A COMPLETE PLAYER
New Albany’s Anthony headlines All-metro boys soccer team
Gabe Anthony emphasized increasing his assists coming off a junior season in which he scored 28 goals for the New Albany soccer team, and that largely played out exactly as he hoped.
The three games leading up to the Eagles' second Division I state final appearance in three years provided perfect proof.
Anthony, a senior forward, assisted Ethan Cohen on an insurance goal in a 2-0 regional semifinal win over Hilliard Davidson, then three days later assisted on another score for Cohen that proved to be the game-winner in a 1-0 victory against Olentangy Liberty in the regional final.
Four nights later in a state semifinal, Anthony netted both goals in a 2-1 double-overtime win over Cincinnati Moeller. He finished the year with 18 goals and 17 assists.
“After last year, (I felt like people were saying) ‘all right, he can put the ball in the net, but what else can he do? Can he really do much else?' And I feel like I proved people wrong,” Anthony said. “I proved I can be a facilitator and not just finish the ball, but create chances for my team when needed.”
Anthony's body of work drew attention locally and statewide, as he was named OCC-OHIO Division Player of the Year, district Player of the Year and first-team allstate. For his achievements, Anthony also is The Dispatch's All-metro Player of the Year.
“I couldn't get all these awards without my teammates,” said Anthony, a second-team all-state honoree a year ago who plans to concentrate on academics in college. “It feels so good to be on the giving end (making assists) instead of the receiving end, like I usually was.”
Ranked as high as fourth in the state during the regular season, New Albany went 16-2-3 and lost to four-time defending champion Cleveland St. Ignatius 2-0 in the state final.
Eagles coach Johnny Ulry said Anthony's selflessness was on full display in the state semifinal.
“He actually had a (scoring) chance in the first overtime where we thought he should have shot it and he came off and actually apologized to me,” Ulry said. “I just said, ‘Hey, next time, you have to put the team on your shoulders and you have to finish this game.' And he did.
“He attracted so much attention as you watched the games. He got doubleand triple-teamed so much of the time, and he was the first guy to get the ball to somebody else and get everybody involved. But it was fitting that he was the guy who got the goal to get us to a state final.”
Coach of the year
Bexley's Jason Goggins is the All-metro Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to the Division II state title game. The Lions improved from 3-8-4 in Goggins' first season in 2020 to 10-4-4 last year and 18-4-1 this season, earning the program's first championship appearance since 2005. Bexley lost to Lima Shawnee 1-0 (3-1 shootout) in the final.
Four seniors who were sophomores during Goggins' first season — midfielders Grayson Fletcher, Liam Kauffman and James Mccann and defender Blake Simons — helped provide the foundation.
“The boys bought into the system we're trying to run,” said Goggins, a 1993 Bexley graduate. “When I came in, it was the COVID year, so everything was a little screwy. We had some games canceled and we weren't able to play with our varsity team during the tournament because of COVID issues … but we implemented the system and the guys started buying in. “We laid more of the foundation last year and a lot of those guys came back this year. We just sort of rode the wave and continued with that success.”