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After a season in which he proved time and time again that he was of the highest quality in the country, Andrew Gutman became the seventh Hoosier to win the MAC Hermann Trophy in the history of the program.
“It’s a tremendous honor to win the MAC Hermann Trophy and join the elite group of Hoosiers who have won the before me,” Gutman said. “It means a lot to be considered the top college soccer player in the nation. An honor like this obviously doesn’t come without a lot of hard work and without my teammates, coach Yeagley and the rest of the staff, none of this would be possible.”
The left back found the back of the net 11 times as a senior and tallied seven assists, but perhaps the most notable part of his season was that seven of his goals were game winners. Gutman’s ability to step up in big moments was crucial to Indiana’s success in 2018.
One such moment was a matchup eventual national champion Maryland during the regular season. In that game, he gave the Hoosiers the lead with a header in the first half, but then after they conceded a goal he stepped up again, finishing on a cross with just seconds left in the match to put IU ahead.
This is the most prestigious award Gutman has received following the season, and there have been plenty of them. He was a consensus first-team All-America, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the College Cup All-Tournament Team, and Top Drawer Soccer’s National Player of the Year.
Gutman is the first Hoosier to win the award since current IU assistant coach Danny O’Rourke did so in 2004. He also joins program legends such as current head coach Todd Yeagley, Brian Maisonneuve, and Angelo DiBernardo as a winner. Some other famous winners of the Trophy include former Tottenham Hostpur goalkeeper Brad Friedel, Atlanta United FC midfielder Darlington Nagbe and Seattle Sounders FC forward Jordan Morris, all three of whom have also played for the US Men’s National Team.
The Trophy is awarded to the top male and female collegiate soccer players in the nation each season and is voted on by Division I coaches who are members of the United Soccer Coaches.