Ladies finish season with a win
Union defeats Lakeview 2-0
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Jess Seabolt moves the ball up the field past a defender.

The Lady Panthers closed out the season with a win over Lakeview, missing out on the postseason, but finishing up on a positive note.

"We played well," Lady Panthers Head Coach Tim Hunter said. "Our defense was solid the whole game. They played pretty tight the whole night."

Union had a lot of scoring opportunities as their opposition played very aggressively on defense.

"Speed wise, they may have had the fastest defense in the region," Coach Hunter said. "But we hurt them because we had more girls that were fast. We eventually just wore them down in a lot of ways."

During the first half the two teams swapped shots back and forth until freshman Malory O'Steen scored the Lady Panthers first goal against a tough goalkeeper, giving Union a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

"Our center-mids Bonnie Ann Sarrell and Jordan West played great," the coach said, "and our goalkeeper Brittany Balsamo made some terrific saves." Balsamo missed a lot of time this season due to injuries, but came back for the final two games, shutting out both opponents she faced.

"Our entire team played tough, and looked good the bulk of the night," Coach Hunter said. "They played physical and I was proud of them."

Senior Jordan West scored the team's second goal on another tough play. "It was a 50-50 ball between her and the sweeper and she pushed all the way from mid-field."

These seniors finish their careers with 49 wins, 13 losses, and one tie in four years.

The Coach said that the seniors all played well in their final game, and got the chance to finish on the field together.

"They were a little emotional and that's understandable because they have played together forever and ever," Coach Hunter said. "It also shows that our program means something to them. I'd love for them to never have to go."