Walters goal in overtime wins it for River View
Hayden Walters scored the game winning goal with 3:21 to play in the second overtime to lift River View over Worthington Christian 1-0 in the OHSAA Division IV State Soccer Championship.
The Black Bears defense dodged bullets all game long, including four shots by Worthington Christian that hit the post. The Warriors outshot the Black Bears 32-12.
But in the end, it was the one bullet fired by Walters that sent the Black Bear fans into a frenzy and set off the championship celebration.
“I told you, I believe in these kids, ” said River View Head Coach Vince Andrews. “It’s been many years coming for Black Bear Nation. The guys played their hearts out. We shutout the best team in the state. Our defense has been solid all year long, led by Laired Williamson in the back. We believed in each other, we believed in the plan, God is great.”
Worthington Christian nearly won the game on a shot by Eli Funderburke that ricocheted off the right post and went out of bounds with four minutes remaining in the second overtime.
On the ensuing goal kick, Black Bears goalkeeper, Layton Massie, played a perfect pass to Hayden Walters at midfield. Walters dribbled the ball to space and hit target man Cael Summers. Summers used two touches to feed it back to Walters on a give and go. Walters then buried the ball into the net, his 39th goal of the year.
The champions then sprinted to the RVHS student section to celebrate.
“Hayden Walters knows how to put the ball in the back of the net,” said Coach Andrews. “It’s been like that all the time. He’s going to go down in legacy, he just gets it done.”
The Boys Soccer State Champions expanded from three divisions to five for the 2024 season. All five state final matches resulted in 1-0 victories for the winners.
Casey Claxon from claxonsports.com shared this story with The Beacon. Photos are by Natalie Holbrook.
Category: High School, Sports
