It was finally Carrboro’s time.
After losing to Orange lacrosse four consecutive postseasons, the Carrboro Jaguars not only got off the playoff schneid against the Panthers. They did it in overtime in Hillsborough.
Senior Gabe Goodman took a loose ball off a face-off scramble and scored the game-winning goal 33 seconds into overtime as Carrboro defeated Orange 10-9 in the 3rd round of the 6A/1A State Playoffs at Auman Stadium on Tuesday night. Goodman’s fourth goal sent Carrboro (15-7) on to Cameron, where they would face Union Pines in the State Quarterfinals.
It also earned Carrboro the rubber match over Orange in the third matchup between the conference rivals in 2026. It’s the first time that the Panthers didn’t reach the state quarterfinals since 2020, when the season ended after three weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Goodman finished with four goals to lead Carrboro, while junior Jake McGrath won 18 of 23 face-offs.
Orange junior Owen Wimsatt scored four goals, all in the second half as the Panthers rallied to tie the game after trailing 7-3 at halftime.
The Panthers’ only lead of the game came after Daylon Smalls scored with 8:29 remaining in the first quarter to put Orange ahead 2-1. After that, the Panthers scored just one goal in the remaining 20:31 of the first half.
“We weren’t sharp,” said Orange lacrosse coach Chandler Zirkle. “We had too many people that started the season that didn’t end the season. We had, probably, seven kids who were all starters or contributors who didn’t finish the season. It’s tough to win when you’re dealing with that.”
While Orange won its sixth consecutive conference championship earlier this month, they battled injuries all year long and were without three starting defensemen against Carrboro.
Carrboro long-stick defenseman Brody Kumnick was assigned to Orange attacker Brett Clark, the second-leading scorer in program history. Clark was held without a goal for the first time since April 7, when Orange defeated Carrboro 11-7 at Jaguars Stadium.
Clark’s ends his career with 315 points after assisting on three goals, all in the second half.
Carrboro freshman Dylan Britt tied the game at 2-2 with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter on a man-advantage goal after Orange was called for an offside penalty.
The Jaguars dominated the second quarter, outscoring Orange 5-1 to take a 7-3 halftime lead. Senior Tyler Pease started the scoring off an assist from Britt for another man-up goal 47 seconds in the second quarter. Senior Jay Parker tied the game with the final goal of his Orange career with 5:56 remaining in the first half, ending a scoreless string of 14:31.
Goodman put the Jaguars right back ahead with his second tally just 56 seconds after Parker’s marker, the first of four straight Carrboro goals. Eight seconds later, Nathan Pickles scored off a pass from Dylan Schaecher. Evan Beaven-Louey added another goal, the third in 39 seconds for Carrboro. Long-stick midfielder Adam McGrath added a pole goal to end the scoring in the first half.
Orange won just one face-off after the first quarter. McGrath dominated draws so thoroughly, the Panthers started using long-stick midfielder Tucker Dillard on face-offs so they could create turnovers after Carrboro got the loose ball. It was a strategy that largely worked as the Jaguars were held without a goal in the opening nine minutes of the third quarter.
Orange steadily worked its way back into the game, scoring the opening three goals of the second half. Smalls, Wimsatt and Jack Eakes all scored to whittle the Carrboro lead to 7-6. Goodman ended Carrboro’s drought with a tally off an assist from goalkeeper Andrew Fay.
After Carrboro was called for a slashing penalty, Wimsatt took a pass from Clark and scored with :54 remaining in the third quarter to cut Carrboro’s lead to 8-7.
Wimsatt and Clark would combine to tie the game off another man-advantage goal with 10:47 remaining in regulation, the game’s first tie since it was 2-2 with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter. Pickles put Carrboro back ahead with a sidearm shot with 8:39 remaining. Just eleven seconds later, Wimsatt scored his fourth goal off an assist from Parker to tie the game at 9-9.
It appeared that Orange took the lead with 2:21 remaining when Wimsatt took a pass from Clark and threw it in the net. But Orange called timeout moments before Clark’s pass.
In addition to Orange’s seniors, it was likely the final game for Orange junior goalkeeper Jackson Runkle, who has been a starter the past two years.
“I’ll remember this team as a team that tried to reestablish the culture we had as a program,” Zirkle said. “I’ll remember this team as a team that fought and scrapped. They really tried their hardest regardless of deficiencies. They matured a lot this season. We had a bunch of kids who maybe weren’t expected to play in this game playing in this game. We have to develop more in the off-season and the 2027 season starts now.”
