Bexley boys soccer loses heartbreaker in Division II state final

Grayson Fletcher, James McCann and Ethan Nguyen sat with coach Jason Goggins in the media room at Lower.com Field on Nov. 12, physically and mentally drained from playing 110 minutes of scoreless soccer.

After that stalemate in 35-degree weather, the Bexley boys team suffered the heartbreak of losing 1-0 (3-1 in penalty-kick shootout) to Lima Shawnee in the Division II state championship game.

The Lions, who finished 18-4-1, were making their first state final appearance since winning the championship in 2005, defeating Bay Village Bay 2-1 in a shootout.

Fletcher entered on crutches after being helped off the field with an injury to his right ankle. The senior midfielder was awestruck despite the injury and the disappointing outcome.

“This is how everybody dreams to end their season, not with a loss but at Lower.com Field,” he said. “This whole season has been amazing and the bonds that I have created with my teammates, it’s everything I could have asked for in my final season.

“Unfortunately, I suffered an injury — and a pretty bad one at that — so I wasn’t able to finish out the game. I could tell all of the boys were fighting their hardest the whole time, and they made me really proud, whether we won or lost. In the moment, I’m sad, but going forward I’ll be proud of all of my teammates who worked hard tonight.”

McCann, a senior midfielder, likely had the best shot for either team before the shootout, hitting the crossbar in the first half.

“I don’t think either team had very many good shots,” said Goggins, who completed his third season. “We had a couple of corners that got flicked near (the goal), and the goalie didn’t have to make too many strong saves. The crossbar got in the way on that one.”

Senior forward Michael Brenner made his penalty kick for Bexley. Nguyen, junior defender Miles Redding and senior forward John Westman had their shots stopped by Shawnee goalie Jack Tenwalde.

“It was a great game,” McCann said. “The play being middled in the middle was a testament to how evenly matched we were.

“We fought hard, and we knew coming in that it would be a good, hard, evenly fought match. We needed to win those small battles. I think (penalty kicks) were the only way it was going to end.”

Junior goalie Drew Martin had six saves for Bexley.

Senior forward Liam Kauffman scored in overtime to give the Lions a 1-0 victory over Cincinnati Wyoming in a state semifinal Nov. 9 at Bellbrook.

The Lions cruised past Steubenville 5-0 on Nov. 5 at Zanesville to win their first regional title since 2012. They defeated Granville 3-2 on Oct. 29 at Worthington Christian Middle School for their first district title since 2019.

Bexley was unbeaten in the MSL-Ohio Division to win its second consecutive league title. Fletcher was district Player of the Year and first-team all-league, and McCann was first-team all-district and all-league.

“This whole ride with the seniors has been amazing,” said Nguyen, a junior midfielder who was second team all-district and first-team all-league. “This group of guys is special, and replacing them this year will be impossible.

"Having this experience playing in the largest game is something I will never forget. It’s something I will always strive toward bringing the program back here.”

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BEXLEY BOYS SOCCER

•Record: 18-4-1 overall

•MSL-Ohio standings: Bexley (6-0), Columbus Academy (4-2), Worthington Christian (4-2), Grandview Heights (3-2-1), Whitehall (2-3-1), Wellington (1-5), Buckeye Valley (0-6)

•Seniors lost: Michael Brenner, Grayson Fletcher, Liam Kauffman, James McCann, Ben Rosen, Blake Simons and John Westman

•Key returnees: Drew Martin, Ethan Nguyen, Nolan Place, Miles Redding, Eli Tyson and Andrew Zwick

•Postseason: Def. Harvest Prep 19-0; def. Jonathan Alder 4-0; def. Granville 3-2; Gallipolis Gallia Academy 1-0; def. Steubenville 5-0; def. Cincinnati Wyoming 1-0 (OT), lost to Lima Shawnee 1-0 (3-1 shootout) in Division II state final

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Bexley boys soccer loses heartbreaker in Division II state final