WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Time after time, Wake Forest was sent away.
Time after time, the Demon Deacons tried to play the ball wide to their freshman midfielder Jack Harrison, who had scored eight goals with 11 assists entering the match, and every time freshman left back Andrew Gutman turned Harrison away — until the 88th minute.
In that 88th minute, Harrison got loose down the sideline. Gutman was able to close Harrison down and keep him out of the box, but he still played a cross that eventually ended up on the foot of junior midfielder Ricky Greensfelder. He volleyed the ball into the back of the net for the game-winning goal.
Because of that one shot, IU was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament against Wake Forest on Sunday, losing 1-0 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“When it comes to Jack, I’m not worried about who he’s playing against,” Wake Forest Coach Bobby Muuss said. “He’s played against probably some of the best left backs in the country, and he’s got eight goals and 11 assists for a reason.”
Harrison didn’t get credit for the assist; junior midfielder Ian Harkes did. But it was Harrison’s run down the flank and cross into Harkes that set up the goal.
Harrison was frustrated all afternoon against Gutman. The Chicago Fire Academy player pressured Harrison, never allowing him to get comfortable and run with the ball. When the Demon Deacons tried playing balls bypassing the defense Harrison could run down, Gutman either intercepted them or sophomore center defender Grant Lillard was there to clear the ball away.
“Grant and I felt confident defending throughout the whole game,” Gutman said. “It was just a lucky bounce at the top of the box and they converted on it and I give them credit for that.”
For a few minutes in the second half, Harrison was shifted to the other side of the field where he tried to beat junior defender Billy McConnell down his sideline.
That didn’t work either, and he eventually was subbed off in the 68th minute. Ten minutes later he returned to Gutman’s sideline, and 10 minutes later he started the game-winning goal.
Gutman said by the time of the goal he was tired. He had been pressing Harrison all game and was pressing up the field trying to create scoring chances for IU, all while never being subbed off.
“I had to do a lot of running, but I just pushed myself and kept going at it and I gave it all,” Gutman said. “We just came up short.”
Muuss told Harrison in practice a day before that the match was going to come down to the matchup between himself and Gutman.
If Gutman assisted or scored a goal, the Hoosiers would win. If Harrison did the same the Demon Deacons would advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Harrison wasn’t credited with the assist, but he created the goal and Wake Forest survived. IU’s season, on the other hand, is over.
“They had to earn their goal and that I’m very proud of,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “That they had to score a great goal to beat us and that was a great goal.”
