The Orange men’s soccer team needed some last minute drama to win at South Granville last season.
On Monday night, with a thunderstorm brewing in the distance, the Panthers had to be content with a draw against the Vikings.
Sophomore Ben Pelton scored with 3:08 remaining in the first half for the only Panther goal. After a free kick of 35 yards, the ball was deflected in front of South Granville goalkeeper Jayden Duran. Amidst a scramble, Pelton fired the ball from point-blank range into the net for the opening goal.
South Granville responded in the opening minute of the second half, which was the final goal of the night. The game was stopped with 33:32 remaining in regulation due to lightning in the distance and ultimately ended with a 1-1 draw.
The Panthers are 1-6-3 overall, 0-1-1 in the Big 7. The Panthers were coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss at Carrboro in double overtime last Wednesday. Orange played the Jaguars to a scoreless draw. The Jaguars scored both goals in the second 10-minute overtime session. Orange junior goalkeeper Jackson Connor made eleven saves.
South Granville is 1-7-4 overall, 0-1-2 in the Big 7 Conference.
Last Monday, Southern Durham held off Orange 2-1 in Hillsborough. It was a matchup that was supposed to start both team’s seasons in mid-August at Spartans Stadium, but it was postponed at the 11th hour when Southern Durham didn’t have enough personnel on hand to adequately oversee the game.
Southern Durham’s Ben Setter scored the opening goal when he cashed in off a long pass from Anderzon Alvardo with 29:05 remaining in regulation. The Spartans would get an insurance goal when a clearing attempt by Orange bounced off Connor. Southern’s Joshua Galena got the loose ball from eight yards away and cashed it in.
Orange senior Jesse Petrifies scored to give Orange a chance for an equalizer that never materialized.
The Panthers will host Durham School of the Arts on Wednesday in Hillsborough.
