Ladies perfect in first four games
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam The jv Lady Panthers goalkeeper gets run over by a Lady Indian.

The 2007 Lady Panthers soccer season opened last Wednesday, as the team notched a 3-0 win over White County. Head Coach Tim Hunter said that he already likes what he has seen from his young team.

"By our own standards last year was a down year," Coach Hunter said. "But the level that we have tried to bring soccer to here [has given us] some lofty expectations. We're still very young and that's a positive for us for the future."

Coach Hunter also said that due to his duties as the new head basketball coach this year, the team has not been able to get in as much practice time before the start of the season, but that the girls have done a great job of giving 110 percent from the outset. "I have been more pleased with practice and our intensity level than I have in years," Coach Hunter said. "That's one thing I'm really proud of and a lot of that comes from some really good senior leadership."

Union 3 - White 0

"For the first game of the year we came out and played pretty well," Coach Hunter said. 'They're a big physical team and their center-mid actually starts at linebacker for the jv football team. They were kind of seasoned because they had already played several games."

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam Malory O'Steen battles a White County player for a ball during the Lady Panthers first game of the season.

Freshman Malory O'Steen scored the first goal of the season and Bonnie Ann Sarrell added another point on a penalty kick, giving the Lady Panthers a 2-0 lead going into halftime.

In the second half Jess Seabolt scored to increase the lead to 3-0. The coach said that after that goal the team went into defensive mode. "We put in a lot of defenders and just killed the clock. We played hard and for the first game we played pretty good," Coach Hunter said. He explained that the team did a great job of being focused for its' first matchup.

Union 4 - Rabun 1

"Rabun is always a tough place to play because their field is really narrow," Coach Hunter said. "Any pass that you make to the outside that has a heavy crown is going out of bounds in a hurry, and the field is short too. It's a big homefield advantage and somewhere that we don't traditionally play very well." Once again Malory O'Steen scored the first goal of the game and Jess Seabolt added another to give Union a 2-0 advantage at halftime.

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam Jessie Payne shows off some acrobatic footwork in mid-air against Towns County.

In the second half Bonnie Ann Sarrell scored to make it 3-0. "It was a nice shot. She was about 25 yards out," Coach Hunter said. "She just nailed it."

The Lady Cats responded with a score of their own, but Union added another point from a Jess Seabolt kick, building a 4- 1 lead that would be the final score. The coach said that he started at least one player from every class, and was happy with the way the team was able to gel together. "I was very pleased the whole week with how our defense played and how our mid-field came in and won the ball."

(Junior varsity) Union 2 - Towns 1

The game got off to a slow start as both teams struggled to score, going into the break in a scoreless tie. "The game was really sloppy the first half," Coach Hunter said.

In the second half Jessie Payne scored to give Union a 1-0 lead. Lindsey Irvin added another to give Union breathing room. "[Lindsey's] was on a great shot from about 20 yards out. She just ripped it and I was very pleased by both those."

The coach said that the Lady Panthers focused on defense

after that, but took a

few too many chances and allowed Towns to score. Still, Union held on for a 2-1 victory. "It was a hot, contested game," Coach Hunter said. "It was very physical, but we ended up pulling it out."

Union 10 - Banks 0

"We handled them pretty early and it could have been about as bad as we wanted it to be," Coach Hunter said. Despite the fact that the Lady Panthers led 7-0 at halftime, the coach said that the team really didn't play up to its potential. "To be honest, we scored a lot of goals but we really didn't play that well in the first half," Coach Hunter said.

Jordan West started the scoring for Union and Leslie Bittenbinder led the charge by scoring four goals of her own. "Probably her best shot and one of my favorite shots was when Bonnie Ann Sarrell had a great corner kick and Leslie didn't even let it touch the ground," the coach said. "She just volleyed it right out of the air and redirected it into the back of the net. That was one of the shots of the night."

Jess Seabolt scored two goals, while Malory O'Steen and Bonnie Ann Sarrell each had one. Sarrell has now scored a goal in each game she has played. "From mid-field that is a big deal because they don't get the opportunities that the forwards get, but Bonnie Ann is such a skill player," Coach Hunter said. "She has been a talent since the moment she got to high school."