Cedar Ridge Men’s Soccer

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team defeated Orange 2-1 in the Hillsborough Derby on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium. Junior Dominic McNerney scored a memorable goal with 14:33 remaining in regulation from 22 yards away off a pass from Abazar Babiker. Jonam Juarez scored the opening goal with 1:39 remaining in the first half off a corner kick. With eleven games remaining, Cedar Ridge has already surpassed their win total from all of last season. They’re 6-1-2 overall and in sole possession of third place in the Central Carolina Conference with a 2-0-1 record. The victory over the crosstown rivals ended a three-game winless streak against the Panthers. Sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made eight saves and nearly had a clean sheet. On Monday, Galunas didn’t allow a goal in a scoreless tie against Southern Alamance in Graham. Cedar Ridge stands in good position to be in the state playoffs for the first time since 2016, but there’s still work to do. The Red Wolves will return to action against Eastern Alamance on Monday night in Mebane. The Red Wolves will return home to face Western Alamance, the 2021 3A State Champions, on Wednesday at Red Wolves Stadium.

Dominic McNerney became a fan of soccer watching Chelsea FC play in England’s Premier League.

As he absorbed a pass up the left sideline from teammate Abazar Babiker on Wednesday night, he may have had visions of Mason Mount, a modern legend  for the Blues who helped them win the UEFA Champions League in 2021.

As McNerney roared up the left flank, there was one Orange defender who had an angle on him. McNerney had little choice but to blast away from 22 yards.

Searing like a rocket, the ball latched into the right corner of the net like it had eyes.

McNerney, who has waited three years to beat his crosstown rival, ran out on the track to celebrate in front of the Cedar Ridge students for the greatest goal he ever scored. Many of his teammates joined him.

He didn’t know it at the time, but McNerney gorgeous tally with 14:33 remaining in regulation would turn out to be the game-winner in Cedar Ridge’s 2-1 win over Orange at Red Wolves Stadium in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby on Wednesday night. It was Cedar Ridge’s first victory over the Panthers since September 15, 2022, when they won 4-1 at Red Wolves Stadium.

Jonam Juarez notched the opening goal for the Red Wolves with 1:39 remaining in the first half. Off a corner kick from senior Illah Babchenko, the ball went into the six-yard box where several Panthers tried to clear it. Juarez blocked the clearance and chipped it into the net from along the near post for his fourth goal of the season.

It was a resounding rebound for the Red Wolves, who were 48 hours removed from a disappointing scoreless draw against Southern Alamance in Graham. After the tie, Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell and his assistants had a lengthy postgame huddle with his team about focus, among other subjects.

Did his team’s focus meet the threshold Brummell wanted against Orange?

“Not in the first half,” Brummell said. “The first half we didn’t play as well as I would like to. Bu after that we pick it up and turned it on.”

Of course, McNerney’s goal in the second half made things seem a lot better for Cedar Ridge.

“That goal was….whew,” Brummell said about McNerney’s third goal of the season. “He had one against Eno River this year that might have been better. He brings great leadership. He’s a great leader. He was talking to the boys before the game. And he’s fun to be around. He’s just a flashy player. I don’t like flash, but he brings a lot of flash. You had to be here to see that second goal. It should be on ESPN or something.”

Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made eight saves and nearly had his second consecutive clean sheet, but Orange senior Travel Bruhns scored with 1:31 remaining off an assist from Emmanuel Mil Cruz to cut the Red Wolves lead in half. Orange was bidding for another late attack for the equalizer in the waning seconds, but Babiker had a key clearance to midfield that ran out the clock.

“Right now, we’re just lacking focus,” said Orange coach Palmer Bowman. Orange goalkeeper Finn Kelly had ten saves.

With the victory, Cedar Ridge has already surpassed its win total from last season. The Red Wolves (6-1-2) were 5-15-1 last year, 3-9 in the Central Carolina Conference. Cedar Ridge is 2-0-1 in the CCC and in sole possession of third place. Walter Williams and Western Alamance are tied for first at 2-0.

Cedar Ridge hasn’t been to the 3A State Playoffs since 2016. While they haven’t clinched a playoff spot, they have ended a three-game winless streak against Orange.

“That’s special,” Brummell said. “We didn’t take care of business against them last year. Palmer did a great job with his team last year. He lost a lot of players from last year. He’s in that rebuilding stage. My team is young, but they’re fun to watch if they can bring everything together. But they really wanted to win this game.”

For the first time in a Central Carolina Conference game, the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team to a trip to Southern Alamance on Monday night.

While they maintained their undefeated record in conference play, they left Hanford Stadium south of happy.

The Red Wolves walked away with a scoreless tie against the Patriots. Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas came away with nine saves for his first clean sheet of the season. Galunas kept the Patriots from victory in the final minute of regulation. With 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Southern Alamance’s Ricardo Magallanes flicked a shot from 12 yards away that Galunas stretched and deflected over the sideline.

Two 10-minute overtimes didn’t result in a winner, though the Patriots were the aggressors. With 7:10 remaining in the first overtime, Southern’s Curtis Evans struck the pot from 12 yards off a pass from Billy Clark. Cedar Ridge’s best chance in the overtime came with 5:58 remaining in the opening overtime when Edwin Huerta soared through the box for a header off a cross by Jonas Juarez. Huerta’s attempt sailed through the uprights at the overhanging goalposts.

In the second overtime, Galunas turned back a shot by David Alemon from 16 yards, the only shot on net by either team.

“I’m not happy with this tie,” said Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell. “We’re a talented team, a group of young individuals with skill and talent. They’re a special group this season and I feel that with all the talent and skill that these young men have, they just got to put it together and play like a team. And I didn’t see that. I see a lot of selfish play. I don’t see that togetherness. It’s never a good feeling to walk in and walk away with a tie with you feel like you’re the better team and you should have put it away.”

Cedar Ridge (5-1-2, 1-0-1 in the CCC) is 3-1-2 on the road this season.

In the first half, Cedar Ridge drew a foul , but Banchenko’s free kick from 26 yards sailed over the crossbar. The Patriots best chance to score in the first half came when Clark moved past Cedar Ridge’s left back along the flank into the box, but his shot from a tough angle banked off the side of the net.

The rest of the half consisted of shots from 25 yards or longer that flailed over the nets on both ends.

Cedar Ridge’s Alejandro Macero-Ramos prevenid Southern Alamance’s Alemon from getting a shot off from the box with 35:14 remaining in regulation. Magallanes played a long ball to Alemon, who wound up in a footrace with Cedar Ridge’s center backs with 20:12 remaining, but Galunas raced to the edge of the box to kill the threat.

“Erik stepped up for us in a big way,” Brummell said. “He saved us. Even in the loss to East Chapel Hill, he stepped up for us. I’m proud of him and I think he’s just going to get better for us as a keeper.”

For a team that’s looking to end a seven-year playoff drought, it wasn’t the performance that any of the Red Wolves wanted. With Orange coming up tonight for the first leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Red Wolves Stadium, Brummell wants to see increased focus as the Red Wolves look to end a three-game winless streak to the Panthers.

“I want us to come out and put this game behind us,” Brummell said. “I want to come together and play as a team. I want us to come focused and ready. Orange is a tough opponent. They always are. I know they know how we’ve been doing, so there’s a big reason for them to come out and obviously do well against us. We have something to prove. I don’t want other teams in our conference thinking “Cedar Ridge started 5-0-1. How did that happen?”

Over the summer, the 21-year-old scoreboard at Cedar Ridge Stadium got an overhaul, courtesy of one of its most famous alumni.

As Trenton Gill prepares for his second NFL season with the Chicago Bears this weekend against the Green Bay Packers, he can rest assured that the soccer team he once played on put enough goals on the very board he helped fund to remain undefeated.

Not that everyone in a Red Wolves uniform was happy.

Junior Alejandro Macero-Ramos scored two goals, the first of his varsity career, to propel the Red Wolves past Person 5-0 in Hillsborugh on Wednesday night. Cedar Ridge (5-1-1, 1-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) won its league opener.

Sophomore Edber Lopez added a goal and an assist for the Red Wolves. Abazar Babiker and Salomon Hernandez each added a goal for the Red Wolves, who are off to its best start since at least 2010. Gael Antunez-Nunez added two assists for Cedar Ridge.

Senior co-Captain Iliah Babcenko had two assists.

Cedar Ridge sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made six saves to earn the win. He made six saves. Midway through the second half, junior Ben Miller replaced Galunas in net and made two saves to keep the clean sheet intact.

On Thursday night, Cedar Ridge’s undefeated string came to an end. East Chapel Hill narrowly defeated the Red Wolves 1-0 at Dave Thaden Stadium.

Cedar Ridge will resume play in the CCC with its first conference road trip to Southern Alamance on Monday night in Graham.

Western Alamance 5, Orange 1: Konner Johnson notched a hat trick for Western Alamance to beat Orange in the Panthers’ conference opener at David Morton Field in Elon.

The Panthers fall to 1-4-1. Emanuel Mil Cruz scored Orange’s only goal on an assist from Yore Tapia Mendez. Orange will host Williams in Hillsborough on Monday night.

It speaks to the higher standards of Cedar Ridge men’s soccer than they tied their win total from all of last season on Wednesday night, but still came away disappointed in their performance. The Red Wolves defeated Person 5-0 at Red Wolves Stadium, Cedar Ridge’s first home game since the season-opener against Eno River Academy on August 14. Yet Cedar Ridge missed out on several scoring opportunities that could have increased the scoring total. Junior Alejandro Macero-Ramos notched his first two goals at the varsity level. Senior Abazar Babiker, junior Salomon Hernandez and sophomore Edber Lopez also had goals for the Red Wolves. Cedar Ridge senior co—Captain Iliah Babchenko, this academic year’s first winner of the Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week, had two assists. Cedar Ridge won its Central Carolina Conference opener and improves to 5-0-1, improving on the best start for the team in over 13 years. Gael Antunez-Nunez also had two assists. Cedar Ridge will turn around and travel to Dave Thaden Stadium on Thursday night for a non conference game against East Chapel Hill. Then the Red Wolves will travel to Graham to face Southern Alamance on Monday night. Next Wednesday, the Red Wolves will host Orange in the first leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Red Wolves Stadium.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is men’s soccer junior striker Dominic McNerney. The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is 4-0-1, its best start in 15 years, at least. Last week, the Red Wolves played to a 1-1 tie at Northwood. McNerney scored the game’s only goal, assisted by Rudy Fuentes. Thus far, McNerney has had a goal or an assist in every game so far this year. He assisted on a goal in the Red Wolves’ 4-1 win at Vance County on August 21. He scored a goal in Cedar Ridge’s season-opening win over Eno River Academy at Red Wolves Stadium. Against Voyager Academy in Durham on August 17, McNerney assisted on a goal scored by Abazar Babiker. Like many teenagers, Dominic’s soccer fandom was enhanced by watching games from England’s Premier League, where he is a fan of Chelsea FC. McNerney is a co-Captain on this year’s team. His goal is to help lead the Red Wolves back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Cedar Ridge is undefeated even though they have played four of its five games on the road. Their only home game came on August 14, its season opener. Cedar Ridge will finally play a game at Red Wolves Stadium on Wednesday when they host Person for its Central Carolina Conference opener.

For much of the night, it appeared that Cedar Ridge would suffer its first loss of the season amid the soggy conditions at Seaforth Stadium.

But in a year that has defied expectations thus far, the Red Wolves found a way to win despite trailing by two goals with 28 minutes remaining.

Jonam Juarez scored two goals, including the game-winner, as Cedar Ridge defeated Seaforth 3-2 on Monday night.

The Red Wolves set up the game-winning goal off a corner kick. Iliah Babchenko sent an in-swinging ball that was bobbled by Seaforth goalkeeper Jack Haste. Juarez gained control of the ball inside the six-yard box and kicked into into an empty net to put the Red Wolves ahead with 3:13 remaining.

Sophomore Giovani Yanez tied the game with his first goal of the season. Bazar Babiker and Dominic McNerney also assisted on goals. Goalkeeper Eric Galunas made seven saves to pick up his fourth win of the season.

Cedar Ridge ends a four-game road trip with a 3-0-1 mark. The Red Wolves, who played its only home game of the season against Eno River Academy, will return home to face East Chapel Hill on Wednesday night. It will be Cedar Ridge’s final game before play in the Central Carolina Conference begins. On September 6, the Red Wolves will host Person to start conference play.

Riverside 6, Orange 0: The Orange men’s soccer team dropped a contest against Riverside on Monday night in Hillsborough. Pirates junior Maynor Zambrano scored four goals for Riverside, who improved to 3-1. Gustavo Lagos and Nico Alcala Ruiz also had goals for Riverside.

Ruiz and Lagos also notched assists for the Pirates. Liam Gergen and Michael Salinas Ordonez also had assists.

Orange goalkeeper Finn Kelly had a busy night, making six saves. The Panthers fall to 1-3-1 and will travel to Western Alamance on Wednesday night to kick off CCC play.

Final from Saturday: Pinecrest 4, Orange 0: Orange journeyed to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary to participate in the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Kick-Off. The Patriots improved to 5-1 with the win.

Our first Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week for the 2023-2024 academic year is senior men’s soccer midfielder Iliah Babchenko. Last week, Babchenko scored a goal in Cedar Ridge’s 4-2 win over Eno River Academy at Red Wolves Stadium. It was the first-ever matchup between the two teams. Babchenko also assisted on a goal against the Bobcats. In its first road trip of the season, Cedar Ridge defeated Voyager Academy 4-1 in Durham. Babchenko scored on a penalty kick. The son of Ukrainian parents who immigrated to the United States in the early 2000s, Babchenko has played at the varsity level for four years. He endured the pandemic that curtailed much of his freshman year. Cedar Ridge is 3-0-1, its best start since 2009, at the very least. On Wednesday night, the Red Wolves played Northwood to a 1-1 tie. Babchenko nearly made the 3A State Playoffs in his sophomore year, but the Red Wolves were the last team out of the field of 64. This season, Cedar Ridge’s goal is to make the postseason for the first time since 2016. Babchenko has been a vocal leader, during training and on the pitch during games, throughout the early stages of this 2023 season.

The Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team is off to its best start in 13 years, at least.

On Monday night, the Red Wolves journeyed to Henderson and defeated former conference rival Vance County 3-1. Cedar Ridge is now 3-0 after starting the year with wins over Eno River Academy and Voyager Academy.

Inside Vipers Stadium, sophomore Gael Antunez-Nunez notched his second goal of the season. Last week in a win over Voyager Academy, Antunez-Nunez assisted on two goals in a 4-1 victory over Voyager. Antunez-Nunez also scored in the season-opener against Eno River.

Senior Abazar Babiker added his first goal of the season, while Rudy Fuentes added insurance for the Red Wolves, who claimed its second straight road win. Fuentes had an assist, as did junior Dominic McNerney and sophomore Giovanni Yanez added assists.

Sophomore goalkeeper Erik Galunas made nine saves for his third win of the season. Cedar Ridge will continue its four-game road trip on Wednesday when they face Northwood in Pittsboro. During the summer, the Chargers left the Central Carolina Conference to drop down to 2A to join the Mid-Carolina Conference.

Southern Durham 4, Orange 0: After winning its season opener at Durham School of the Arts on Thursday, Southern Durham defeated Orange in the Panthers home opener on Monday night. The Panthers will travel to recover when they face the Carrboro Jaguars at Jaguar Stadium on Wednesday night.

Women’s Tennis: Orange 5, Riverside 4: In a tight dual match where one doubles tilt decides the whole shooting match, it’s good to have a duo who qualified for the 3A State Tournament last year on your side.

That’s exactly what Orange had against Riverside in Durham last Thursday.

With the dual match all square 4-4, Erin and Shannon Sollars teamed at #1 doubles to defeat Calista Robinson and Jordan Oakley 8-6 to provide Orange a dual match victory in Durham. The Lady Panthers improved to 2-0.

Shannon Sollars, a junior, also won at #2 singles over Oakley 6-2, 6-2.

Senior Makayla Davis won two straight matches on the day for the second time in as many dual matches. Davis captured her singles match over Emma Wilcox 6-4, 6-0. At #2 doubles, Davis teamed with sophomore Molly Kruse over Wilcox and Cynthia Balin 8-4.

Kruse also won two matches. In addition to her doubles win, Kruse won the tightest match of the day against Rachael Ades 5-7, 6-1, 10-3. Kruse has won all four of her matches this year.

Orange returns home today (Tuesday) to face Durham School of the Arts.

Cedar Ridge 8, Voyager Academy 1: The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team opened the season last week. In its second match, the Red Wolves defeated Voyager Academy. The Red Wolves won five of the six singles matches.

Senior Cameron Mayhew won at #1 singles over Katelyn Hutson 6-1, 6-3. Junior Ella Caltabiano won at #2 singles over Karli McKenna 6-3, 6-0. Junior Adeline Cummings, another returning player from last year, won 6-0, 6-0 over Grace Garrett. Raven Mowles-Airing won at #4 singles over Fiorella Cedeno 6-4, 6-0. Red Wolves senior Annabeth Lundberg won at #6 singles against Jillian Draughon 6-1, 6-0.

Cedar Ridge captured all three doubles matches. Mayhew and Cummings won at #1 doubles 6-4. Caltabiano and Ballenger won at #2 and Mowles-Airing and Lunbdberg prevailed at #3 doubles.

Cross Country: The Cedar Ridge cross country team started its season at the Early Bird Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. Red Wolves junior Naomi Dyreng finished 10th in the women’s competition among 156 runners. Dyreng came in with a time of 20:58.90. Last year, Dyreng won three Mideast Regional championships in the outdoor track and field championships at Franklinton High School. Dyreng won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Dyreng teamed with Abigail Klaitman, Serena Summers and Eliza Klaitman to win the regional championship in the 4×800 women’s relay.

She was also the top female runner for Cedar Ridge at the 3A State Cross Country championships last November at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex in Kernersville.