Augusta, GA

Augusta Soccer Team’s inaugural season ends after first-round playoff loss

Published

10 months ago

June 15, 2025

Augusta Soccer Team’s inaugural season ends after first-round playoff loss

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Less than six months after becoming the city’s first professional soccer team, the Augusta Soccer Team made it to the first round of the United Premier Soccer League playoffs.

A monumental achievement that unfortunately didn’t have as good of an ending as head coach Merquiades McLellan’s team had hoped for.

“The first season, I’m not too upset,” said McLellan. “I’m pretty happy with the fact that they’ve done as good as they have.”

The Panthers faced off against Georgia Impact, with a chance for Augusta to get promoted to a better league if they conquered their way through the playoffs.

As soccer can go sometimes, the game was rather uneventful for the better part of 80-minutes.

Impact was on Augusta’s heels nearly the entire second half, and kept pressing the attack until they finally broke through.

With less than three-minutes left to play, Impact took a deflection off Augusta’s crossbar, and knocked in what would be the only goal scored during the game.

Augusta’s season comes to a crushing end right here at home.

“I think they did a good job,” said McLellan. “For me, it’s just how we respond, and I told them if we don’t get promoted next season, we have a really good chance, no matter what next season.”

The team, which McLellan describes as ‘developmental’, allows players both experienced and inexperienced to have the chance to work towards professional contracts, or even college scholarships.

Although the season just ended, coach says the team will be back at practice this coming Monday.

Ready to sharpen their skills and develop new players in order to chase a title and a promotion next year.

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Augusta, GA

Local group holds 4th annual walk against autism

Published

11 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Local group holds 4th annual walk against autism

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – April is Autism Awareness Month, and one local group raised awareness with a walk in Augusta on Sunday.

The fourth annual autism walk was hosted by Moving Over Mountains Against autism at Lake Olmstead Park.

All proceeds from the walk support autism awareness initiatives.

We spoke with the CEO and founder of the group, Deidre Roberson, who said this year they are dedicating the walk to their photographer, who died recently.

Roberson told us what she looks forward to the most.

“I look most forward to seeing the different people every year. We always meet different people, new people, and they come from all over the CSRA, so Washington, Wilkes, Carolina,” she said.

There were also several vendors providing resources to families.

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Augusta, GA

From Augusta roots to Nighthawks leader: Nolan Belcher comes home

Published

23 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

From Augusta roots to Nighthawks leader: Nolan Belcher comes home

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF)- Augusta University baseball is in a three-game series matchup against the University of North Georgia.

AU is currently down in the series 0-2 after a close loss Friday and a loss Saturday.

But we aren’t focusing on the Jags, we’re going to take a look at North Georgia’s head coach, Nolan Belcher.

He is an Augusta native who began his career at Greenbrier and Augusta Christian.

He won three state championships, which then led him to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

There he won back-to-back national championships and finished runner up in 2012.

His coaching career began after that where he eventually joined the Peach belt Confrence, coaching at USCA and GCSU.

Now in his first season as head coach for the Nighthawks, he is happy to come home and coach in front of his friends and family.

“I’m very fortunate that I got family that, one is still around and they can come watch me do what I love. And, they’ve shown me, nothing but support throughout my whole coaching career and even back on my playing dates are very thankful and appreciative for everything they’ve done for me.”

AU and UNG will have their final series match on Sunday.

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