Ali Curtis came to Duke with a powerful leg and incredible quickness that made him one of the most talented and targeted players in college soccer.
Four soccer seasons later, his college career now at an end, Curtis has demonstrated a new skill, one which truly sets the two-time player of the year apart from his peers.
It is the art of deference.
Curtis evoked it last month when he broke Tom Kain's school record for most career goals, referring to his achievement not as an individual accomplishment but as "a great team effort." Set in Duke's record books, the humble senior did the same last Thursday, when he credited his teammates with helping him earn the Missouri Athletic Club national player of the year award. Curtis claimed the honor, which he nearly won a year ago, with five more points than Connecticut's Chris Gbandi.
"I want to emphasize that getting this award is more a reflection of our team and the seniors on the team than my individual accomplishments," said Curtis, who was edged by Gbandi in the voting for the Hermann Trophy Saturday.
As a junior, Curtis took home the Hermann Trophy, an unofficial honor handed out by the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the Hermann Foundation. Thursday's vote, however, gave the Milan, Mich. native his first official national player of the year award. Curtis will accept the crystal ball trophy in St. Louis next month when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America anoints him college soccer's king for 2000.
"This year was a big year for me because I was a senior and I don't have the opportunity to play in a Duke uniform again, and I'll miss that," Curtis said. "I really wanted this to be a special season. I'm very proud of my accomplishments over my four years and I'm really proud of my senior year."
Entering this season, Curtis headed one of the most talented classes ever to play together at Duke in any sport. With six senior teammates, Curtis and Duke began the season ranked No. 1 in the nation and many people, including the Blue Devils themselves, heaped championship expectations upon the squad.
Things never clicked for Duke, however, as the season began with back-to-back losses. After losing two straight again midseason, the team seemed to regain its form before being dismantled 3-0 by Virginia in the ACC tournament semifinals. The championship dream came to an end two weeks later in a 1-0 loss to Brown amidst terrible conditions in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Still, none of those defeats or disappointments could take away from the crowning season in a career that will likely go down as one of the greatest in Duke soccer history. Curtis will leave Duke with as the top scorer in school history, a feat he accomplished Nov. 4 on senior night against Wake Forest with his record-breaking 52nd goal. It was just one of the 15 times Curtis found the back of the net this season and one of five times that he did so in game-winning fashion.
Even so, the player who chose not to pursue a pro career a year ago, was surprised by the announcement Thursday.
"You never really expect to win any type of national player of the year award," said Curtis, who continues to field professional offers for next season. "Winning the award was a great surprise. There's a lot of really great soccer players so it was a real honor to be considered one of the best players in college soccer."
Curtis has begun fielding offers from professional teams and it is clear that the senior, who coach John Rennie described as the best pure striker in Duke history, still has a bright soccer future. Whether it lies in the United States or Europe, however, is "still up in the air."
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