JACKSON, Tenn. – Entering his eighth year at the helm of Union men's soccer, Bulldogs head coach Steven Cox has announced his signing class for the 2024 season.

"I am very excited about this upcoming class," said Cox. "As a staff, we wanted to bring in a group of men that are mission-fit with Union University and have competed and found success both in college and at the club level. This class has that. This group has the most experience and will be the most mature group we have brought in. I am looking forward to getting them plugged in with our current roster."

Union's eight freshmen hail from Tennessee (5), Virginia, Hungary, and South Africa. Of seven transfers into the program, four come from NJCAA schools, while two and one have most recently been with NCAA D-I and D-II institutions, respectively. In all, 15 players on the 26-man roster are new to Union.

Below is a numerical list of the program's additions:

#2 Noel Pataki (M - Felcsut, Hungary)

• Prepped at Lateny Lojos High School
• Led his teams to three Hungarian Youth Championships and a Suzuki Cup title
• Has played 15 total years of soccer

#3 Marc Badibanga (D - Montreal, Canada)

• Transferred to Union following two seasons at St. Louis Community College (NJCAA)
• Prepped at Cite des Junes Secondary School

#4 Daniel Dixon (D - St. Catherine, Jamaica)

• Transferred to Union after two seasons at St. Louis Community College (NJCAA)
• Earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors
• Prepped at Jamaica College
• Won an ISSA Schoolboy Football Championship in 2019

#7 Diego Medina (F - Santiago, Chile)

• Transferred to Union following two seasons at Harcum College (NJCAA)
• Played three years of club soccer for Universidad de Chile, four years with AC Barnechea, and a year each with PB Anguera and FC Manitoba USL2
• Earned his high school's Best Athlete Award
• Graduated from Harcum with honors

#8 Wesley Mhlanga (M - Johannesburg, South Africa)

• Transferred to Union following two seasons at the University of Mount Olive (NCAA D-II)
• Prepped at Jeppe Boys High School, where his team won two high school championships
• Played five years of academy soccer for Black Aces FC and Joburg City FC
• Was named Most Improved Club Player with his U17 team

#10 Cillian Heaney (F/M - Westport, Ireland)

• Transferred to Union from the University of Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA D-I), where his team won the Summit League championship
• Played for the Sligo Rovers for five years, winning the U17 and U19 shields
• Was named U15 Player of the Year
• Has an international cap for Ireland

#11 Solomon Pela (F - Culpepper, Virginia)

• Prepped at the University School of Jackson, where he played four years of soccer and ran track for two seasons
• Played 14 years of club soccer
• Was named all-district three times, all-region once, and all-state once in high school

#14 Finn Jacobs (M - Salt Lake City, Utah)

• Transferred to Union after two seasons at Salt Lake Community College (NJCAA)
• Prepped at Franklin High School, where he played four years of varsity soccer and was selected to all-district and all-state teams and was captain for three years

#15 Luca Pereira (M - Johannesburg, South Africa)

• Prepped at St. Benedict's High School, where he played five years of soccer and rugby, three years of basketball, and two years of tennis
• Led soccer team in both goals and assists in the 2022 and 2023 seasons
• Was named soccer team captain in 2023

#18 Aaron Gomez (D - Murfreesboro, Tennessee)

• Played four years of soccer at Blackman High School, helping his team to the 2024 district title
• Was named to first and second all-district teams during high school

#19 Camoni Watkins (M - Murfreesboro, Tennessee)

• Prepped at Blackman High School, where he played four years of soccer and helped his team to the 2024 district title

#20 Jack Young (F/M - Jackson, Tennessee)

• Prepped at Madison Academic Magnet High School, where he played four years of soccer and helped his team to a state title
• Won a state title with his club team

#22 Patrick Schott (GK - Fellbach, Germany)

• Spent two seasons with Belmont University (NCAA D-I)
• Played 12 years of soccer at VfB Stuttgart Academy
• Selected for the German National Team training camp for U15 and U16
• Named best goalkeeper 10 times and all-tournament twice

#25 Hayden Techasiriwan (D - Ooltewah, Tennessee)

• Played four years of soccer at Baylor School, where he helped lead his team to a state title
• Played three years of club soccer with Chattanooga Redwolves ECNL

#26 Jackson Talley (D - Collierville, Tennessee)

• Prepped at Briarcrest Christian School, where he played four years of soccer
• Played 11 seasons with the Lobos Rush and was selected to play for the Rush Select National Team in 2023

Union will open its 2024 campaign at Harding on Sept. 5 at 1:00 p.m. The Bulldogs are slated to play six non-conference contests and a 12-game round-robin conference schedule. The GSC tournament begins Nov. 9.

-UNION-