Boys soccer team kicks off season with new coach

The boys soccer team’s new coach, Jason Goggins, has brought Bexley a new coaching technique that he believes will greatly assist the team.

Goggins said that he has had success with his coaching style at London High School and Upper Arlington High School, as well as with kids soccer programs.

His coaching style, Goggins explained, focuses on a possession game where the objective is for the team to have control of the ball for 70 to 80% of the game. One of his goals is to teach the players where to be on the field, how to move and to be open for passes, Goggins said.

Junior Quinn Hall said that Goggins likes to keep the backline, midline and forwards back toward the goal and let the other team come towards them before they take an offense position. He explained that this strategy is different from styles of past coaches who focused on being more aggressive.

Goggins said that he believes his different coaching style has helped the team and was part of their success against Columbus Academy. The team played Academy on Wednesday, Sept. 2 and the game was a 1-1 tie until Bexley won 5-4 in the penalty kick shootouts. It had been five years since the team beat Columbus Academy, and Goggins added that he was very excited that the team won.

Junior Griffin Wagenbrenner said that the win against Academy felt amazing. After years of seeing his older brothers play the rivals in the past, he was even more motivated to beat them.

Goggins explained that while Columbus Academy had already played a few games, it was Bexley’s first game of the season, so the team was nervous.

“We didn’t quite have [the experience] yet, so the first half was a little rough, but we came out in the second half and played our game,” Goggins said.

Hall has been on the team for three years, but he explained that beating Columbus Academy was different from most games because of the rivalry between the teams. He added that the victory helped the morale in the games they have played since.

The team has been practicing goal scoring at practice, Hall said, and they have been better than all the teams they’ve played in terms of defense but have to work on their offensive skills.

Wagenbrenner explained that the team struggled to adjust to the coaching style at first, but they quickly adapted and are winning more games now.

“The coach has gotten us connected, and we’re finally learning how to play with this formation,” Wagenbrenner said.

Goggins also explained that he is working with the team on offense so that they can start turning their ties into wins.

“I honestly believe that we have enough talent on the team to compete for a state championship this season, but we can’t do that unless we start scoring some goals,” Goggins said.

Wagenbrenner said he feels closer to Goggins than most of his previous coaches because Goggins is very invested in the team. He said that Goggins wants the team to win as much as they can and takes the time to work with them individually, even playing with them to help accomplish this.

Goggins said that he focuses not only on strategies, but teamwork as well, and is still working every day with the team not only to get more wins, but to help them better understand themselves, each other and be the best people they can be.

“We’ve got a lot of young men on the team who are trying to figure out their way through life, through high school…so I hope to be a mentor if nothing else for them to help them be better men,” Goggins said.