Photo by Kim Petrides
If you passed the Orange men’s soccer team bus on its way back from Creedmoor on Monday night, you may have heard Steve Miller’s “Take the Money and Run” blaring from the speakers going down I-85 South.
Some nights when a team doesn’t have it’s “A” game on the road, the best they can hope for is finding a way to win. That’s what the Panthers did at South Granville in a crazy finish.
An upstart Vikings team, which came into the game 5-13-1 on the season, got a go-ahead goal from freshman Godsway Folly with 11:09 remaining in regulation off a punt from South Granville goalkeeper Jayden Duran.
As Orange’s one-game lead over Carrboro for first place in the Big 7 Conference hung in the balance, the Panthers controlled the ball for most of the final ten minutes. Dallas Johnson, who was a man possessed all night, fired a shot along the well-worn field at Viking Stadium that Duran dove and tipped over the end line with 3:52 left. On the subsequent corner, Yurem Tapia Mendez sent a low line drive into the penalty area. Johnson ran through the box like a teenager going for Taylor Swift tickets and headed the ball into the lower left corner of the net so hard, it actually tore through an empty spot of the goal that hadn’t been fastened tightly.
Regardless, Johnson tied the game with 3:30 remaining.
With overtime lurking, Orange goalkeeper Hector Garrido made a save on a header off a free kick and quickly sent the ball downfield. Jesse Petrides sent a throw-in to John Gomez, who was tripped in the box leading to an immediate penalty kick call with 1:48 remaining in regulation.
Mendez, as usual, took the penalty and fired into the left corner for Orange’s first lead of the night. Orange would win 3-2 for its fourth straight win.
Folly scored the opening goal. Johnson tied up the game with a goal assisted by Gomez and Jay Parker.
Orange will face Durham School of the Arts on Wednesday night for senior night in Hillsborough. Yurem Tapia Mendez, Dallas Johnson, John Gomez, Jay Parker, Logan Edwards, Carson Condon, Gabriel Yen, Durvin Lopez and Christopher Lopez will all be honored.
The Panthers maintain first place in the Big 7 Conference ahead of Carrboro. Orange is 14-5 overall, 8-1 in league play, one game ahead of the Jaguars in the loss column with three games remaining.
Cedar Ridge 6, J.F. Webb 0:
Junior Sawyer Smith had the first multi-goal game of his career as Cedar Ridge cruised to a victory at Red Wolves Stadium on Monday night.
On a chilly night, the Red Wolves fired 31 shots at the Warriors. Sawyer, in his third year playing on the varsity, has scored goals in four of Cedar Ridge’s last five games. He has registered five goals and four assists this season.
Senior Erik Galunas made six saves to earn his eighth win of the season. It was Galunas’ fifth clean sheet of the season as the Red Wolves improved to 8-7-2 overall, 3-4-2 in the Big 7 Conference.
Junior Noah Koehler ended the night with a goal on a penalty kick in the 79th minute. Senior centerback Kai Miller etched the first goal of his varsity career.
Junior Julian Ashton, who assisted on the game-winning goal in an overtime win at Durham School of the Arts last month, added a goal as Cedar Ridge scored four times in the second half. Junior Tyler Baker, who scored the game-winning goal at DSA, earned his fourth goal of the season against the Warriors.
Reece Finnegan, Luke Atkinson and Alex Bettinger added assists for the Red Wolves.
J.F. Webb and Cedar Ridge played to a 1-1 tie in Oxford on September 24.
Cedar Ridge will travel to Carrboro on Wednesday.
The Warriors fall to 5-8-1 overall, 1-6-1 in the Big 7.
