Ian Harkes, son of former U.S. national team captain John Harkes, scored a goal and an assist to lead Wake Forest to a 3-1 win over Clemson for the Demon Deacon’s first ACC title since1989.
“I couldn’t be more proud for how the guys stepped up and played tonight,” said Wake Forest coach Bobby Muuss. “Twenty-seven years, a lot ofplayers have played here — a lot of really good players have played here and a lot of really good teams — and this trophy has been elusive.”
Harkes, the ACC Midfielder ofthe Year, got the Deacons on the board in the 24th minute, with a long-range shot from outside the box.
Jacori Hayes pushed the Wake Forest lead to 2-0 with a strike in the35th minute, assisted by Harkes. The goal was his team-leading seventh of the season.
Steven Echevarria collected a rebound after a shot from Tane Gent to scorehis first of the season and send Wake into halftime with a 3-0 advantage.
Aaron Jones got the Tigers on the board in the 67th minute on a penalty kick.
“It obviously not a very good first half,” said Clemson coach Mike Noonan. “We showed there’s a little more character in the second half. Our response was very good butby that time we were too far behind. Give Wake Forest credit — they came out, had a good plan, and they punished us. We have played poorly a few times this season and haven’t been punished, and WakeForest punished us, that is what good teams do. Tomorrow is a new day, and we are looking forward to the NCAA Tournament.”
All-TournamentTeam:
Zeiko Lewis, Boston College
Cedric Saladin, Boston College
Patrick Bunk-Andersen, Clemson
Malick Mbaye, Clemson
Oliver Shannon, Clemson
Daniel Johnson,Louisville
Tim Kubel, Louisville
Jon Bakero, Wake Forest
Ian Harkes, Wake Forest (MVP)
Jacori Hayes, Wake Forest
Kevin Politz, Wake Forest