By Greg James | [email protected]

Spring break is a time to relax and enjoy time away from school. The Hunter boys soccer team also uses it to train against its alumni.

“This is the first season, in a while, we have been able to play it because of Covid,” Hunter boys head coach Brett Solberg said. “It was great to have some of our former players come back. The alumni like to get together and see how the team is doing.”

The varsity boys pulled out the victory 5-2 over their older and out-of-shape counterparts. The team schedules this game during the time off for spring break. It gives them a chance to train and stay ready for the season.           

Hunter has won four games so far this season, with the second half of region games still to play Solberg hopes his team is ready to improve.

“We are not quite where we want to be so far this season. We are optimistic about the second round of region games. I think we have some good momentum and want to convert the games we lost into wins,” he said.

They have pulled out wins over Kearns, Taylorsville, Roy, and Cyprus, but lost to Granger and West.

“I think every game with our region schools are a challenge. Granger is one that comes to battle. There can be some fierce competition. Today’s players are much more connected than they were even just five years ago. When we go to play across town someone always knows one of the opponents. They know them by name and they know who is dangerous. It used to be that you would show up and play, but not know much about the other team. In some ways it builds friendship, but it also adds to the competition,” Solberg said.

Senior Alex Munoz leads the team with four goals.

“Alex has great vision and a great strike. He is consistently getting on the scoreboard. He is also a great student with a 3.8 grade point average. He will have the opportunity to play soccer at the next level,” Solberg said.

Getting the ball to Munoz with a scoring chance is the strength of the team.

“Our team has very good ball control. They know the right places to be and have that chemistry. Brian Aguilar is a player that will catch your eye. He has incredible ball control. It's like the ball is a magnet to his feet,” Solberg said.

Aguilar had three assists in the 5-0 victory over Cyprus on April 13.

The Wolverine's goalie is Ariel Martinez. As a sophomore Solberg likes his skills and calls him a “great leader in the back.” He has collected two shutouts this season.

Hunter plays in the UHSAA Region 2. They are currently ranked 15th in the state's RPI system. Last year they finished the year ranked 18th. Last season they lost in the first round of the playoffs to Layton 2-0.

The state tournament is scheduled to begin on May 13. The final will be held on May 25 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.