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.

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