'It's Unbelievable': Bloomington Native Andrew Goldsworthy Starts First Match of Five-Year College Career

In Andrew Goldsworthy's five-year college career, he has played in only 11 matches and never started. But the veteran from Bloomington got the call on Senior Night Friday in Indiana soccer's 2-0 shutout of Trine, with his family in attendance.

Matthew Byrne | Oct 28, 2023

'It's Unbelievable': Bloomington Native Andrew Goldsworthy Starts First Match of Five-Year College Career /

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Andrew Goldsworthy’s pride seeps out of his mouth as he grins. His tone is hushed, though his delight is palpable. It’s around 9 p.m. ET Friday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium, just after an unbelievable night.

Earlier that morning, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound defender’s name was called in the team’s film session. Goldsworthy was thrilled, as were his teammates, who congratulated the redshirt senior.

The Bloomington native and fifth-year's first career start would be on Senior Night.

It's right before kick-off at 6:30 p.m., the Hoosiers stream out of the locker room next to the pitch. It's routine, but not for Goldsworthy. He walks to the line of parents on the field, who have formed a row for Senior Night. One parent stops him, and they bro-hug. Eventually, Goldsworthy finds his dad and mom in line.

Andrew's dad, Richard, is in red, holding a plaque with a team picture. His mom, Susan, is wearing gray, with a red and white bouquet of flowers in hand. Andrew’s name is called, and he discreetly waves his right arm to the sparse home crowd. Once everyone is honored, teammates hug and the line disperses.

Andrew, the hometown kid, is gearing up for his first kick-off. So is his family.

Susan speed-walks on the concrete path to the bleachers. She takes out her red-cased phone and photographs his girlfriend, former Indiana volleyball player Haley Armstrong, who holds Andrew’s cut-out roster image. Andrew’s mom vanishes to the bleachers, but Haley clasps the cut-out at the black fence line at the base of the bleachers. Andrew’s sister, Sarah, dons an Indiana red bucket hat and joins Haley.

As Andrew waits for his name to be called for another time that day, his hands are behind his back. He shakes his legs one at a time. When "Andrew Goldsworthy" is announced during the starting lineup introduction, he waves again to fans in a slightly less timid way than before. Sarah, a freshman at Indiana, captures it all on her phone.

The crowd has filled in by the national anthem, which Susan records. She uses her fingers to zoom in on Andrew at the last cymbal crash. In his five-year college career, he’s played in 11 matches: three in spring 2021, three in fall 2021, and five this season. His experience amounts to 111 total minutes, with no goals, no assists, and just two shots on target. He missed all of last season due to an injury, and he has never started.

Neither Goldsworthy nor his parents may be aware beforehand, but he’s about to play the full 90 minute-match Friday.

“It means something else just to play in front of this student section, these fans,” Goldsworthy says. “Especially in front of your hometown. It’s just unbelievable.”

And they’re off.

Oct. 27, 2023. Indiana redshirt senior Andrew Goldsworthy (24) dribbles with the ball against Trine. The Hoosiers won 2-0 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. — Oct. 27, 2023. Indiana redshirt senior Andrew Goldsworthy (24) dribbles with the ball against Trine. The Hoosiers won 2-0 at Bill Armstrong Stadium / IU Athletics

Goldsworthy’s job is to camp in his team’s defending third. It can be considered relatively mundane, but his mom records one-handed for practically the entire first 45-minute half. The match is still scoreless in the 23rd minute when Goldsworthy is called upon defensively. One-on-one, he sprints and beats an opposing forward to the ball, then heads it back to his goalie. His mom hunches down to rest.

Two minutes remain before halftime, as Indiana leads 1-0, courtesy of Maouloune Goumballe’s first goal of the season. The fellow fifth-year player made his 100th-career appearance Friday night, the nation’s active leader in games played. Goumballe was honored by the team prior to the match in the locker room. Goldsworthy sat beside him and clapped in support.

“Maouloune’s my roommate," Goldsworthy says. “I’ve been wanting him to get a goal for a long time.”

As the clock dwindles, Goldsworthy is active. In the 43rd minute, he swipes the loose ball at midfield and rushes forward. He shoots for the first time, but it’s wide. In the waning minutes, Goldsworthy is continually tasked to pass in his defending third. His mom picks up her phone each time to record her son. And no, that doesn’t vary in the second half.

On each of Indiana’s 12 corner-kicks in the second half, Goldsworthy jogs into the box to prepare for the play. On some occasions, the aerial specialist even barrels into the center of the box. His first header in the second half is saved, spoiling the opportunity for his first career goal. The second header in the 75th minute veers off target. It doesn’t matter – Goldsworthy’s mom records every corner.

It seemed like Goldsworthy’s time is up in the 74th minute right before the second header. Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley sends four substitutions to the sidelines, and surely the hometown kid appreciates 74 whole minutes. But Goldsworthy stays on for the final 16 minutes in Indiana’s 2-0 shutout win over Division III opponent Trine. The shutout is the program’s third consecutive in the Trine series.

One of those four substitutes is backup goalkeeper Austin Himebaugh for JT Harms. Himebaugh is a redshirt junior and has been with Indiana for four seasons. His two career appearances total 30 minutes against Trine this year and last. But he's another hometown kid. He and Goldsworthy both attended Bloomington High School North, though they didn't play much together there. They get 16 minutes together on Friday.

Indiana outshoots Trine 34-4, and Goldsworthy accounts for three – more in this single match than in the prior three seasons total. He leisurely high-fives teammates and fist-bumps the referees wearing neon-yellow uniforms. He seems reserved for this monumental moment.

“He doesn't say a lot, yeah,” Yeagley says. “He just does it through his work. The same thing during practice. He's just kind of puts his head down, not literally, but just goes and goes and goes and goes … I think giving them the confidence that they can do the job to protect the guys that have the game Sunday was, I think, a win-win for us. And Andrew, again, epitomizes that.”

Goldsworthy’s sister, Sarah, still wearing her red bucket hat, says goodbye to her parents. Andrew stands at the center circle and talks with someone as the rest of the team clears the field. Their conversation breaks.

Goldsworthy takes a drink of water when he notices another. It's his girlfriend, Haley, on the sidelines – his cutout picture is visible from that far away. He jogs over. They embrace each other right in front of the sideline board that reads "15 Big Ten Tournament Championships." Goldsworthy was on the team that secured the last two.

The veteran is one of the last players to leave the field, and his parents are some of the last to leave the bleachers. Goldsworthy casually strolls to depart from the field and heads for the locker room. He waves to someone on the way there, but he's alone.

The defender glows under the lights of the Jerry F. Tardy Center. He’s about to go down the steps to the locker room but pauses. He sits down on one of the top steps and seems to be fiddling with his cleats. Only the curvature of his back is visible.

Then, he disappears for good, concluding an unparalleled night in his soccer career.

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