Overview
The last three years of Duke men’s soccer have followed a similar pattern: The Blue Devils excel in the regular season, perform honorably in ACC play, but fall relatively early in the NCAA Tournament. Duke hasn’t claimed a title since 2006, when it last won the conference championship. The 2024 season didn’t stray from form, as the Blue Devils scored their way to a No. 2 national ranking right before losing in the ACC quarterfinal and, subsequently, the second round of the Big Dance. Head coach John Kerr finished his 16th season at the helm with an 11-4-4 (4-1-3 in the ACC) record, notably staying undefeated on the road.
When last year’s veteran contingent graduated, Kerr went full-on transfer portal. Kerr had used the portal before, most notably adding graduate striker Forster Ajago to the 2023 roster, but this year, he built much of his season on the shoulders of experienced transfers. Goalkeeper Wessel Speel, a 23-year-old from Hofstra, valiantly defended Duke’s net to tally 45 saves through the season. Forward Adam Luckhurst scored 11 goals, many of them enabled by his classmate Colton Pleasants, whose winged cleats kept him on the field for more than 1,000 minutes this season. Midfielder Trevor Burns started in 13 matches.
The graduate class — especially Speel — proved a successful recruiting move. Despite so many players new to Durham, the Blue Devils began to play like a team early on. By mid-September, they moved to the same beat; after a controversial loss at home to North Carolina — decided by an uncalled handball — Duke went undefeated for 11 games.
And as vital as grad transfers proved themselves to be, that palpable team chemistry began with returners. In their fourth and third seasons with the Blue Devils, midfielder Ruben Mesalles and defender Kamran Acito captained the field with a dedication and poise that kept Duke’s defense brick-like. Several games into the season, Kerr moved sophomore offensive midfielder Bull Jorgensen into a defensive role, where he partnered with Acito and Speel to effectively block off Duke’s final third. When Jorgensen missed a few with a minor injury, senior Sintayehu Clements took over and proved himself worthy of a starting job. Defensively, nobody was new to Koskinen Stadium, and that was clear as it could be.
What will stand out on record books in years to come are the goals Duke scored during that undefeated stretch. Led by Bjornsson’s 13, the Blue Devils scored 57 goals on the season for an average of 3.0 per game. They allowed only 20 from their opponents. Bjornsson’s performance kept him at the top of national charts for weeks at a time, though he wasn’t carrying Duke’s weight alone. Seventeen Blue Devils scored at least one goal this fall, notching 53 assists along the way for a solid show of a joint effort. By the time the team was preparing for the NCAA Tournament, it led the country in scoring.
But those goals were not spread evenly, and they weren’t always there when they most needed to be. The Blue Devils notched 14 of them in a single game against Averett, another 10 in one match against Howard and five on Queens just after. Those goals earned Duke a No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament, but they did not come through against California or San Diego when it came down to single-elimination stakes. This team was great at taking a shot: it took 304 for an average of 16 per game. Duke was less good at effectively breaking through tough defensive schemes with those shots.
All things considered, the Blue Devils played as well as those versed in the system expected, performing marginally better than they did the last two years without flying high in tournament play. The Chronicle’s season preview predicted Duke’s run quite well, correctly tabbing Luckhurst, Speel, Acito and Bjornsson as those to keep eyes on. Our beats also called the Tobacco Road rivalry game for the season’s most anticipated, and it certainly turned out the most dramatic. There was a point in early November, right as the regular season ended, when the Blue Devil faithful might have hoped for a deep national run — peaking at No. 2 in the country, Duke looked nothing like the team that tied Coastal Carolina in its exhibition opener. There was growth for this soccer team, to be sure. The Blue Devils just couldn’t crack the NCAA Tournament. -Sophie Levenson
Best win: Oct. 8 at Elon
Although the Blue Devils were no strangers to the high-octane victory this season, low-scoring affairs were the true tests of this team’s mettle. Duke would prove equal to a number of these contests, able to eke out one-goal wins over many a conference opponent. However, it was a nonconference showdown that was most impressive for the Blue Devils this year, a game that unquestionably represented a turning point for the squad. After having grabbed only one win in its previous four fixtures, Duke needed a victory in a bad way when it travelled to Elon to take on the 8-2-1 Phoenix.
The Blue Devils found themselves in a hole at first half’s end, conceding from a set piece in the 41st minute to fall behind 1-0. However, they came out of the dressing room swinging. After a minute of open play, Luckhurst slotted one home to even up the game. Less than 10 minutes later, Bjornsson put one top bins in what would prove to be the decisive tally. Just like that, Duke was able to edge out a 2-1 victory over Elon. This match was a massive shift in momentum for the Blue Devils, who went unbeaten for the remainder of their regular season — a six game stretch. It was this fixture that allowed Duke to build a head of steam in advance of tournament play, but it was not enough to ensure championship success. -Luke Rinaldi
MVP: Ulfur Bjornsson
From the beginning of the season, Bjornsson set the grass on fire, and it didn’t burn out. Within the Blue Devils’ first two games, Bjornsson had already scored four goals. In the second game, the sophomore forward posted his second career hat trick, earning him ACC Offensive Player of the Week in just the first week of the season. From there, the sophomore forward’s energy did not falter, especially during Duke’s 11-game hot streak, when his name kept comfortable at the top of national charts. Leading the team with 13 goals, Bjornsson was the offensive heart of the team, and was able to take control of the field during crucial moments, also leading the team in game-winning goals. Under pressure, Bjornsson takes the cake. More than that, the Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, native’s energy is undeniable. -Lilah Gorfain
Accolades and professional plans
In his first and only year in Durham, the veteran Speel’s 45 saves and seven clean sheets led him to the United Soccer Coaches first-team All-America in addition to a position as a 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. The Dutch goalkeeper also gained a pair of ACC honors in the process, winning ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and being tabbed as a first-team All-ACC selection.
Bjornsson’s MVP season also earned him a spot as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in tandem with his United Soccer Coaches second-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honors. Bjornsson earned the very first ACC Offensive Player of the Week award for the 2024 season as a result of his four goals and one assist in Duke’s first two matchups, which included the Icelandic forward’s second career hat trick in the Blue Devils’ first win of the season against UC San Diego.
Luckhurst and Mesalles cracked a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-South third team.
In the MLS SuperDraft Dec. 20, the Columbus Crew selected junior midfielder Drew Kerr with its 81st overall pick during the draft’s third round. In addition, Mesalles plans to head to Salt Lake City following this year’s graduation to play for Real Salt Lake after his selection in last year’s SuperDraft. -Colton Schwabe
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Sophie Levenson is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.