Graduate transfer Robert Moewes anchors Duke men's soccer in net

For more than 10 years, Duke has had little consistency at one of the most crucial positions in college soccer—goalkeeper. 

Only James Belshaw—an All-ACC performer in 2011 and 2012—has earned all-conference honors at the position since 2004.

And although the trend of temporary graduate transfer or upperclassmen netminders will continue this season, head coach John Kerr’s team may finally have the right presence in goal to lead Duke back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011.

Including a pair of exhibition matchups against No. 10 Georgetown and No. 3 Clemson, goalkeeper Robert Moewes has surrendered just four goals in as many games after opening his Duke ledger with a preseason shutout of the Hoyas. The 6-foot-3 graduate student came to Durham with just one year of eligibility after spending the past three seasons at Binghamton. Now, the two-time America East Goalkeeper of the Year hopes to make the most of his final season by playing against some of the nation’s top teams. 

“Robert’s one of those guys that is enabling us to be a little more confident because he’s able to make that big save,” Kerr said. “That’s something that’s huge—if you can have a team that’s confident and have a goalkeeper that’s very vocal and solid back there, it’s comforting.”

The Blue Devils replaced departed keepers Mitch Kupstas and Wade Clement with Moewes and graduate transfer Ben Hummel via Princeton University. Although the two entered the season in a competition along with junior Joe Ohaus for the Blue Devils’ starting role, Moewes won the job. The Dortmund, Germany, native has stood out so far because of his communication as the Blue Devils break in several new freshman starters and contributors. 

Alongside juniors Markus Fjortoft and Carter Manley, Kerr has started a pair of freshmen defenders in CC Uche and Max Moser in Duke’s first two regular-season contests. The Blue Devil offense also features freshman midfielder Suniel Veerakone and key reserves Colby Agu and Brandon Williamson, all freshmen.

But despite Duke’s limited experience playing together, the team has held steady defensively so far in 2016. 

“[Moewes] has a big presence in the back,” junior midfielder Brian White said. “We build off of that. He’s loud—he keeps us motivated, he keeps us going, he pushes us when we’re down and out.”

The Blue Devils’ early-season improvement comes after they were among the ACC’s worst defenses last year. Duke finished tied for last in goals allowed per game at 1.6 and 11th out of 12 in saves with only 2.6 per contest. The Blue Devils also had just three shutouts in 19 games and committed the third-most fouls of any team in the conference.

In addition to offering a chance to make an enormous impact, Duke also provides Moewes—who saved 78.6 percent of the shots he faced in 2015—a chance to see how he stacks up against the best offenses in the nation. The ACC had seven preseason top-25 teams. 

“I’m excited for [a high level of play]. That’s exactly what I was looking for,” Moewes said. “To have better competition and games against some of the top teams in the nation, that’s the way to go.”

The team’s first regular-season game against a ranked team will come at No. 9 UCLA Friday night before Duke’s schedule really ramps up. The Blue Devils visit No. 11 Boston College then host No. 21 Wake Forest to begin ACC play, but their star goalkeeper probably wouldn’t have it any other way.  

Moewes is the third graduate transfer goalkeeper for the Blue Devils in four years, with the increasing number of graduate transfers across all collegiate sports also impacting Kerr’s program. 

“He’s been a joy to be around so far—I’ve really gotten to know him, and he’s ambitious and really wants to do well for our school and our team,” Kerr said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story used an incorrect photo that misidentified Moewes. The Chronicle regrets the error.