The Panthers advanced to the State Semifinals whilst going 12-4 on the season and earning a #3 state ranking. It was a phenomenal season to say the least, and Union County is returning a bulk of the starting lineup that got them there.

Head Coach: Tim Hunter (8th Season; 2013-18; 2023-Present)
2023 Record: 12-4; State Semifinals (Final 4); #3 State Ranking

Returning Starters: 8
Key Returners: All-Region players CM Evan Bohms (Georgia State Commit), CM Zuriel Mancillas, CD Eli Decker

“We also return multi-year starters Joel Mendoza, Antonio Solorio, and Benton Gregory in the attack along with Wes Seiler, Kooper Ashcraft, and Seth Rutan on defense,” says Hunter.
Key Departures: Wilson Walker, Isaiah Ortiz, Trent Baker

“All three starters lost from last season’s Final Four team will be sorely missed,” says Hunter. Wilson was a great goal-scorer, physical player, and team leader. Isaiah anchored our back line. He was a First Team All-Region Player who was a force multiplier on the field. Trent in goal had some of the best keeper play in the playoffs that I have seen as a coach over the last 25 years.”

Team Strengths: “We return the bulk of our starters who are both experienced and talented,” adds Hunter. “We have a ton of players who have skill and speed which will make us very versatile. Evan and Zuriel return as our center mids who are extremely tough players to cover. Their passing and scoring ability will make us tough to defend. Benton Gregory will look to replace Wilson as our Center forward. He is another tall, physical player who has great speed and stamina up front. Wes Seiler will look to be the front line of the defense with Decker anchoring the center behind him. Ashcraft and Rutan are skilled attacking players who can get into the attack and feed crosses and shots from their outside defender positions. Mendoza and Solorio give us balanced scoring and the ability to switch positions and work with Evan and Zuriel so no defense can really key on any of our front line. Matthew Ortiz, Zach and Nick Depalma, and Ty Hogsed will compete for some of the vacant field positions and Eli Chapman and Ethan McBride will be playing in the goal.”

“We made the Final Four last season and lost to the eventual State Champions in overtime,” states Huter. “Our Region is extremely tough as we had three teams in the Elite 8 (Union, Providence, and Fellowship) along with tough competition from East Jackson and Athens Academy so obviously we can not look too far ahead as any team in this region is capable of knocking anyone out of contention. Whatever teams advance from Region 8-AA will be very battle-tested as some of the best soccer in AA resides in our region. With that being said, Union is capable of competing for the Region and State Championship and that is ultimately our goal. We have a great group of players who love to play the game and care about each other on and off the field.”