If you ever find yourself as Red Wolves Stadium, enjoy the “Dirty Ridge.”
They’ll be easy to find.
The official student section for Cedar Ridge men’s soccer games, after every Red Wolf goal, students comprising the “Dirty Ridge” will sprint headlong one from end of the bleachers walkway to the other following every goal. It’s roughly a 40-meter dash and on Tuesday night there was plenty of running going on.
Seniors Luke Atkinson and Andy Torija each scored two goals as Cedar Ridge defeated Triangle Math & Science Academy 5-3 at Red Wolves Stadium. It was Cedar Ridge’s second straight win. They improved to 2-3.
Atkinson has registered a point in Cedar Ridge’s last three games. He scored at Eastern Alamance last Thursday in Mebane. Last Wednesday, Atkinson recorded an assist in a 4-2 loss to Falls Lake Academy in Hillsborough.
Torija’s first goal was particularly memorable. In the first half, he fired from the midfield circle at TMSA’s goalkeeper, a good 60 yards away. The ball landed roughly 12 yards from the net and bounced over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net. That left the bleachers at Cedar Ridge rumbling as the Dirty Ridge started its mini-race.
Atkinson scored off a penalty kick early in the second half to put the Red Wolves ahead 3-1 after a sequence that included TMSA head coach Christopher Adamo receiving a yellow card.
The Tigers’ Omer Suerkan kept the pressure on Cedar Ridge with a goal off a free kick to cut the Red Wolf lead to 3-2. A few minutes later, Suerkan found himself in another position to potentially score an equalizer from 20 yards away, but Sawyer Smith knocked the ball away and immediately launched a counter.
Atkinson won a 50-50 ball along the near sideline and fired a diagonal shot from 18 yards that curled into the upper right corner of the net to make it 4-2.
After the Tigers scored off a Red Wolf own goal, Torija earned his brace after firing a shot in from 20 yards.
Cameron Gillmore played the first 70 minutes as goalkeeper and made seven saves. Grady Coleman came in to replace Gillmore following Suerkan’s goal with 10:00 remaining and finished out the game. Gillmore earned the win.
Cedar Ridge improved to 2-3 and will travel to Linny Wrenn Stadium tonight to face Riverside in Durham.
TMSA fell to 5-5-2.
