The crows have come home to roost for Orange soccer.
Last year, Orange lost eleven games. Eight were by two goals or less.
A year later, the Panthers are in the midst of a 6-game winning streak, the longest since 2010. The last four wins have been by, you guessed it, two goals or less.
On Wednesday night, Orange roared out to a 4-0 lead over Northern Durham at James Armstrong Stadium off two goals from senior Luke Wirzba. Northern settled for two late goals, but the Panthers walked away with a 4-2 result to remain tied for first in the Big 8 Conference.
R.J. Pherribo and Rohan Kasthuri also scored for the Panthers. Senior Jamar Davis assisted on three of the goals, while Wirzba assisted on the other.
The win over Northern caps a dramatic series of games for the Panthers, one that started last week when Pherribo scored with three seconds remaining in regulation to defeat Chapel Hill 1-0. On Monday night, Wirzba scored in the 2nd overtime as Orange surged past Southern Durham 1-0.
Life in the new Big 8 Conference means beating one powerhouse and getting ready for another. Orange will host East Chapel Hill on Monday night in Hillsborough. The Wildcats handed Orange its only Big 8 loss thus far, a 2-1 result on September 7.