On the warmest night of 2024, the Orange women’s soccer team pulled off its biggest regular season win in nine years.
Facing Eastern Alamance, the defending 3A State Champions, Orange wilted into a second overtime on Monday night after the Eagles rallied to tie with two goals in the final 23 minutes of regulation.
As has been the case with Orange athletics many times over the past four years, the spark the Lady Panthers needed came from Ella Wimsatt.
With 6:40 remaining in the game, Wimsatt created a turnover at midfield and fed Cora Bailey, who quickly returned the ball to Wimsatt. With striker Elliana Sullivan Gaddy making a strong counter run, Wimsatt supplied a perfect lead pass where only her teammate could catch it. Sullivan Gaddy inherited the ball on a dead sprint on the edge of the box and chipped it over the rush of Eastern goalkeeper Abby Darragh into the heart of the net.
Sullivan Gaddy thrust her arms in the air and hugged Wimsatt after the two combined for what was ultimately the game-winning goal. Senior Makayla Davis would quash the few remaining chances the Eagles had as Orange would hold on to a 4-3 victory. It was the Lady Panthers first win over Eastern Alamance since the two became conference rivals in 2022.
Arguably, it was the biggest regular season win for Orange women’s soccer since they defeated Chapel Hill in a shootout to open the 2015 season. For that year, even nonconfernece games ended in penalty kicks, unlike nowadays. The 2015 team wound up 15-4-2, finishing behind only Cardinal Gibbons in the Big 8 Conference.
Sullivan Gaddy, who leads the team with 15 goals, finished with a brace. Wimsatt assisted on two goals as Orange shook off a disappointing 2-1 loss to Southern Alamance in Graham last week to improve to 6-3, 3-2 in the Central Conference.
“We always learn from losses,” said Orange coach Jacki Mignosa. “We should have won against Southern Alamance. We learned the we all have to play together as a team. Playing as individuals does not win games. I feel like we played as individuals against Southern. Tonight, we played together and it made a huge difference.”
Eastern took an immediate lead when Orange was called for a foul in the box. The Eagles’ Ryan Gibbs cashed in the penalty kick along the near post for the opener.
Orange’s equalizer started when centerback Lily Crayton’s throw0in went to Baily, who bumped it off her chest to Caroline Cathey. On a breakaway, Cathey fired the ball into the upper right corner of the net to tie the game with 30:09 remaining in the first half.
Davis made several huge saves before Orange took the lead. After a foul on Jaylen Crayton, she captured a free kick from 23 yards out. Minutes later, she collided with an Eastern player on a through ball that was supplied by Ryan Gibbs.
“Makayla had a great game tonight,” Mignosa said. “She communicates extremely well from the back, which is very helpful. She’s just learning and working hard every day. I’m very proud of her.”
With 15:56 remaining in the first half, Wimsatt started a counter, negotiating a give-and-go with Sullivan Gaddy. Dribbling free up the field, Sullivan Gaddy fired a shot from 18 yards that went off the hands of Darragh and rolled into the lower right corner of the net to put Orange ahead 2-1.
Centerback Channing Mahaney kept Orange lead with 9:20 remaining in the first half. After Davis made a save on Ainsley Dial, Eastern’s Abby Brinker captured the ball from ten yards away in front of an empty net. But Mahaney cleared the ball off the goal line as Davis was out of position.
Shortly into the second half, Sullivan Gaddy fed Bailey in the middle of the box for an insurance goal to put Orange ahead 3-1.
Dial scored with 7:23 remaining in regulation to even the game 3-3 for the Eagles.
Orange hosts Western Alamance tonight in Hillsborough.