Lilic named men's soccer head coach

Following a national search, Anel Lilic has been named the fifth head coach in University of North Georgia (UNG) men's soccer history. President Michael Shannon and Athletic Director Mary Rob Plunkett made the announcement in a team meeting at the UNG Soccer Field House at Lynn Cottrell Park on Dec. 12.

Serving in an interim role, Lilic led the 2023 program to a season of firsts as the Nighthawks posted a 9-8-2 overall mark and 5-3-2 record in Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play.

"Coach Lilic has authored a new trajectory for our men's soccer program, and we are incredibly excited to see the product he can build as our head coach," Shannon said. "In addition to having a great tactical understanding of the game, Coach Lilic believes in the mission of developing leaders both on and off the soccer field."

"After an exhaustive national search, it became clear that the right person for the job was already here on campus," Plunkett said. "Over the past few months, we were impressed with results on the field, the team's competitiveness, and more importantly, his leadership and genuine care for our student-athletes. The players have been extremely responsive to his leadership style, and we look forward to seeing where he takes the program as our head coach."

North Georgia's nine wins this season is the most in the last six seasons for the UNG men's soccer program and marks only the third winning season since 2011. Lilic led the team to a late-season four-match winning streak, marking the first time the Nighthawks were victorious in four straight matches since a program-record 10-match winning streak that dates back to the 2004 season. The steak was highlighted by a late season 2-1 home win over No. 16 Clayton State.

The Nighthawks' PBC semifinal appearance was the first time since 2017 that UNG has made an appearance in the league's final four.

Under Lilic's direction, the Nighthawks finished unbeaten (7-0-1) in home matches at the UNG Soccer Field at Lynn Cottrell Park. He also mentored five all-conference selections, which was the most in the NCAA era, and the PBC Freshman of the Year, Aram Lara.

"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and appreciate the trust shown in me by the search committee," Lilic said. "North Georgia soccer has been a big part of my life in some capacity over the last decade, and I look forward to what the future holds for this program."

Prior to his time at North Georgia, Lilic worked with Atlanta United as a goalkeepers coach in the Regional Development School after a stint with Georgia Southern University's women's soccer program.

Before that, Lilic served as head coach at Flowery Branch High School (FBHS), working with the girls' soccer program.

In his two-year tenure at FBHS, the Lady Falcons were 41-4-2 and reached the state semifinal and state championship. 

Lilic also served as a head coach for several age groups on the boys' side at Gwinnett Soccer Academy and is a goalkeeper coach with the Olympic Development Program.

Collegiately, he worked in Dahlonega as a graduate assistant and volunteer assistant with the UNG men's soccer team for six years beginning in 2013.

Lilic moved to Georgia from Sarajevo, Bosnia. He played collegiate soccer at Emmanuel College, where he earned All-Region honors.