Augusta soccer team gives players a second chance at a dream

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Augusta soccer team is playing its first year in the United Premier Soccer League.

Last time we checked in, they were just beginning their season, and though it’s new, they’re already playing like the semi-pros that they are.

The Augusta soccer team is one of the fastest-growing programs in the CSRA.

It is the highest level of soccer in the area, offering a pathway where there wasn’t one otherwise.

Almost a year ago, the Augusta Panthers received an invitation to the United Premier Soccer League.

They’re currently sitting in second place and are now in contention to be first in their division.

The Panthers are the first semi-pro soccer team in the CSRA.

They have all ages on their roster from 16 to 34, and for many of them, it’s a second chance.

North Augusta’s Caree Collier ended up playing the other kind of football for Georgia Southern, but never felt like he was ready to hang up his soccer cleats for good.

The Panthers offered him a roster spot, and now he’s one step closer to going pro.

“This is a stepping stone because everyone sees this as a developmental stage and I don’t know if everybody wants to go to the professional level, but I know me, personally, I’m going to the professional level because that’s what I practice for every day and I train for it,” said Caree Collier, former Georgia Southern football player. “Playing in the actual stadium, that’s the dream.”

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