Orange Men’s Soccer

In the final days of summer vacation, Cedar Ridge and Orange made their annual trip to WakeMed Soccer Park for the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Kick-Off Classic. The Panthers and the Red Wolves each came away with stronger performances with the Panthers earning a win.

Orange 2, West Johnston 1: Yurim Tapia Mendez now has four goals on the season after notching the game-winning goal as Orange defeated West Johnston on Saturday.

Mendez scored the game-winning goal off a free kick as the Panthers improved to 3-2 and bounced back from a loss to Riverside. Mendez scored the opening goal off a cross from Kace McAuley in the first half. Famany Zogbelamou scored the only goal for the Wildcats, who fell to 4-2. West Johnston came into the game off a 4-1 win over Central Academy.

Sophomore goalkeeper Hector Garrido earned his third win of the season for Orange making eight saves. Orange’s backline of Dallas Johnson, Jay Parker and Eben Petrides did a strong job of fending off the Wildcats in the final 20 minute.

Orange will return home tonight (Wednesday) to face Eno River Academy in the second-ever matchup. Last year, the Panthers defeated the Bobcats 2-1 at Soccer.com Park in Efland.

Cedar Ridge 1, Cape Fear 1: Last Friday, the Red Wolves broke a two-game losing streak with a tie against the Colts. Andy Tarija scored his first varsity goal assisted by Edwin Huerta. Erik Galunas was the Red Wolf goalkeeper. Cedar Ridge is 0-2-1. They will play its fourth consecutive road game tonight when they travel to Northern Durham. It’s Cedar Ridge’s only game this week. The Red Wolves will play its first home game against Chapel Hill on September 9.

Orange 5, Durham School of the Arts 3: Five different players netted goals as the Orange men’s soccer team claimed its second home win of the season on Monday night. Senior Isaac Gallegos scored off a penalty kick, his first of the season, as the Panthers improved to 2-1.

Orange led 3-0 at halftime. Junior Yurem Tapia Mendez scored his second goal of the season and finished with six shots on the night. Senior Joseph Lopez added another tally for insurance as the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs for the second straight year. Sophomore Ajali Carter added the first varsity goal of his career as the Panthers bounced back from a 3-0 loss at Southern Durham.

It was the third time this year that Orange played an opponent in the Northern Lakes Conference. Last Monday, in the season opener, Orange defeated Carrboro 1-0 behind a goal from Mendez.

Kace McAuley, who assisted on Mendez’s game-winner last week, added his first goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Hector Garrido earned his second win, making three saves.

Vance County 3, Cedar Ridge 1: Elmer Mejia-Turcio scored a hat trick for Vance County, who improved to 4-0 with a win in Henderson on Monday night. Jeremy Araujo-Sanisca and Jonathan Barragan Hernandez assisted on the goals for the Vipers, who went 13-11 last year. Vance County avenged a 3-1 loss to the Red Wolves in 2023.

Niko James scored his second goal for Cedar Ridge, who fell to 0-2. Arturo Hernandez assisted on the goal.

Cedar Ridge will face Cape Fear at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Friday afternoon at 2PM.

Riverside 2, Orange 0: Amir El-Tanany and Michael Salinas Ordonez each scored in the first half for Riverside, who defeated Orange at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham on Wednesday night.

Orange falls to 2-2. Hector Garrido and Durvin Lopez shared time as goalkeeper for Orange. The Panthers will also journey to WakeMed Soccer Park this Saturday afternoon. The Panthers will face West Johnston at 1PM.

For the first time in program history, Orange men’s soccer defeated Carrboro on Monday night. Junior Yurem Tapia Mendez accepted a pass from senior Kace McAuley for the game-winning goal in the second half as the Panthers defeated the Jaguars 1-0 in the season opener at Orange Soccer Field in Hillsborough on Monday night. In his first varsity start, goalkeeper Hector Garrido earned a clean sheet for Orange, making two saves. After Mendez’s game-winning goal, Orange back line of Dallas Johnson, Eben Petrides, Jay Parker and Logan Edwards worked tirelessly to keep the Jaguars from scoring, despite repeated corner kicks in the final 15 minutes. Going into the game, Carrboro was 3-0-2 lifetime against the Panthers, including a 1-1 tie last year in Jaguars Stadium. Mendez scored two goals last season and got off to a strong start to the season on Monday. Petrides was selected as the Rick Ashby State Farm Defensive Player of the Game. It’s the second straight year that Orange won its season opener. Last year, the Panthers defeated Durham School of the Arts. Orange will travel to Durham on Wednesday night to face Southern Durham, the defending Northern Lakes Conference champions. Orange will return home to face Durham School of the Arts next Monday in Hillsborough.

Orange soccer’s Yurem Tapia Mendez & Eben Petrides discuss season-opening win vs. Carrboro

For the first time in program history, Orange men’s soccer defeated Carrboro on Monday night. Junior Yurem Tapia Mendez accepted a pass from senior Kace McAuley for the game-winning goal in the second half as the Panthers defeated the Jaguars 1-0 in the season opener at Orange Soccer Field in Hillsborough on Monday night.

The drawback for Orange men’s soccer is its goalkeeping position is young.

But their centerbacks and wingbacks are not.

On Monday night, the defensive backline of Jay Parker, Dallas Johnson, Eben Petrides and Logan Edwards defended strongly in front of goalkeeper Hector Garrido, who got a clean sheet in his first varsity start.

And what a time to do it.

Orange defeated Carrboro 1-0 for the first time in recorded history to open the season on Monday night at Orange Soccer Field. Yurem Tapia Mendez scored the game’s only goal after he received a through pass from senior Kace McAuley with 23:47 remaining in regulation.

MaxPreps.com records show that Orange and Carrboro had met five previous times dating back to 2010. The Jaguars and the Panthers played to a 1-1 tie last year at Jaguars Stadium. Carrboro, which opened in 2007,  had gone 3-0-2 lifetime against Orange going into Monday night. Records date back to 2010.

After Mendez’s opener, Carrboro continued to press looking for the equalizer. The Jaguars amassed a series of corner kicks in the final 20 minutes, but Orange thwarted each attempt.

It was the second straight year that the Panthers won its season opener. Last year, Orange won at Durham School of the Arts.

Orange’s preparation for its season opener was rushed because of Mother Nature. Last week, the Panthers had two scrimmages scheduled. The first one against Chapel Hill lasted all of eight minutes before a downpour ensued and everybody went home. Another scheduled scrimmage canceled for Thursday was washed away courtesy of Tropical Storm Debby.

“I think everybody was working out some kinks tonight,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. “That had to work through it.”

Yurem, a junior, scored two goals in 2023. He replaced Emmanuel Mil Cruz, who led the Panthers with five goals last season before graduating in June, at forward. It was set up when McAuley stepped into a passing lane and found Mendez cutting up the center of the field.

“We emphasized quick counters,” Bowman said. “Kace made a good read and intercepted it and it was a quick counter.”

Carrboro, coming off a second place finish in the Northern Lakes Conference in 2023, finished 13-6-3 last season. The Jaguars were looking for a scoring option after its top three goal scorers from 2023 graduated, including Kesar Lamb, who finished with 20 goals in 2023 en route to the state playoffs.

That’s where Orange’s backline came through. They patrolled the goal where Garrido, who had numerous starts as a freshman in men’s basketball last winter, made two saves to earn the shutout. Petrides helped engineer several clearances in the final ten minutes as the Panthers desperately cringed to a one-goal lead for the final 20 minutes of regulation.

“They limited Carrboro’s opportunities,” Bowman said. “Carrboro had way more possession, but we limited opportunities in our defensive third. They deserve a lot of credit.”

Orange finished 8-8-3 overall in 2023 with a fourth place finish in the Central Conference. For the first time since the formation of the Central Conference in 2022, the Panthers defeated Walter Williams in Burlington. Earlier in the year, the Bulldogs and the Panthers played to a scoreless tie in Hillsborough.

For the first time in the 44-year history of the program, Orange men’s soccer reached the state playoffs in consecutive years. After finishing the regular season with a 2-0 win over Eastern Alamance in Mebane, the Panthers fell to Lee County in Sanford in the state playoffs. In 2022, J.H. Rose knocked off Orange in Greenville.

With Southern Durham, the defending Northern Lakes champions, on tap for Wednesday night, Bowman isn’t letting his team get ahead of itself.

“We’re only one game in,” Bowman said. “I told the guys that the season is about responding to good and bad alike.”

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior men’s soccer goalkeeper Finn Kelly. This season, the Panthers made the 3A State Playoffs. It was the second straight year that the Panthers reached the postseason.It is the first time in the 37-year history of the program that Orange has made the state playoffs in consecutive years. At midseason, Kelly had consecutive clean sheets against Cedar Ridge and Person. Against the Red Wolves, Kelly kept the Red Wolves off the scoreboard as the Panthers won the second leg of the Hillsborough Derby. That led to Orange strengthening its position to make the state playoffs. In his final regular season game, Kelly had another clean sheet as the Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 2-0 at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane. He made three saves to earn the win. Kelly has trained with the North Carolina Football Club Academy in Cary, members of the United Soccer League Championship. This season, Kelly had four clean sheets for Orange, who finished 8-8-3 overall. The Panthers finished 6-4-3 in the Central Conference. Kelly will graduate from Orange in June. He finished the 2023 season with 132 saves. Kelly earned a win on opening night when Orange defeated the Durham School of the Arts 2-1 in downtown Durham.

Orange Panther of the Week: Finn Kelly

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Men’s Soccer: Orange 2, Eastern Alamance 0: It’s all but certain that the Orange men’s soccer team will do something unprecedented in the 35-year history of the program later this week.

They will make the state playoffs in back-to-back years.

On Monday night, the Panthers got two goals from Traver Bruhns to defeat Eastern Alamance 2-0 at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane. With the win, the Panthers ensured a winning regular season at 8-7-3. They end the Central Carolina Conference slate at 6-4-2, good enough for fourth place.

In his final regular season game, Bruhns, a senior, had his first career brace. Angel Chavez and Daniel Romero assisted on the goals.

Orange goalkeeper Finn Kelly made six saves to earn his fourth clean sheet of the season.

As of Wednesday night, Orange was ranked #26 in the 3A East RPI rankings, which would comfortably put them in the field of 64. The state tournament begins on Monday.

Women’s Tennis: Rocky Mount 5, Cedar Ridge 1: In the second round of the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs, Rocky Mount ended Cedar Ridge’s season on Monday afternoon.

The Gryphons, the champions of The Big East, improved to 15-0. In her final match, Cedar Ridge’s Annabeth Lundberg defeated Jillian Schrimper 7-5, 6-3, the only win of the day for the Red Wolves.

Cedar Ridge ends the season 14-6. It was the final match for head coach Steve Mayhew, who is stepping down after four years. Under his direction, the Red Wolves won the first men’s tennis conference championship in school history in 2022. Mayhew, a former player at Orange, coached the women’s team to its first victory in the 3A State Team playoffs since 2016 last week when they defeated crosstown rival Orange.

Mayhew’s daughter, Cameron, also played in her final match for the Red Wolves. Cameron Mayhew ended her senior year with a singles record of 14-3. It was also the final matches for Lundberg, Catherine Ballenger, Dupree Sorenson, and Raven Mowles-Airing.

Cedar Ridge finished with the most overall wins since they won the Big 8 Conference championship in 2016. That team, with Lennie Corbett as head coach, reached the 3A State Quarterfinals with an overall record of 19-2.

In the midst of a wide open race in the Central Carolina Conference, there isn’t much separating a first-place team from a fifth-place squad.

Thus, it isn’t surprising that the battle for first place will likely boil down to the final night of the regular season on October 23. Some late heroics from Orange’s Joseph Lopez made a tight battle even more narrow on Monday night.

Following a scoreless regulation, Lopez scored the game-winning goal in the 91st minute as Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 2-0 in overtime to win the second leg of the Hillsborough Derby. Orange senior goalkeeper Finn Kelly made a season-high 15 saves to earn his second clean sheet of the season.

It was the first CCC loss of the season for Cedar Ridge (11-3-2, 7-1-1 in the CCC). The loss put Cedar Ridge into a tie with Western Alamance for first place in the CCC. The Red Wolves will travel to Elon to face the Warriors on Monday night.

Orange (5-6-2, 5-3-1) used its defense to shutout a Red Wolves team that piled up a season-best seven goals in its previous game against Southern Alamance. The Panthers have allowed only four goals in its last four games going into Wednesday’s road trip to Person.

Orange immediately threatened following the kickoff to the opening 10-minute overtime. Junior Angel Chavez sent a diagonal long ball to the left sideline that Dallas Johnson ran down before it rolled over the boundary. Johnson played it back to senior Ryker Stein, who unleashed a right-footed shot that sailed just below the crossbar. Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Erik Galunas made a diving save.

Orange’s Daniel Romero, positioned along the right post, made a bicycle kick attempt on the rebound that was briefly put aside by the Red Wolves’ Salomon Hernandez. Yurem Tapia Mendez kept possession in the box for Orange and attempted a shot that was blocked by Giovani Yanez. Hernandez slid and knocked the ball away. The ball went off Mendez’s leg right to Lopez, standing off to the left eight yards away, who fired a quick shot into the corner past a diving Galunas with 9:05 remaining in the first overtime. The entire Orange team chased Lopez to the sideline, where several Panther fans joined in the celebration.

Cedar Ridge’s best attempt for an equalizer came with 6:27 remaining in the second overtime. Senior Abazar Babiker sent a worm burner of a long ball ahead to midfielder Dominic McNerney. The subsequent throw-in by McNerney found Gael Antunez-Nunez, who fired a line drive from 12 yards away along the right side of the area. Kelly was positioned along the near post to stop the shot with both hands.

Minutes later, after Kelly halted another long pass intended for Antunez-Nunez, Johnson took a free kick following a Cedar Ridge offsides infraction. Mendez won a ball off a rebound at midfield and triggered a pass to Emmanuel Mil Cruz, who started an attack up the field. Enzo Bruhns drew two Red Wolves at the top of the box, then found Daniel Romero along the right edge. Romero chipped the ball from 17 yards away past a sprawling Galunas for the insurance goal, Romero’s third of the season.

“We just tried to take away some crossing lanes,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. “Our centerbacks, Dallas Johnson and Jay Parker, did a good job of cutting off their passes. I was pleased with our defensive effort tonight.”

Last month, Cedar Ridge defeated Orange 2-1 at Red Wolves Stadium behind goals from Jonam Juarez and McNerney.

“We didn’t execute,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Chauncey Brummells. “All credit to Palmer and Orange. I think they had a good gameplan tonight. They were dangerous on the set pieces. Dominic (McNerney), Sal (Salomon Hernandez) and Marc Reid did a really good job defending. Credit to Orange. They played a really good game. We had chances and just couldn’t finish.”

Days after its first victory over Walter Williams in decades, the Orange men’s soccer team knocked off Cedar Ridge 2-0 in overtime during the second leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Orange Soccer Field on Monday night. Joseph Lopez scored the game-winning goal, the second of his Orange career, in the 81st minute as the Panthers became the first team from the Central Carolina Conference to beat the Red Wolves this season. Daniel Romero added an insurance goal in the 98th minute as Orange improved to 5-6-2, 4-3-1 in the CCC. Senior goalkeeper Finn Kelly made a season-high 15 saves, including one with 6:27 remaining in the second overtime on a shot by Gael Antunez-Nunez along the near post that could have easily tied the game. With three games remaining in the regular season, Orange is in good shape to make the state playoffs for the second straight season. Senior co-Captain Emmanuel Mil Cruz leads the team with four goals in 2023. Orange will journey to Roxboro to face Person on Wednesday. The Panthers will be shooting for its third straight victory in the CCC.

Orange soccer’s Emmanuel Mil Cruz & Finn Kelly discuss beating Cedar Ridge in Hillsborough Derby

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After a frustrating month, the Orange men’s soccer team returned to the win column on Monday night. The Panthers defeated Person 4-1 at Orange Soccer Park. Sophomore Dallas Johnson scored his first varsity goal on a penalty kick in the first half. Another sophomore Daniel Romero, notched the game-winning goal for the Panthers, who earned its second win of the season. Junior Angel Chavez also scored in the first half, while senior Emmanuel Mil Cruz added a goal off a header on a gorgeous cross in the second half. Mil Cruz’s goal came off an assist from sophomore Yore Tapia Mendez. Mil Cruz leads Orange with three goals, including the game-winner in the Panthers’ season-opening victory over Durham School of the Arts. Orange lost plenty of players from last year’s team that reached the 3A State playoffs for the first time since 2017. Senior goalkeeper Finn Kelly made two saves to earn his second win of the season. Orange will return to action on Wednesday night when they face Southern Alamance at Redmond Stadium in Graham.

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It was time that the Orange men’s soccer team found its scoring punch after a frustrating month. The Panthers struck early on Monday night for its first Central Carolina Conference win of the season against Person.

Daniel Romero scored his first goal of the season in the fifth minute, which turned out to be the game-winner, as Orange defeated the Rockets 4-1 at Orange Soccer Park. Sophomore Dallas Johnson added his first tally of the season on a penalty kick in the 11th minute for insurance.

Orange won for the first time since its season opener at Durham School of the Arts on August 17 in the Bull City. Romero lead the Panthers with five shots. The Panthers (2-5-1, 1-2 in the Central Carolina Conference), fired 17 shots against Person goalkeeper Jared Viveros, who was under constant siege in the second half. Orange had eleven corner kicks.

“I think we were watching each other a little bit more,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. “I think we needed to follow up things a little bit more and put in a little more effort to make sure that effort was rewarded.”

After Person netted a goal to reduce Orange’s lead to 2-1, the Panthers’ Angel Chavez knotted an equalizer in the 34th minute. In the second half, the Panthers had a litany of crosses that yielded plenty of chances but not enough scoring. Finally, Emmanuel Mil Cruz scored on the closing goal on a header in the 55th minute. Mil Cruz now leads Orange with three goals this season.

Angel Arroyo-Cruz, Yore Tapia-Mendez and Romero also had assists for the Panthers.

“I think Dallas Johnson, Yurem Tapia-Mendez played pretty well,” Bowman said. “Those are some younger guys who are really stepping up and taking leadership roles.”

Finn Kelly earned the win as Orange goalkeeper. Backup Eben Petrifies replaced Kelly in net late in the game. Kelly earned his second win of the season.

Orange will travel to Hanford Stadium to face Southern Alamance in Graham on Wednesday.

“I want to be more focused and consistent,” Bowman said about the rest of the regular season. “I want to be more focused going into everything and maintain that focus throughout. If we do that, I think we’ll be OK. But we haven’t done that and here we are.”

Cedar Ridge 3, Eastern Alamance 1: The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team not only grabbed a road win on Monday night. They set up potentially the biggest soccer match at Red Wolves Stadium in years this Wednesday night.

For the second straight game, junior co-Captain Dominic McNerney scored the game-winning goal as the Red Wolves defeated Eastern Alamance at the John Kirby Sports Complex in Mebane. Senior co-Captain Illah Babchenko assisted on two goals as the Red Wolves improved to 7-1-2, 3-0-1 in the CCC.

Cedar Ridge is now in sole possession of second place in the conference. The only team ahead of them is Western Alamance. On Wednesday night, the Warriors will visit Red Wolves Stadium with first place on the line.

Jonam Juarez scored his second goal in as many games, assisted by Gael Arturo Nunez. Solomon Hernandez finished the scoring with an insurance tally in the second half.

Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Eric Galunas finished with six saves to earn his seventh win of the season.

Cedar Ridge has won in its last three trips to Eastern Alamance.

The Red Wolves last winning season came in 2016, when they finished 10-6-4. Since then, they haven’t had more than eight wins in a regular season.

After the matchup against Western Alamance on Wednesday, the Red Wolves will travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams next Monday.

Cedar Ridge is 4-1-2 on the road this year. Its only road loss came against East Chapel Hill two weeks ago.