Near Miss
The boys’ soccer team outshot River View but lost 1-0 in the Div. IV state title game.
After having a second shot bounce off the crossbar in a 1-0 loss to Warsaw River View in the Division IV state championship game on Nov. 11 at Historic Crew Stadium, Worthington Christian senior forward Eli Funderburke nearly toppled backward in disappointment.
“I had so many chances,” said Funderburke, who had six shots against the Black Bears but couldn’t get anything past River View goalkeeper Landon Massie. “In the first half, I had a header that just hit the crossbar, and I thought that was unlucky.
“(After my second shot went off the post in the second overtime), I felt, ‘Oh my goodness. This can’t be happening.’”
Funderburke was not alone. The Warriors, who finished the season 14-3-1 overall, had 32 shots, including 14 on goal, to River Valley’s 11 shots.
However, the Black Bears made the one that mattered. With 3:14 left in the double overtime, River View forward Hayden Walters took a pass from midfielder Cael Summers and shot it to the left of Warrior goalkeeper Cody Thomas. Walters finished the season with 39 goals and seven assists, while Summers led the Black Bears with 13 assists. Thomas finished the game with six saves.
Through the 106 minutes of soccer, Worthington Christian coach Dan Roads kept thinking something, eventually, was going to go his team’s way.
“From about 10 minutes in, we felt like we had a good flow,” said Roads, whose team lost to Willoughby Andrews Osbourne Academy 2-1 in the Division III state final last year. “We had so many chances and so many corners and hit the post four times. The game was in our hands.”
The extra-time games were almost the norm in the soccer state finals, especially for Central Ohio teams. Since OHSAA expanded to five divisions this season, five of the ten finals between the boys and girls teams went into overtime and/or shootouts. In Division II, the New Albany boys team won in penalties, while in Division I, St. Charles lost in double overtime. In girl’s soccer, Watterson, which captured the Division II state title, and Springboro, which won the Division I title, both won in penalties.
“We knew overtime games were going to be pretty typical,” Roads said. “It’s a tough thing to swallow. Even when you dominate a team, these kinds of things will happen. It happens every day in soccer.
“It’s a great lesson for us. We can file this away and remember this for a long time.”
The Nov. 11 state final was a jarring halt to the Warriors’ wild post-season ride. Worthington Christian outlasted Liberty Benton 8-7 in penalties in a Nov. 3 regional semifinal and escaped Cincinnati Madeira 1-0 on a goal by junior forward Max Glick in a Nov. 6 state semifinal.
According to Roads, the loss doesn’t diminish what Worthington Christian accomplished this season.
“I am absolutely proud of the way we played,” Roads said. “It doesn’t take away from the work they put in to get here.”
The Warriors’ jerseys and warm-ups feature three stars, one for each state title they won in 2011, 2009, and 2006. Funderburke was hoping Worthington Christian, the state runner-up in 2023, 2010, 2008, and 2000, would collect that elusive fourth star.
“It’s all good,” Funderburke said. “It was a great fight. I am so happy we made it this far.
“The number one thing is I give all the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Him.”
Worthington Christian entered the postseason after tying rival Grandview for the Central Buckeye League title with identical 6-1 records. The Warriors lost to the Bobcats 1-0 on Aug. 21, but Grandview was tripped up by Columbus Academy 2-1. Academy (5-1-1) placed third, and Bexley (4-2-1) took fourth.
Worthington Christian outscored league opponents 35-4, only surrendering goals to the Bobcats, the Vikings in a 5-2 win and Ready in a 5-1 victory.
Senior Baden Wood and juniors Glick, Ethan Carrel, and Grayden Little earned first-team honors. Funderburke, junior Michael Shindle, and sophomore Blake Miller were second-team selections, and Thomas was an honorable mention.
Carrel, the Division IV Central District Player of the Year, joined Glick and Little on the all-district first team.
Worthington Christian will begin next season without seniors Tom Espenschied (one goal, one assist), Funderburke (eight goals, six assists), and Cyrus Nip (one goal, one assist) as forwards; Nate Erwin (three goals, one assist) and Wood (13 goals, four assists) from the midfield; and Ethan Blank (one goal) and Ethan Chang from the defense.
“This senior class stepped up. They became leaders after we graduated so many good players from last year’s team,” said Roads, who shared the CBL coach of the year honors with Grandview coach James Gerdes. “They identified ways to improve. They always were like ‘How can we get better today?’”
“This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of, not just in terms of talent, but relationally,” Funderburke said. “I am going to miss them.”
Roads expects to return juniors Christian Lehman (one goal, one assist), Little (five goals, one assist), Nolan Palmer (two goals), Shindle, and Ian St. John (one goal, one assist) to the defense and juniors Thompson (67 saves) and Ethan Reale (15 saves) as goalkeepers.
“I’m excited. We have nearly all our defenders returning next year,” Roads said. “We were the only team to hold River View scoreless for 80 minutes this season.”
Offensively, the Warriors return juniors Glick (18 goals, nine assists), and CJ Bah (three goals, four assists), sophomores Luke Meyers (one goal, two assists), and Miller (13 goals, four assists), and freshmen Nolan Schoonover (12 goals, four assists) as forwards and juniors Carrel (five goals, three assists), sophomores Oliver Blank, Colton Hoskinson (one goal, five assists) and freshman Luke Stone (two goals, two assists) to the midfield.
“We know if we put in a lot of work, we can get back to (the state championship),” Roads said. “We have a lot of kids who are hungry to return to this place next year.”