Joe Germanese, a transfer to Duke this fall, is not afraid to make his presence known.
The junior scored the first goal of his Blue Devil career--the first goal of Duke's season--in a 5-2 win over Hartford August 25.
He also hasn't had a problem making his presence felt with his new teammates at practice either.
"There were a couple of times in practice where he said a joke in front of the whole team, and we were all like, "Woah--new guy--not afraid to speak up," senior Chris Loftus joked.
Germanese decided to transfer to Duke after Vanderbilt disbanded its men's soccer program after the 2005 season as a result of Title IX equity concerns at the school.
The midfielder also considered transferring to Indiana, Stanford and Southern Methodist as well as Northwestern, which he ruled out after a visit when it was 10 below zero.
"So, no way," he said.
Despite the fact that his coach from Vanderbilt moved on to coach at SMU, Germanese still opted to become a Blue Devil.
"I just felt like it was the best fit," Germanese said. "Soccer-wise and also obviously, academically, Duke's a great school."
The players on the team were also crucial factors in Germanese's decision to come to Durham.
"I had a really fun visit here," the new Blue Devil said. "I felt like I fit in with the guys."
Loftus, who, along with Danny Miller, hosted Germanese on his official visit, agreed with the transfer.
"He fit in right away. We loved him right from the start," Loftus said. "He's just one of the guys on the team."
While at Vanderbilt, Germanese was the Missouri Valley Conference Freshmen of the Year and was also named to the College Soccer News Freshmen All-America Team. In his two seasons with the Commodores, he tallied 11 goals, five of them game-winners, and nine assists, with a total of 31 career points.
Initially out of high school, Germanese, a St. Louis native, wanted to stay closer to home, head coach John Rennie said. When the decision was made to disband Vanderbilt's team, Germanese, was ready to expand his horizons and consider higher-level soccer programs.
"Every practice is a battle, since there are so many good players," Germanese said. "We have a first team and a second team of guys who are all capable of starting, so every practice you're fighting for a spot here. It's just good competition. You know when you go out and play on game day you're that much more prepared."
Germanese's contributions on the field are already apparent, as the junior notched two goals and an assist in Duke's first weekend of play.
"He has an incredibly high work rate," Rennie said. "He defends very well, and he can score goals, so he has become very valuable."
Although Germanese has had some issues getting adjusted to a new school-including a trip to Sanford where he ended up in the wrong building and needed directions from a janitor--the transfer has made what Rennie calls a "brilliant" transition to the team.
"Joe has that college experience. He's come in right away and given us 110 percent day in and day out," Loftus said. "His movement off the ball is spectacular, his footwork's incredible. He's a great player to have on your team with his work ethic."
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