Boys soccer: Seniors spearheading Medina revival

Following their first losing season in 16 years, the members of the Medina boys soccer team made it their mission to restore the tradition of one of Northeast Ohio's most storied programs. The objective was especially important to the 13 members of the senior class, as they didn't want to see another season like last year's 6-8-4 mark, the worst since Medina went 6-10-2 in 2008. "Last year, we know that wasn't our best performance," senior Brody Gannon said. "We know that this year we're going to show everybody that we're not the team from last year. We have a desire to win it all. We had a completely different mindset coming into this season." Medina (7-2-1) is off to a strong start, having already eclipsed last year's win total. After seeing streaks of six Greater Cleveland Conference titles and eight regional finals appearances end, the Bees are tied with Strongsville (10-1) for first with 4-0 marks in the GCC. Brunswick (7-2-3, 3-1) is on the heels of both. "It's been really amazing," senior Cooper Korduba said. "Last year was a bit of a downside, but every high school team is going to have those years. We're really coming back strong. We're really excited to see the bounce back from last year. We're still a good, quality team and people need to keep that in mind." Experience has been key in the turnaround, with the majority of the team returning. Though the Bees had played with each other growing up, last season was the first significant varsity action for most of the players after Medina graduated 15 seniors from its record-setting 2023 team, which went 20-1-1. Finding what it takes to be successful at the varsity level was an adjustment. "The main key to our success is the fact that we're more mature than we were last year," Korduba said. "We've all been playing together for a long time and know the style that works really well for us. We all have the same goals, too. We know what our purpose is and our role on the team." Though a step back last season was understandable considering the graduation losses and lack of experience, this year's team has shown a higher sense of commitment. Coach Doug Coreno credited Korduba, a two-year captain, for being someone that truly led during offseason workouts. "There was a lot of offseason reflection," Coreno said. "Guys knew that last season was not what's expected out of a Medina soccer program. We had a lot of big shoes to fill last year, but we certainly had the ability to perform better than we did in 2024. "We found a new level of work ethic and set our minds to play to the best of our ability. The guys came back in January for offseason workouts focused and energized." After a season-opening loss to Westlake, the Bees got a critical 2-1 win against GlenOak. The Golden Eagles knocked out Medina in the 2024 district semifinals, 1-0. "We came out strong," senior goalie Bennett Werthmuller said of the game this season. "We put two goals past them. They got a lucky PK goal, but it was a good win. Having them knock us out last year, (beating them this year) really pushed us over the bar and set us off." The win over GlenOak is one of four this season against teams that beat or tied Medina last season. Senior Tyler Cobb fired off the first goal in the win over GlenOak, a 30-yard laser that fooled the goalie. That goal was a boost for a team that struggled to find the back of the net with only 20 goals last season, more than half of which came in a 12-0 victory over Euclid. The 20 goals were the fewest by a Bees team since at least 2013. Medina already has 29 goals this season. The greater offensive success has been pivotal, as the Bees are 7-0 in games in which they score at least one goal. Gannon leads the team with nine goals and three assists for 21 points. He is followed by senior Cooper Fuller (4, 5) and Cobb (5, 2). "Compared to last season, we found our offense," Werthmuller said. "We found our groove. As soon as we started scoring in the first couple of games, we just kept it going." Werthmuller was the Division I Greater Akron District Goalkeeper of the Year and has led the defense to four shutouts and less than one goal allowed per game this season. With the combination of offense and defense, Medina hopes to claim the GCC championship in its last season before heading to the Suburban League National Conference. After that, the Bees' focus shifts to trying to win another district title and maybe more in another deep postseason run. "Sadly, we didn't win our conference last year, but we're totally capable of it this year," Korduba said. "I have a really good outlook for us winning that. Honestly, I'm looking forward to a really decent playoff run this year. We're deep with what we've got and if people bring the energy, we can make an Elite Eight, Final Four run, potentially." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.