccer world, Curtis' poise is also becoming a factor.
"He handles being a target well," Rennie said. "Clemson tried hard to double and triple-team him, but it didn't affect him much."
Curtis is no stranger to high-pressure game situations. As a four-year varsity player at Pioneer High, he once scored five goals in a single game, on his way to becoming a member of the under-17 national team and a 1996 Parade All-American.
After Duke expressed an interest in Curtis, his decision to come to Durham was easy. After considering Princeton, UCLA and Indiana, he committed to Duke in early December of 1996.
"This is where I wanted to come," Curtis said. "Good academics and athletics. The players were really cool and the team was really tight."
The team closeness that Curtis observed on his official visit has held true for him as a member of the team.
"When I first came here, I was a little hesitant to talk to the upperclassmen just for the fact that they were upperclassmen," Curtis said. "All the upperclassmen-Jay Heaps, Andy Kwon, and all those guys-took us under their wing.
"They sometimes stop by our dorm just to say hello or to ask if we want to hang out with them. I think that speaks not only to team unity but it also says 'hey, you're my friend as opposed to just my teammate.'"
Curtis has also found quite a following from the freshman class and his dorm in particular.
"I love my dorm, Aycock. My roommate, Ryan Furgurson, is also on the team, and they come to our games, they put up signs for us sometimes, they shout our names at the games. It's really nice. We're really close-knit, kind of like a family."
Furgurson and Curtis comprise part of a freshman class which is making quite an impact on the team. Six freshmen started against Clemson in the Blue Devils' last game. Because most of the other freshmen play defense, Curtis has received the most attention.
"I've tried not to pay much attention to it," Curtis said. "All the freshmen on the team are friends and so many of the freshmen are good, that I don't think you can pinpoint much on any one player."
Still, there is no doubt Curtis is the most recognized young star on the team.
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