By: Sean Farrell
NorthJersey.com
HARRISON – The nerves along the Harrison sideline were only natural.
Not only did the Blue Tide step to the penalty spot with their season and a trip to the state championship hanging in the balance. They faced the shootout demons that have hung over the program since their last finals appearance.
Four losses in four chances, to be exact.
“I’d be honest if I didn’t tell you that I had a bad feeling about this,” coach Mike Rusek said. “We were trying to get the game done in regulation.”
But in the pressure moments on Tuesday night, Harrison didn’t crack. The Blue Tide cranked each shot in the back of the net and beat Glen Rock, 5-3, in penalties in the Group 2 semifinal after each side scored once in regulation.
Senior Yusufu Jaite finished it off in the top of the fifth round to send one of the state’s best soccer towns back to the biggest stage.
“We said to him as coaches that we’ve won with you and lost with you,” Rusek said. “You’re our guy. You’re taking this shot no matter what. It’s a lot easier to say when he buries it.”
The shot brought everything full circle for Jaite, who came from Gambia as a freshman without speaking a word of English. He stopped taking penalties last year after having one saved in the same round on the same field in a loss to Ramsey back in 2022.
But Jaite said he did not feel nervous on Tuesday night and not only because the Blue Tide rehearsed on Monday.
“Nah. Not really because I know where I go,” Jaite said. “If you check the goalie, all four kicks he went to his left. All four kicks.”
What it means:
Harrison (19-5-2) will take on Sterling in the state championship at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at Franklin High School. The Blue Tide have won a record 25 state titles, but none since 2014.
Rusek was proud to say that his team finished unbeaten at home this year, but that’s not to say there weren’t hiccups along the way. Harrison lost four matches in divisional play and two to teams with losing records.
“We tell them we’re always looking toward November and we learn more from the losses than the wins sometimes,” Rusek said. “Every loss we had – and we had a bunch – we took something from that.”
Glen Rock pushed Harrison to the limit behind senior goalie Andrew Eisenberg, who made 12 saves, including five in sudden death. Panthers coach Matt Beverin is hoping this year’s group can reset the standard after finishing one-and-done in the 2023 state tournament.
“I think before the year, no one really thought we’d be here,” Beverin said. “So we grew throughout from the first game to now so much. It’s kudos to the boys for not letting what happened last year happen again.”
Anatomy of a shootout
Both teams scored their regulation goal in the opening half. Harrison’s Cristian Carranza dribbled through a ton of traffic and scored in the 19th minute, while Glen Rock’s Alex Kim answered on a quick restart two minutes before the break.
In the shootout, Rusek went with five players who were either captains, seniors, or both: Joel Rueda, Christian Barrios, Frank Barrera, Carranza and Jaite. Harrison took a lead in the fourth round when senior Francisco Apolo saved a shot up the middle.
“Glen Rock was a great opponent,” Rusek said. “I just hope they didn’t take enough out of us for one more game.”
