Greater Charlotte high school boys’ soccer: Ranking the powerhouses, prospects

High school soccer season officially kicks off in North Carolina on Monday and we’ve got a look at the top teams and players in the greater Charlotte region.

Teams to watch

Carmel Christian: The Cougars have championship aspirations this year after advancing to the NCISAA 4A state semifinals last season. The Carmel Christian offense is led by junior all-state midfielder Shane Durso, who had 12 goals and nine assists last season. The Cougars’ defense will be led by seniors Jahir Jimenez and Kalani Ugale.

Covenant Day: The Lions return five senior starters from a team that went 13-6 and advanced to the NCISAA 4A state championship game for the first time in school history. The 2025 Covenant Day team will be led by all-state senior midfielder and Cedarville College (Ohio) recruit Brady Johnson, senior Baker Runge (one goal, five assists) and junior Noah Haas (five goals, two assists). Runge has committed to Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.

East Lincoln: East Lincoln enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history last year, going 22-3-2 overall, including 13-1 in league play to win the Western Foothills Athletic 3A conference title and advancing to the third round of the 3A state playoffs. This year, the Mustangs should be even better, losing only two players from last year’s team, and should be 5A state title contenders. The East Lincoln offense, which averaged 4.3 goals per game, is led by all-state senior forward Carter King (27 goals, 12 assists) and senior center back Yuniel Sifuentes (two goals, three assists, all-region, all-conference). The defense, which allowed only 21 goals in 27 games last year, returns senior center backs Miles Hart (all-region, all-conference) Tristan Kendall (all-region, all-conference, four goals, two assists) and junior goalkeeper Luke Bissinger.

Gaston Day: The Spartans averaged 5.3 goals per game to help power Gaston Day (16-4) to an NCISAA 2A state championship. This year, Gaston Day returns all-state forward Ben Horgan (Wofford College commit), who scored 34 goals and had 16 assists. All-state senior midfielder Bennett Ackerman (19 goals, 12 assists) gives Gaston Day another major offensive weapon. The Spartans will look to win their fifth state title in the last seven years.

Lake Norman: The Wildcats return 11 seniors from a team that went 19-3-1 last season, including a perfect 12-0 in Greater Metro 4A conference play. This season, the veteran team will look to contend for the North Piedmont conference title, led by senior defender Jovan Gonzalez (three goals, four assists) and senior forward Aaron Seaman (six goals, six assists). Wildcats junior midfielder Garrett Klopp (two goals, five assists) will also play a key role.

Providence: The Panthers return a veteran core from a team that won 15 games and finished third in the Southwestern 4A conference. This season, senior center midfielder Eduardo Oliveira (three goals, four assists) and Tommy Purvis (14 goals, seven assists) are back to lead the Providence offense. Meanwhile, senior goalkeeper Jay Bhatt (48 saves, eight shutouts) anchors the Panthers’ defense.

Players to Watch

Oliver Badir, Myers Park, Sr.: The Mustangs’ forward (10 goals, six assists) will pair with classmate Femi Ogunwale (10 goals, nine assists) to give Myers Park a dynamic one-two punch for a team that was a state quarterfinalist last season, finishing 19-1-2.

Rex Bumgarner, Charlotte Catholic, Jr.: The Cougars’ all-conference forward (14 goals, six assists) looks to build on a breakout sophomore season, where he helped a 20-win Charlotte Catholic team advance all the way to the 4A state semifinals.

Dylan Cox, Hough, Sr.: The Huskies’ all-conference and all-region forward (23 goals, 15 assists) is back to lead a potent offense with midfielders Piercon Selland (five goals, 20 assists) and Lukas Patrignani (five goals, seven assists).

Andres Echeverry, Union Academy, Sr.: The Cardinals’ all-region center midfielder will pair with Myers Wood (14 goals, 10 assists) to help Union Academy try to repeat as Yadkin Valley conference champions.

Jace Garrett, Garinger, Sr.: The Wildcats’ senior midfielder will shift into an attacking central midfielder slot after playing in the defensive midfield as a junior. He will try to replace N.C. Gatorade and Charlotte Observer player of the year Diego Silva for a team trying to win its third straight conference title.

Cole Harder, Davidson Day, Sr.: The Patriots’ defender is the leader of a defense that had 12 shutouts last year, allowing 0.76 goals per game and was the foundation of the NCISAA 3A state champions. Harder and Davidson Day will to three-peat this season.

Wyatt Harper, Charlotte Country Day: The Buccaneers all-state midfielder, who scored nine goals and had a school-record 22 assists last season, is back to lead the Charlotte Country Day team that advanced to the NCISAA 4A state semifinals.

Ethan He, Providence Day, Sr.: The Chargers’ all-state forward returns to lead the Providence Day offense after scoring six goals, dishing out nine assists last season.

Matthew Kulyak, Ardrey Kell, Sr.: The Knights’ forward is back to lead the Ardrey Kell offense after scoring 23 goals as a junior. Three-year starter Jacob Euhiburu, a junior center back, will lead the defense.

Ryan Ladimir, Porter Ridge, Sr.: The Pirates’ all-region, all-conference forward, who had 17 goals and eight assists last year, is back to lead a veteran Porter Ridge team that returns 17 varsity players. Among them are senior center midfielder, Jason Wheelock, a four-year varsity player, and center back Evan McClellan, who has started for two.

Louis Markin, Charlotte Latin, Sr.: The Hawks’ senior, the CISAA conference goalkeeper of the year, had 130 saves and seven shutouts last season. Markin is one of nine starters returning along with senior forwards Clayton Hahn (seven goals, eight assists) and Ethan Worrell (three goals, 11 assists).

Cassius McKinnon, Marvin Ridge, Sr.: The Mavericks’ all-conference defender (three goals, nine assists) will team with junior forward Collin McKee (14 goals, three assists) to lead the reigning 4A Western Regional champions from Union County.

Payton Popp, Mooresville, Sr.: The Blue Devils’ forward is Mooresville’s leading returner scorer, with 18 goals. Popp also had nine assists last season.

Eli Portillo, North Mecklenburg, Sr.: The Vikings’ midfielder (eight goals, seven assists) will pair with senior forward Angel Little (eight goals) and junior defender Jonah Meier to lead a North Mecklenburg team (11-12) looking to contend in the new Meck Power 6 conference.

Edwin Ramirez, West Lincoln: The junior forward looks to build on a sophomore season where he had 20 goals and 13 assists. Ramirez is already among the top offensive players in school history with 30 career goals and 15 assists.

Dylan Sanders, SouthLake Christian, So.: The Eagles’ star is a shutdown defender and was the school’s rookie of the year last season. He will team with senior Jackson Robateau (seven goals, three assists) and junior Josh Stein (seven goals, five assists).

William Schmitt, Metrolina Christian, Sr.: The 6-foot-3 all-conference senior goalkeeper is a three-year starter. He had 149 saves last season, including five on penalty kicks. For his career, Schmitt has 452 career saves. He’ll be joined by seniors Holden Dulin (16 goals, three assists) and Lucas Morton (15 goals nine assists).

Bryan Shaw, South Point, Sr.: The Red Raiders’ star (19 goals, 20 assists last year) returns to lead one of the state’s most potent offenses. South Point produced 126 goals, averaging 4.5 scores per game for a 22-win team last season.

Cole Sheets, Pine Lake Prep, Sr.: The Pride senior midfielder is the top returning playmaker. Sheets had 13 goals and 11 assists for a 15-win team last year.

Notes

Coaching Change: Reigning 1A west region boys’ soccer coach of the year, former Bradford Prep coach Stephen Chaconas, takes over an Ambassador Christian program in its second year of existence. Chaconas’ team will feature seniors Gavin Karp and Jason Thankachan as well as juniors Zander Austin and Jacob Windham.

Lions’ Experience: West Charlotte took steps in the right direction last year, winning two games after five straight winless seasons. This year, coach Zachary Holley’s team returns nine starters, led by senior goalkeeper Jose Hernandez (82 saves), junior midfielder Joel Mason, junior defender Carlos Claudia and sophomore forward Carlos Mendoza.

Playing the Coach Now: Gaston Christian head coach Davis McBee, a 2019 Gaston Christian grad, is the Eagles’ all-time leading scorer with 120 goals in his five-year varsity career. McBee also excelled in college soccer as he was a team captain and a Division II All-American at Belmont Abbey College in Gaston County.

Redhawks Rising: Monroe returns 16 players from a team that went 8-12-1. It should be a factor in the Rocky River conference race with reigning league player of the year, senior Jesus Quizapa (24 goals, eight assists), returning along with junior Keven Lopez (13 goals, 15 assists).

This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 6:30 AM.