It was cold and rainy and Austin Horton won the game in the 98th minute. He dribbled inside the 18-foot box and ripped a shot to the back post, giving ONU a 2-1 overtime win over Capital on Saturday night. It was Horton’s second game-winning goal this season, the first coming in a two-overtime thriller when DePauw (Ind.) came to Ada on August 30.
Saturday night was different, however. Horton’s father and brother were in attendance to see his game winner, sitting behind Capital’s goal.
“It’s kind of hard to reach [my brother] now because he’s over in Brazil,” Horton said. “He can only text when he’s on WiFi.”
That’s because Horton’s brother, Aaron Horton, is a professional soccer player. He is 22 years old and currently playing forward for Associacao Desportiva Sao Caetano, a Brazilian team that plays its home games in front of nearly 23 thousand people. He is home for a month because his team did not make the playoffs.
Aaron Horton played one year of college soccer at Louisville, where he scored two game-winning goals in back-to-back games in the 2010 NCAA tournament (Louisville went on to lose the national championship game to Akron). He was then drafted by the Columbus Crew in the following spring and signed with Adidas.
Austin, a sophomore midfielder, still remembers battling his brother in their backyard when they were kids.
“If I ever got anywhere close to beating him, he’d get mad,” Austin said.
Soccer ties in the Horton family run deeper than Austin and Aaron, however. Austin’s uncle, Timothy Horton, played soccer at Boston University from 1988-1992 and played for the U.S. National Team as well. He is now a judge, living in New Albany, Ohio.
“We go to church with him and his family every couple of weeks,” Austin said casually.
As for Austin himself, he’s doing just fine. Horton is third in the OAC in assists (7) and is second on the team in points, with 15 after Saturday. He has four goals this season and is one of seven Polar Bears to start every game so far.
The team itself has been rather inconsistent as of late, though. ONU is 2-2-1 in conference play, with injuries and lineup changes plaguing the Polar Bears. Sophomore forward Matt Kinkopf, the team’s leading scorer, has been out the last four games due to broken and fractured ribs suffered at John Carroll two weeks ago.
Coach Ridenour and the Polar Bears have been experimenting with lineups to try to find new ways to score.
“We’ve really been experimenting all year, changing lineups every game,” Horton said.
ONU has four conference games left before the OAC tournament. Their next game is on Wednesday night, when they host Heidelberg.
Amongst all of the lineup changes and crucial injuries, one thing is certain: the ball is safe at the feet of Austin Horton. It’s in his blood.