Senior soccer player Michael Brenner was nationally recognized on ESPN after his bicycle kick goal during the Columbus Academy game on Sept. 7 landed him the number five spot on ESPN’s top ten plays.
Brenner said he was feeling unsure as he jumped into the bicycle kick.
“I didn’t know if I could get to [the ball] in time,” he said. “Once the ball was in the air, that was the quickest way to get a shot.”
Brenner said he was stunned to see the ball go into the goal for the third and final time of the night, leaving the game with a score of 3-1.
“Holy cow,” he said. “I just hit a bicycle kick to beat Academy.”
Brenner explained that he had no idea his goal would make it to ESPN.
“I thought ESPN wouldn’t look for clips from high school games,” he said. “But the fact that it got number five blew my mind.”
The final goal of the rivalry game was a shock to Brenner and the entire team, he added.
Junior Eli Tyson said he stood astonished as he watched the goal from the sideline.
“I saw the ball go in, and I just heard the crowd roar,” he said. “I was really confused and then I heard someone say he did a bicycle kick.’”
With a spotlight on the team, head boys soccer coach Jason Goggins said he hopes that Brenner will be able to keep the momentum going.
“During the pre-season, he was scoring lights out,” he said. “What I’m hoping is that this actually gives him a bit of confidence and allows him to continue doing what we know he can.”
However, Goggins said that he also hopes Brenner will not get distracted by the media attention and will be able to focus on the rest of the season.
“I really think it’s wonderful when a player gets recognized for something they’ve done,” Goggins said. “He deserves it.”
Brenner added that he hopes to have a strong season after recovering from his pulled hamstring, and wants to get back to scoring goals.
“It happened during the first half,” he said. “I took a shot and my hamstring got super tight and I got a stabbing pain.”
He said he was able to play in the second half after seeing the trainer, but it still did not feel right as he ran and sat out after scoring the goal. Although his hamstring was hurt after the game, Brenner said that the support and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and helped him recover.
“Being on the news was pretty cool and eventful,” he said. “My Instagram DMs skyrocketed after the post. There were a lot of people congratulating me.”
