In a game characterized by flaring tempers and mountains of fouls, the Blue Devils managed to scrape out a 1-0 win in Charlottesville and grab an ever-important first conference victory.
Duke found itself blown off course Friday as it fell 3-2 to Grand Canyon in its first non-conference regular-season loss since 2021. But in Koskinen Stadium Sunday, the Blue Devils trampled Division-III Averett, allowing just one goal from the Cougars while scoring 14 to tie their program record set in 1994 for most in a single game.
The Blue Devils took on San Diego Thursday and UC San Diego Sunday; they tied the first match 2-2 and won the second 3-2 thanks to sophomore Ulfur Bjornsson's hat trick.
In the wake of several significant departures — senior captains Nick Pariano, Antino Lopez, Lewis McGarvey and Amir Daley included — finding those veterans seemed a tall task. Kerr, however, has taken full advantage of his ability to recruit graduate transfers, such that his roster may have more veteran leaders now than it ever has. Graduate students comprise 10 of Kerr’s 32 players, and only two of them — Cameron Kerr and Luke Thomas — are returners to Duke.
While Duke soccer may be in the offseason, several former Blue Devils are kicking off their MLS campaigns. The Blue Zone is here to break down the performances of some key alumni.
All 32 names on Duke’s roster lived and breathed the beautiful game, such that an amalgam of different nationalities not only fit into the team but actively built its chemistry.
Days after the Philadelphia Union announced it had signed senior midfielder Nick Pariano and a professional career claimed freshman goalkeeper Julian Eyestone, many of the remaining Duke stars entered the world of Major League Soccer, too.
The senior midfielder and team captain signed a homegrown contract with MLS’s Philadelphia Union, which the team announced Thursday.
Freshman goalkeeper Julian Eyestone announced in December that he would leave Duke for a professional career. Friday, he signed with Brentford FC.
In an overtime thriller, No. 15-seed Duke fell to Western Michigan on its home turf, ending its NCAA tournament run in the second round.
From the outside, one could easily assume that the Dallas native is a veteran player — someone who has been with the team for several years and has become a leader by way of his experience with the college game. It might surprise a spectator, then, to learn that Julian Eyestone is just a 17-year-old freshman.
Six Blue Devils earned conference awards Wednesday.
On a dark Sunday night in Clemson, South Carolina, the fifth-seeded Blue Devils fought tooth and nail for a spot in the ACC semifinals against No. 4-seed Clemson.
Make no mistake about it, the Kerr family presence is hardly a coincidence, but rather a demonstration of a family’s true passion for the game of soccer.
The fifth-seeded Blue Devils scored early, pulled ahead and then hung on after giving up two late goals to leave Koskinen Stadium with a 3-2 win against No. 12-seed Boston College in a win-or-go-home ACC tournament matchup.
The Blue Devils played to a physical 1-1 draw in the first half, before riding the momentum of two quick goals in the second half to come out on the winning end of an eventual 7-1 hammering.
The Blue Devils shut out the Bison 7-0 beneath bright Koskinen Stadium lights in a collaborative showcase that saw goals from all over the roster. Both rosters, actually.
Soccer is a strange game, and sometimes a goal just is not in the cards. Such was the case in Pittsburgh Saturday evening, as No. 9 Duke and No. 23 Pittsburgh exchanged several quality offensive opportunities but ultimately played to a 0-0 draw.
Regardless of why the 15th-ranked Blue Devils seem to prefer place kicks to develop the offense, the approach certainly worked when N.C. State came to Durham Friday night. Duke rode two scores that came as results of set pieces to come out on top of the Wolfpack 2-1.
On Tuesday night, No. 15 Duke took on Elon at home at Koskinen Stadium, where the Blue Devils definitively shut out the Phoenix 3-0.
