STORRS — UConn is known for many things, across many sports. Here’s a new one brewing:
Goalkeeper U.
“I did know that UConn produces goalkeepers for the professional level,” Kyle Durham said. “I did know that (pro) coaches come here to watch UConn’s goalkeepers. That’s why I came here in the first place, because I knew, ‘You want a lot of shots? Come to UConn. … You want to show the world that you can play? Come to UConn.’ So I came to UConn, got a lot of shots, made a lot of saves, found a way to win games.”
Durham, in his first season, probably his only season, as a full-time college keeper, has stopped 93 shots in 20 games, with a flare for the dramatic and the spectacular. He has anchored the UConn men’s soccer team, which has an NCAA Tournament Round of 16 date at Maryland Saturday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+). Durham could follow keepers Jayden Hibbert and Max Kerkvliet and give the program a first-round pick in three successive MLS SuperDrafts if he goes as high as expected on Dec. 20. Back a decade and a half, UConn sent Andre Blake, one of the best pro goalkeepers of his generation, to MLS.
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“I imagine Kyle is going to be one of the top goalkeepers drafted after this season,” coach Chris Gbandi said. “The secret sauce is putting together a plan that fits them. Every goalkeeper has different attributes, then we’ve been very fortunate to have good goalkeeper coaches, and MLS, pro coaches are looking at UConn because we do a good job with that.”
Robbie Montanaro, who started working with UConn goalkeepers in 2024, had a lot to work with in Durham, 6 feet 4, exceptional size and athletic ability for the position. “He makes saves on a daily basis that you’d be hard-pressed to find another keeper in college soccer who can do that,” Montanaro said.
As a very young player on his Brooklyn club team, Durham moved from left back to the net when his team’s goalie was injured. His coach thought he was a natural and he’s been in that position ever since. He considered going pro out of high school, City Polytechnic High School of Engineering Architecture and Technology, but chose Pittsburgh over UConn. After redshirting as a freshman, he dialed up Goalkeeper U.
“He wanted to play,” Gbandi said. “We told him, this is a place that you could develop, but there’s a guy right here who’s a little bit ahead of you, but he’s most likely going to leave.’ We asked Kyle to trust us and certainly he was going to get his opportunity.”
So Kirkvliet, who allowed 0.77 goals per game in 2024, went to Real Salt Lake in the draft and Durham took over. He has allowed 21 goals in 20 games. Montanaro particularly remembers a save at Akron, pivotal in the 3-1 win on Sept. 19. Durham made a low save to his right, then scrambled to his feet and tipped the rebound shot over the crossbar. Earlier, he stopped a breakaway to preserve a tie vs. UMass. In his movements, Durham patterns himself after longtime English star Joe Hart, which he believes makes the goal appear smaller to a defender.
“You’ve got to have the mind of a gold fish, I’ve heard that one a couple of times,” Durham said. “Action happens. If its a good action, you’ve got to forget it; if it’s a bad action, you’ve got to forget it again. Always be quick to forget so the next action feels like a new step, a new, clean slate.”
Durham has made a difference as the Huskies reached the 48-team College Cup field for the first time since 2018, got a first-round bye and defeated Cornell 3-1 at Morrone Stadium last Sunday, despite being outshot 31-9 and defending 15 corner kicks.
“We try to keep it pretty simple and basic,” Montanaro said. “Are they stopping the shots in and around their body, the shots they have to save? And from there we let them sort of express themselves with their playing styles. Kyle is incredibly confident as a goalkeeper. Earlier this season, we talked about dominating his area and Kyle took it on board. We had some outside-of-the-box ideas of what we wanted him to do and he had the confidence to execute some pretty high-level techniques. As a result, he’s been absolutely dominant in his 18-yard box, balls in the air, long throws, crosses, he’s been brilliant. It deflates an opponent when they dump the ball into the box and he’s able to come way out and take it over big strikers, killing the game like that.”
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No. 4 seed Maryland (12-1-4) is coached by Sasho Cirovski, who led UHart to NCAA appearances in 1991 and 92, before leading the Terps to 22 straight postseason berths and national championships in 2005, 2008 and 2018. They were unbeaten this season, until losing the Big Ten final to UCLA, then beat North Carolina on penalty kicks in their second-round Tournament game. Maryland, which has outscored opponents 41-15, will test Durham with its wide game.
“I don’t go into any game thinking I’m going to make 10 saves,” Durham said. “I hope to make zero. I just know when the ball comes and I need to make a save, I need to make a save to make sure my team stays in the game. I’m here to show that I can lead a team to wins. I’m here to win, I’m not only here to stop shots, not here to create, I’m here to win games.”