Orange Men’s Soccer

There were plenty of near misses for the Orange and Cedar Ridge men’s soccer teams in 2021.

After finishing with its first winning conference record since 2017, Cedar Ridge was the last team left out of the 3A State Playoffs, with Rocky Mount edging out the Red Wolves for the 32nd and final spot in the Eastern Region. It would have been the Red Wolves first state playoff appearance in four years.

Like Cedar Ridge, Orange finished with a 7-12-1 overall record, but lost 4-2 in overtime to Northwood in Pittsboro, a 4-3 defeat against Southern Durham and a 1-1 tie against Cedar Ridge down the home stretch of the regular season.

To start 2022, both Hillsborough teams have had a difficult time putting the ball in the net.

Cedar Ridge opened its season on August 17 against Durham School of the Arts, where the Bulldogs prevailed 1-0. The only goal came off a penalty kick.

On Monday night, the Red Wolves played its home opener against Voyager Academy, which ended in a scoreless tie. It was the first career clean sheet for Red Wolves freshman goalkeeper Erik Galunas in his second career start.

Cedar Ridge returns its leading goal scorer from last season in senior striker Chris Mendez, who scored 13 goals in 2021. Mendez also paced the squad with 29 points.

“What I like about this team is that they have a lot of grit,” said Cedar Ridge coach Chauncey Brummell, who started his second season last week. “They’re a close group of kids so I think that with the experience I have with the seniors, they’re just exciting to watch when they can put it all together. Chris just needs to find his confidence. Once he does that, he’ll be fine.”

In addition to Galunas, the Red Wolves have four other freshman on the team: midfielders Luis Garcia-Paez, Alex Bettger, striker Giovani Yaez and wingback Rudy Fuentes.

“Freshmen are stepping up big,” Brummell said. “I’m very pleased with Erik. He’s a very talented goalkeeper. If he continues being as consistent as he is, I think he can lift our team and get us moving in the right direction.”

On Friday afternoon, Cedar Ridge will journey to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary to start a span of two games over the span of two days. The Red Wolves will open with South Garner, followed by a contest against Wallace-Rose Hill on Saturday afternoon at 1.

On the other side of town, Orange opened with a 2-0 loss to Riverside at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham on August 15. After a scoreless first half, Gustavos Lagos ended the struggle with a goal from 12 yards away with 20:38 remaining. The Pirates added insurance when Reese Compton chipped the ball in from the near post with 12:00 left.

The Panthers had numerous chances to score, including a penalty kick in the opening half that was saved by Riverside goalkeeper John Ballard. With 16:08 remaining, the Panthers nearly evened the game off a corner kick by midfielder Cooper Zinn, which senior Darius Corbett handled from point blank range, but sent the ball off the near post.

“It was a pretty even match,” said Orange coach Palmer Cannon. “You have to give credit to Riverside. They finished their chances and played hard throughout the night. We created chances and we did some good things against a good team. It’s a good starting point, but we should be upset.”

Orange dropped a 3-1 game against Northern Durham at James Armstrong Stadium on August 17. Corbett scored the Panthers’ only goal off a penalty kick in the second half.

The Panthers will face Knightdale on Saturday, followed by a home game against Northern Durham on Wednesday night.

Men’s Soccer: Cedar Ridge 6, Eastern Alamance 0: The waiting has started for the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team.

The Red Wolves decisively defeated Eastern Alamance 6-0 in its final home game of the season on Tuesday night at Red Wolves Stadium. Going into the game, the Red Wolves were listed at the top of the “First Four Teams Out” in the latest 3A State Soccer Pairings by HighschoolOT.com. Cedar Ridge did its part to improve its standing on Tuesday.

Cedar Ridge junior forward Chris Mendez scored a hat trick. Mendez ended the year with a team-leading 13 goals.

Freshman Edwin Hernandez-Huerta had two goals and an assist. Hernandez-Huerta had eight goals and an assist.

Another freshman, Melvin Alvarado, scored his first goal for the Red Wolves. Junior Evan Marty assisted on two goals.

The Red Wolves conclude the regular season 7-12-1, 5-5-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. The brackets for the 3A State Soccer Tournament will be released on Saturday.

Orange 9, Eastern Alamance 2: To conclude its season, the Orange men’s soccer team tied a season-high nine goals in a victory over Eastern Alamance on Monday night in Mebane.

Junior Tyler Mann had the first hat trick of his career. Mann doubled his goal output for the season.

In his final game, senior Carter Thompson scored two goals. Thompson, the son of Orange graduates Roger and Cindy Thompson, also had an assist. He wrapped up the year with six goals and two assists.

Juniors Cooper Zinn, Dylan Silverman and Bryan Membreno also had goals for Orange. Freshman Konner Johnson had a goal and an assist.

Senior Jasper Tyll, a co-Captain, had an assist in his Orange farewell. Junior Cayden Cieutat assisted on another goal.

Orange finished the season 7-12-1 overall, 4-7-1 in the CCC.

Women’s Tennis: The Orange women’s tennis team, after winning its first-ever match in the 3A State Dual Team Tennis Tourament, fell in the second round to Cape Fear 5-2 on Tuesday.

Sophomore Erin Sollars had a straight sets win in #6 singles for Orange. Sollars won her match against Wilson Fike last Tuesday in the Lady Panthers’ 5-3 win, which sent them to the round of 16 for the first time in school history.

At #6 singles, Tea Jones won in her final match for Orange. Jones won both of her singles matches in the team playoff.

In terms of wins, this was the most successful Orange season in team history. The Lady Panthers finished 16-5. Orange’s doubles team of Jera Hargrove & Erin Sollars will compete in the 3A State Doubles Championship this Friday at the Burlington Tennis Center. Hargrove & Sollars will face Dabney Osbourne & Emily Mitchum of J.H. Rose in the opening round.

Women’s Golf: Samantha Durham completed in the 3A State Women’s Golf Championships for Orange on Monday and Tuesday at the Foxfire Golf and Resort Club in Pinehurst. Durham became the first Lady Panther golfer to compete in the State Golf Championships since Amanda Hill in 2015.

Another Hillsborough Derby is in the books and it was a tight, emotional matchup between Cedar Ridge and Orange on Monday night. The Panthers and the Red Wolves played to a 1-1 tie. Cedar Ridge scored the opening goal when Jorge Salazar headed in a beautiful cross from Evan Sredziesnki in the 51st minute. Orange got the equalizer when the Panthers’ Tyler Mannn was fouled in the box. Orange junior Darius Corbett, who played centerback the whole night, took the penalty and scored his ninth goal of the season. Both teams had their chances in the two 10-minute overtimes. Orange goalkeeper. Connor McMurtry and Cedar Ridge goalkeeper Benjamin Weaver both made big saves to preserve the tie. Cedar Ridge is now 4-0-2 is its last six games against its crosstown rival. On Wednesday, Orange will travel to Person. Cedar Ridge is 6-10-1, 5-3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. The Red Wolves will host Eastern Alamance on Wednesday at Red Wolves Stadium.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is men’s soccer co-Captain and wingback Jasper Tyll. Last week, Tyll scored the game-winning goal as Orange defeated Person 4-1 at Panther Soccer Park. It was Orange’s first win in the Central Carolina Conference. Tyll broke his left wrist early in the season against Chapel Hill, but he hasn’t missed any action. He has remained on the pitch while wearing a cast. Against Graham on August 30, Tyll sent a free kick from 23 yards to the doorstep of the Red Devils net, which was kicked in by Orange striker Darius Corbett. Tyll also had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Riverside on September 9 in Hillsborough, which avenged an earlier loss to the Pirates. Orange continues to battle teams tough. On Tuesday, Orange took Northwood to overtime, ending regulation 2-2 in Pittsboro. The Chargers prevailed 4-2. Tyll and the rest of the Panthers will return to action against Eastern Alamance later this week. Next week, Orange hosts Western Alamance on Monday before traveling to Walter Williams.

It’s already that time.

The dog days of October are here. Games that will decide Central Carolina Conference champions will start as soon as tonight when Cedar Ridge volleyball faces Northwood at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves swept the Chargers on September 2 in Pittsboro, Northwood’s only league loss. If Cedar Ridge wins tonight, they essentially have a three game lead (they’ll control the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chargers, along with a two-game lead In the standings) with four conference games remaining.

Last week, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association released its first round of RPI rankings for volleyball, which revealed positive news for both Hillsborough volleyball teams. Cedar Ridge was ranked #1 in the 3A East region, even after its loss to D.H. Conley (which is a 4A team) on Monday. The Red Wolves were the highest among five Central Carolina teams ranked in the top 15 for the region. Person was #3, Northwood #4, Orange was #7 and Eastern Alamance #15.

J.H. Rose was #2.

One wrinkle that stood out from an Orange perspective was the Lady Panthers have played possible the toughest schedule of any team in the region. The winning percentage for Orange’s opponents was .715, the only scored in the region with a figure in the 70% range. Cedar Ridge, which has already played the defending 3A State Champions twice, was second in the region at .691.

Volleyball isn’t the only sport where conference championships are being contested, of course. In women’s tennis, Cedar Ridge pulled off its biggest win of the season on Monday night, beating Northwood 5-4 at Red Wolves Tennis Courts. The Chargers entered the match 5-0 in the CCC. Orange is jostling with the Chargers and Williams for a spot in the 3A Dual Team Playoffs, which will start next month.

Oh, and the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team ended last week on a three-game winning streak, its longest in three years.

With that in mind, here are this week’s Magnificent Seven, which honor the best individual performances over the past week.

Darius Corbett: The Orange striker for the men’s soccer team had a hat trick against Southern Durham on Friday night. It was Corbett’s second hat trick of the season. On August 28, he had three goals against Henderson Collegiate at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Corbett leads Orange with seven goals this season.

Caitlin Carden: In wins over Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance, Carden collectively had 60 assists. In Orange’s 3-0 win over the Warriors, Carden had a double-double with 27 assists and ten digs as the Lady Panthers improved to 6-4, 3-3 in the CCC.

Erin Sollars: There’s no such thing as a short Orange-Western Alamance tennis match. Earlier this month, the Lady Panthers and the Warriors played a dual match that lasted well into the night. Last Thursday’s match in Hillsborough was no different, with Orange pulling out a 6-3 win. Two of the five singles matches went to 10-point, 3rd set tiebreakers. Sophomore Erin Sollars won her match at #3 singles 6-0, 6-1. Then in doubles, Sollars teamed with senior Jera Hargrove to win at #2 doubles 8-1 and wrap up the Orange win.

Chris Munoz: A strong week for Cedar Ridge men’s soccer continued with a 2-0 win over Eastern Alamance and a 8-1 victory over Person. Munox scored the game-winning goal against the Eagles. Against the Rockets, he scored two goals as the Red Wolves improved to 4-7, 3-1 in the CCC.

Adeline Cummings: Another strong Cedar Ridge women’s tennis freshmen. Cummings won her #6 singles match against Durham School of the Arts on Friday. Last Wednesday, Cedar Ridge defeated Person 6-3. Cummings started at #2 singles and captured her match 6-0, 6-2. Cummings is 4-3 in singles matches this year.

Cameron Lloyd: The Cedar Ridge junior outside hitter continues to make her case for Big 8 Volleyball Player of the Year. After the Red Wolves suffered its first loss of the season against Conley, the Red Wolves rebounded by making quick work of East Chapel Hill 3-0 on Tuesday in Hillsborough. Lloyd tied her season-high with 19 kills. She also had 18 digs. The Red Wolves impressively put away Person in Roxboro on Thursday to complete a season-sweep of the Rockets.

Olivia Aitkin: Olivia is a three-sport athlete at Cedar Ridge. She is best known for playing centerfield for the softball team, but she has also qualified for the Big 8 Conference swimming championships. She is also a golfer. Last week, Aitken finished in the top 10 during a Central Carolina Conference meet at the Valley Golf Course in Burlington. It was her second top-10 finish of the year. On top of that, Aitkin also committed to play softball at Amherst College in Amherts, MA.

Men’s Soccer: Cedar Ridge 2, Eastern Alamance 0

Days after scoring two goals against Orange in the Hillsborough Derby, Cedar Ridge’s Chris Mendez added to his team-lead in goals.

On Monday night, Mendez scored the game-winning goal as Cedar Ridge defeated Eastern Alamance 2-0 at Fred Brady Stadium in Mebane. Senior Jorge Salazar added insurance for the Red Wolves, who improved to 3-7 overall, 2-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. It was the second straight conference win for the Red Wolves.

Mendez now has seven goals on the season. Salazar is second on the team with seven points.

Goalkeeper Benjamin Weaver earned his second clean sheet of the season. It was his second straight win in net.

The Red Wolves were supposed to face Western Alamance on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Stadium, but the game was rained out. Cedar Ridge will host Person on Thursday night in Hillsborough.

Orange 4, Person 1

Orange co-Captain Jasper Tell scored the game-winning goal as the Panthers earned its first win in the Central Carolina Conference over Person on Monday night at Orange Soccer Park.

Junior Dylan Silverman assisted on the opening goal, then added Orange’s second goal later in the first half. In the second half, junior Cooper Zinn notched his third goal of the season. In the final ten minutes, junior Jack Pendergast added the first goal of his varsity career.

Orange’s trip to Northwood on Wednesday night was rained out. The Panthers will travel to Southern Durham on Friday.

Women’s tennis: Williams 5, Cedar Ridge 1:

Last Wednesday, the Red Wolves had just enough time to squeeze in six singles matches against Williams. Three of them went to 10-point tiebreakers in the third set, all of them claimed by Williams.

Red Wolves senior Chloe Patz won the Red Wolves only match at #2 singles over Haven Amick of Williams 7-6, 6-4. Cedar Ridge is 3-3 overall, 2-3 in the CCC. Their match scheduled for Wednesday against Person was rained out. The Red Wolves host Durham School of the Arts on Thursday.

Cross Country:

Two months after finishing 2nd in the state in the 3,200 meters, Orange senior Spencer Hampton made a major impression by finishing 2nd in the Friday Night Lights Festival, one of the biggest cross country events of the regular season at Ivey Redmon Sports Complex at Mount Tabor on September 10.

Hampton finished 2nd out of 238 runners with a time of 16:07.30. The only runner in the entire field to finish ahead of Hampton was North Lincoln’s Stephen Fernetti, who came in six seconds ahead of Hampton.

The strong showing by Hampton helped Orange finish fifth among 30 teams. In addition to Hampton, Orange’s Gabriel Schmid finished 10th. Sophomore Alden Cathey came in 23rd. Senior Ethan Horton came in 83rd and junior James Wheelis came in 93rd.

Providence captured the men’s team competition.

In the women’s race, Orange freshman Carolina Cathey was the top finisher, coming in 123rd. Kassi Scarantino, Sophia Schultz, Maggie Saunders and Margaret Hales also competed for Orange.

Women’s golf:

The latest Central Carolina Conference women’s golf meet was held at the Valley in Burlington on Monday. Orange senior Sarah Durham, this week’s Orange Panther of the Week, finished fifth overall out of 23 competitors with a 51. It was her third top five finish in three matches this year.

Sarah’s younger sister, Samantha, finished only one stroke behind her sister with a 52. Shannon Dorsi, Kayla Pope and Lucia Godinez also competed for Orange.

Cedar Ridge’s Olivia Aitkin tied for 9th with a 59.

Northwood won the team meet with a 151, two strokes better than Eastern Alamance’s 153. Orange came in fourth out of five teams with 168 strokes.

The Orange men’s soccer team has its first win in the Central Carolina Conference. The Panthers defeated Person 4-1 at Orange High Soccer Park on Monday night. Junior Cooper Zinn scored his third goal in three games. The game-winning goal came from senior co-Captain Jasper Tyll off an assist from Dylan Silverman. In the second half, Silverman added his own goal. Junior Jack Pendergrast added the first goal of his varsity career as the Panthers won its first conference game against Person in 21 years. Orange is now 4-7 overall, 1-3 in the CCC. It was the first of three games for the Panthers this week. Orange will travel to Pittsboro on Wednesday night to face Northwood. Then the Panthers will face former Big 8 Conference rival Southern Durham on Friday night. They return home to face Eastern Alamance next Monday.

Women’s tennis: Cedar Ridge 6, Western Alamance 3: Cedar Ridge sophomore Cameron Mayhew won her third straight match in singles play as the Red Wolves defeated Western Alamance at Cedar Ridge tennis courts on Monday afternoon.

Mayhew, who has competed at #1 singles in all of the Red Wolves’ dual matches so far this season, opened with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Cedar Ridge senior Hannah Shinnick won two matches against the Warriors. She opened with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Madison Randleman at #3 singles. At day turned into night, Shinnick teamed with classmate Olivia Kelly at #2 doubles to defeat Madison Randleman & Sophie Touchette 8-5. That win sewed up the match for the Red Wolves, who improved to 3-3 overall, 2-2 in the Central Carolina Conference.

Kelly wonder #5 singles match over Sarah McLaughlin 6-3, 7-5. At #6 singles, Cedar Ridge freshman Adeline Cummings defeated Touchette 6-2, 6-0.

At #3 doubles, Red Wolves freshman Ella Caltabiano teamed with Cummings to win 8-3.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Burlington to face Williams on Wednesday afternoon.

Orange 8, Riverside 1: Orange swept all six singles matches to defeat Riverside at Orange Tennis Courts on Wednesday afternoon. Grace Pell captured her match in three sets. Riverside’s only victory came at #3 doubles. Orange improved to 8-2.

Northwood 6, Orange 3: The Chargers ended Orange’s four-match winning streak on Monday in Pittsboro. Erin Sollars won at #5 singles. Shannon Sollars won in a third-set tiebreak at #6 singles. Once again, Pell was extended to three sets but fell just short. 10-8. The Lady Panthers are 3-1 in the CCC.

Men’s soccer: Williams 6, Orange 1:

Wiliams, who captured the 2019 3A State Championship, defeated Orange 6-1 at Orange Soccer Park on Monday night. The Panthers’ only tally came from junior Cooper Zinn on an assist from Dylan Silverman. It was Zinn’s first goal of the year. Kenan King had four goals for the Bulldogs, who improved to 4-2-2 overall, 2-0 in the CCC.

Orange falls to 3-6, 0-2 in the CCC. The Panthers will play in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby on Wednesday night against Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Stadium. Cedar Ridge has won the last three matches against Orange and four of the last five. Kickoff will be at 6:30 at Cedar Ridge.

Northwood 2, Cedar Ridge 1: The Red Wolves were tied with the Chargers at the half in their conference game at Chargers Stadium on Monday night. Northwood got the game-winning goal in the second half. The Red Wolves are 1-7 overall, 0-1 in the CCC

Women’s Golf: The second Central Carolina Conference meet of the year was held on Monday at the Preserves at Jordan Lake in Chapel Hill. In a field of 24 participants, Orange’s Sarah Durham finished tied for 2nd overall with a 47. Durham tied with Northwood’s Lily Jordan for second place.

Eastern Alamance’s Emily Mathews won the meet with a 35 through nine holes. Western Alamance won the team competition with 149 strokes, seven strokes ahead of Northwood, who finished at 155. Eastern Alamance finished third at 159. Orange was fourth with 168, while Person finished at 185.

Orange’s Samantha Durham, Sarah’s sister, finished tied for seventh with a 51.

Cedar Ridge’s Olivia Aitkin, who is the Red Wolves only golf participant, also finished in the top ten. Aitkin tied with Eastern Alamance’s Sarah Vannavong by shooting a 57.

Orange’s Lucia Godinez, Kayla Pope, Shannon Dorsi also participated in the meet.

Just last week, Riverside defeated the Orange men’s soccer team 3-0 at Linny Wrenn Stadium in Durham. On Thursday night, Orange turned the tables by beating the Pirates 3-0 at Orange Soccer Park. Senior co-Captain Jasper Tyll scored a goal and an assist for the Panthers. Junior Bryan Membreno added an insurance goal. Sophomore Enzo Bruhns, who was called up from the junior varsity squad this week by head coach Palmer Bowman, scored the first varsity goal of the season. Goalkeeper Connor McMurtry earned the clean sheet. It was the first home win of the year for Orange after victories over Henderson Collegiate at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, along with a 4-1 win at Graham last week. Orange is now 3-5. They will go for its first win in the Central Carolina Conference next week when they face Williams at home on Monday. Then Orange will travel to Cedar Ridge for the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby next Wednesday.

Men’s Soccer: Orange 4, Graham 1: It appeared the Orange men’s soccer team would come up short in its search for its first road win of the season.

Trailing 1-0 with 15:00 against Graham, the Panthers unleashed four goals in the final 14 minutes to beat the Red Devils 4-1 on Monday night. In the final minute, Orange wingback Jasper Fast attempted a free kick from 24 yards. The ball was stopped on the goal line, but junior Darius Corbett chipped it in for the final goal.

Nicholas Hengsterman earned the win in net for Orange, who will face Riverside at Durham’s Linny Wrenn Stadium on Wednesday.

Orange 9, Henderson Collegiate 0: Orange claimed its first win of the season with a 9-0 win over Henderson Collegiate at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Saturday. The game kicked off a 3PM in the midst of 95-degree heat, but the Panthers didn’t let that deter them.

Tyler Mann and Carter Thompson each scored three goals for Orange. Darius Corbett added two goals, while Traver Bruhns added another marker. Thompson, Corbett and Bryan Membreno all had assists. Nicholas Hengsterman earned the clean sheet for the win.

Women’s Tennis:

Cedar Ridge 7, Person 2

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team had the distinction of being the first team to play a match in the new Central Carolina Conference on Monday afternoon. The Red Wolves defeated Person 7-2 at Red Wolves Tennis Courts.

Sophomore Cameron Mayhew won at #1 singles 8-0. At #2 singles, Chloe Patz defeated Alora Horton 8-1. Hannah Shinnick won at #3 singles 8-0. Freshman Ella Caltabiano, Senior Captain Olivia Kelly and freshman Adeline Cummings all won their respective singles matches 8-0.

In doubles, Cedar Ridge’s Reagan Simmons and Catherine Ballenger won 8-4. The Red Wolves are 2-0 overall and will travel to Northwood on Wednesday.

Orange 5, Western Alamance 3

The Orange women’s tennis team had a long night in its Central Carolina Conference opener. A match that started in the heat of the day wasn’t decided until nightfall had descended in Elon, but the Lady Panthers won 5-3.

Both the #3 and the #4 singles matches wound up in a third set tiebreaker. Tea Jones won her match at #3 singles, while senior Jinkie Andrews won at #4 singles to put Orange ahead 4-2 in the doubles round. Jones and senior Jera Hargrove won at #2 doubles to clinch the match for Orange. The #3 doubles match was canceled because of lightning.

Orange is 5-1, 1-0 and will host Walter Williams in Hillsborough on Wednesday.

Cedar Ridge 5, Voyager Academy 4

The Cedar Ridge women’s tennis team opened its season last Tuesday with a 5-4 win over Voyager Academy. It was a dual match that came down to #3 doubles.

With the dual match even 4-4, the #3 doubles team of freshman Ella Caltabiano and Reagan Simmons won 8-3 to preserve a win in the season opener. Earlier in the day, Caltabiano won her first match at the varsity level at #4 singles, beating Voyager’s Karli McKenna 8-5.

Senior Chloe Patz captured her #2 singles match 8-3. At #3 singles, Hannah Shinnick won 8-4. Senior Olivia Kelly won 8-6 over Shea Dixon at #5 singles.

Carrboro 7, Orange 2: Orange 5, Carrboro 2

Last Thursday, Orange completed its season-opening match against Carrboro, which was postponed from August 16 because of rain. The Lady Panthers won 5-2. Sophomore Grace Pell captured her match at #2 singles after her opponent retired. In the marathon match of the day, senior Jinkie Andrews defeated Carrboro’s Julianna Curry 11-10, winning a tiebreaker 7-5. Senior Tea Jones, sophomore Erin Sollars and freshman Shannon Sollars all won their singles matches.

The Jaguars won the regularly scheduled match. Jones defeated Carrboro’s Julianna Curry 8-3 at #4 singles. Shannon Sollars captured the match at #6 singles 8-1.