The ball ricocheted off the left post and into the net, and Ali Curtis ricocheted toward the Duke bench and slid on the grass in one of his signature celebrations. The sophomore had given himself plenty of opportunities to develop his celebratory style during his short career-this particular score, which put the Blue Devils ahead of Virginia late in a key ACC contest last October, was his 17th in less than two seasons.
But it was also his first in a month-and-a-half.
"It was fantastic," Curtis said. "I felt like a freshman again, like when I scored my first collegiate goal."
As he slid toward his cheering teammates, though, the forward was reminded of the reason he had missed seven games. He nearly reinjured the MCL in his left knee and had to remind himself, "Whoa, you're still coming back from an injury; you still have to play simple and do the things to protect your knee."
Curtis proceeded to score the game-winning goal in each of Duke's next four games, but the player who went on that scoring spree wasn't the same one who tallied nine goals in his first eight collegiate contests.
"[The injury] affected my attitude a lot," Curtis said. "Coming in as an 18-year-old, I had a really good freshman year-I received a lot of awards and things like that. I think a little bit probably went to my head. Sophomore year I wanted to increase the success I had freshman year, and I guess I could say I was a little cocky. Getting injured and having to sit out and watch the games, it humbles you a lot....
"In a sense, I guess I can say I'm a little bit happy I was injured. I wish it didn't come during the season, but ultimately it's made me a better player."
Now Curtis is a junior and
"It showed me that as fit as you want to be and as physically strong as you are, you always can get injured," he said. "That humbles you a lot, because it just goes to show that sometimes you're not in control of everything that happens."
From the ninth grade, Curtis knew he had a chance to attend a top college for soccer and academics. And it all worked out so perfectly. He was a Parade All-America as a high school senior in Michigan and accepted a scholarship to Duke. Then he arrived on campus and quickly became a crowd favorite, scoring a team-high 12 goals as a freshman.
"As a young kid, I never thought I would ever get injured," Curtis said. "I thought I was invincible."
Then he hurt his knee and had to watch his team often struggle for offense in his absence. Coach John Rennie tried player after player to replace him, but none could equal Curtis' gift for finding the goal.
"It was real frustrating," Curtis said. "Going against teams like Clemson and Maryland that I had to miss-I like playing in big games. Coach Rennie has told me time and again that my job is to score goals. That's my No. 1 responsibility as a member of a 24-member team."
Curtis credits his quick first step for allowing him to open up just enough space between him and the defender to get off a shot. And more often than not, his teammates
"He's a very emotional player, a very exciting player," Rennie said. "The other players feel that every time he touches the ball, something exciting's going to happen."
Curtis didn't waste much time reverting to his goal-scoring ways-and assuring himself that he could still find the back of the net-in his return against the perennially strong Cavaliers.
"If you score and play well against a team like Virginia, you know you can score and play well against any team," he said. "Sometimes, when you go through a major injury, players have the tendency to think, 'Maybe I lost a step,' or 'Maybe I lost my scoring touch,' or 'I got out of rhythm.'"
The Blue Devils went on to drop that game to the Cavs, but Curtis wouldn't let them lose the rematch less than three weeks later in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. He assisted on Duke's only goal in regulation, then scored the game-winner in the second overtime before assisting on an insurance goal later in the period in a 3-1 win.
With more performances like that, Curtis could soon be moving up on Duke's career scoring lists. He already has 21 goals in 31 starts.
"He's up there in terms of capability and potential," Rennie said. "His junior and senior years will determine how he ranks, but he could well end up among the all-time leaders."
But Curtis would prefer to have his name in the record book for other accomplishments.
"It would be more pleasing for me to win a national title, if that's how I and the other players around me left our mark on Duke University," he said. "I think we'd much rather win championships than go and maybe score 60 or 70 goals."
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