The Orange women’s soccer team is the lowest-remaining seed remaining in the state playoffs.

That’s not just in the 3A State Tournament. That goes for all four classifications sanctioned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (actually, Orange is a #23 seed. So is Cardinal Gibbons, who will face Middle Creek in the 4A State Tournament tonight in Cary).

Tonight, Orange will attempt to reach the state quarterfinals when they face Walter Williams in Burlington. Kickoff is at 7PM.

The Lady Panthers’ run to the third round of the state playoffs may be a surprise to some outside observers. For many of the players, however, it continues a wave of confidence that started after a double-overtime loss to eventual Central Carolina Conference champion Eastern Alamance on April 12 in Hillsborough. Since then, the Lady Panthers have gone 6-2.

For a select few players, they knew something special could eventually happen for Orange women’s soccer way back in 2018.

Madison Orange, Syndey Rogers, Allison Torkewitz and Lauren Garcia were among the players who were members of Orange Middle School’s (then called Stanford Middle School) 2018 Orange Person Athletic Conference Championship team. It is still the only team in the history of Orange/Stanford Middle School to win an OPAC Championship in women’s soccer.

In 2018, the Chargers defeated longtime power Phillips 2-1 in the championship game, avenging its only loss in the regular season. Orange Middle finished 7-1 that year. It was the only time in school history where the Chargers defeated all four of its OPAC rivals in the Southern Division (Phillips, Culbreth, McDougle and Smith) in a single season.

It was a milestone for Orange Middle School soccer. Now, some of those players have led Orange High to another milestone–the best postseason run in the 34-year history of women’s soccer at Orange.

Preparing how to train some of those players is something Lady Panthers head coach Jacki Mignosa was mulling back when Garcia was still in eighth grade, while Orange, Torkewitz and Rogers were in the seventh.

“When I had this group come up, it was ‘Let’s get them trained,'” Mignosa said. “Let’s get them working together, playing together constantly. Then, by the time they’re juniors and seniors, then this is where we are. And it worked.”

There have been notable additions along the way. Senior Bella Brown arrived in 2020 from Burlington Christian Academy . Brown scored a hat trick in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over Cape Fear in Fayetteville, ending the night with a stunning goal from 20 yards that sailed across the 18-year-box into the left corner of the night. It was her ninth goal of the season.

Freshman Elliana Sullivan Gaddy, who leads the team with 12 goals, went to Central Park Middle School in Durham. She plays with the Mebane Youth Soccer Academy as her travel team.

“This is the best soccer I’ve ever played in my life,” Sullivan Gaddy said the day after she scored two goals in a 5-3 win over Harnett Central. “It’s the most welcoming community that I’ve had. Eastern Alamance was the toughest team we’ve had to play. It has been a pretty tough conference.”

Orange was supposed to face Williams on Monday night, but it was postponed after severe storms tore through the Triad, which is appropriate. The Orange-Williams regular season series was as unpredictable as a North Carolina spring.

On April 14, Williams rolled past Orange 2-0 in Hillsborough. The following week, Orange traveled to Burlington and pounded the Bulldogs 5-0. It was Williams’ most lopsided loss of the season. Lady Panthers goalkeeper Abby Monteith notched the clean sheet.

Whatever happens tonight, this group of Lady Panthers will walk off the pitch knowing they’ve done something that no over Orange team before them ever did. The deepest playoff run in school history.

“I think it’s going to be a tough game,” Mignosa said “I really do. We split with them this season. So it’s going to be another battle. But as I told my team, I believe in them. And they just have to believe that they can do it.”

Following a season where he became the most accomplished scorer for the Orange men’s basketball team since Connor Crabtree, Jerec Thompson has received among the highest individual honors from the Central Carolina Conference.

Thompson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Central Carolina Conference. Shortly after receiving the honor this spring, Thompson announced his commitment to Division III Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, VA.

In the quarterfinals of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament against Western Alamance in Elon, Thompson scored the 1,000th point of his career with a free throw early in the third quarter. He became the first Orange player to cross that plateau since Joey McMullin, who surpassed it in 2020. Thompson amassed 1,033 points in 71 career games, including just 12 in his junior season, which was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only disappointing thing about Thompson’s final year was that he wasn’t healthy enough to see every game. He missed the opening games against Southern Alamance and East Chapel Hill after being undercut going up for a dunk during a scrimmage against Vance County at Franklinton High School on November 20.

Once Thompson finally took the floor against the North Carolina School of Science and Math on December 2, it was immediate magic. He poured in 41 points in a 73-54 victory. It was the most points scored by an Orange player since Crabtree, who now plays with the University of Richmond, poured in 44 points against Southern Durham during the Big 8 Conference Tournament Championship game on February 17, 2016.

Thompson had eight games over 30 points in his senior season. In the South Granville Holiday Invitational, he scored 33 points in a 73-70 win over Reidsville. The following day, Thompson had 32 points in a loss to Cary in the Navy Bracket semifinals.

He sank a career-high ten 3-pointers, and finished with 39 points, against Person in Roxboro on February 1.

As the season wore on, Thompson saved his best for last. In his final game at Orange High School, he registered 40 points in a 77-68 win over Eastern Alamance on February 11. It was the first time any Orange player scored 40 points inside Panther Gymnasium since Crabtree ran up 40 points against Chapel Hill on January 5, 2017. Ironically, the previous player to score 40 points inside Panther Gym was Chapel Hill’s Jake Chislom, who scored 41 points against Orange on February 15, 2021, in a game played in front of empty bleachers due to restrictions created by the pandemic.

Thompson put in 29 points in the tournament win over Western Alamance on February 14. It was Orange’s first postseason win since beating Triton in the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs in 2017. He ended his career with 24 points against Northwood in the CCC semifinals. The Chargers would go on to win the CCC Regular Season and Tournament championships.

Thompson’s freshman season coincided with a point of major transition for the Orange men’s basketball team. Derryl Britt was in his first season as the head coach of the Panthers after Greg Motley had led the program for 20 years. At the beginning of 2018, Thompson was on the junior varsity team, but quickly transitioned to varsity starting in the Eastern Guilford Holiday Hoops Invitational in Gibsonville. In just his second game, he scored 12 points in a 70-61 win over Southeast Guilford on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.

Thompson’s limitless range from downtown would be the trademark of his Orange career. In 2019-2020, Thompson, McMullin, Jason Franklin and Machai Holt triggered a 6-1 start, including 74-56 win over then-defending 3A State Champion Walter Williams and a 82-32 rout of East Chapel Hill. In his sophomore season, Thompson averaged 10.8 points per game as a steady third outside shooting option alongside McMullin and Franklin.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is freshman soccer striker Elliana Sullivan Gaddy. Last week, the Orange soccer team won two state playoff games for the first time in the 34-year history of the team. On Monday night, Orange stunned Harnett Central 5-3 in Angier. Sullivan Gaddy scored two goals and assisted on another goal. On Wednesday night, Orange defeated Cape Fear 5-2 in Fayetteville to reach the round of 16 in the state playoffs for the first time ever. Sullivan Gaddy scored the game-winning goal in the second half when she broke up a pass back to Cape Fear’s goalkeeper and tucked the ball away into an empty net. It was Orange’s seventh road win. Sullivan Gaddy is the leading scorer for Orange with 12 goals and 28 points. On April 25, Sullivan Gaddy scored a goal and two assists in Orange’s 5-0 win at Walter Williams in Burlington. She had a four-game goal scoring streak starting against Williams. It continued against Cedar Ridge on April 27. During that span, Orange won four consecutive games. Sullivan Gaddy, Bella Brown and Isabel Jones have added up to a strong forward combination for Orange, which has propelled them to the strongest postseason run in team history. The Lady Panthers will journey to Burlington tonight to face Walter Williams in the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs. 

Mia Davidson: The odds that Mia and Montana Davidson would play their final game at Mississippi State on Sunday were very strong. Thus, it would likely be their final game as teammates, something they’ve been since they were adolescents playing in Hillsborough. Instead, Mississippi State softball team pulled off the biggest upset of the NCAA Tournament, shocking #2 seeded Florida State in back-to-back games to win the Tallahassee Regional at JoAnne Graf Field in Florida.

It is the first regional championship in Mississippi State softball history. On top of that, the Bulldogs will host a Super Regional starting on Friday when they face Arizona in a best-of-three series at Nusz Park in Starkville.

In the opening game on Sunday, Mississippi State won 5-0. Davidson hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning. It was her 91st career home run, putting her in fifth place all-time in NCAA history. It was its first win over a top-three team since 2016. Davidson finished 1-for-2 with two walks.

In the seventh and deciding game, Davidson scored the game-winning run as the Bulldogs won 4-3. Chloe Malau’ulu singled up the middle and Davidson slid under the tag at the plate in the fifth inning. Davidson went 0-for-3 in the deciding game.

Mississippi State started the Tallahassee Regional with a loss to South Florida on Friday. She went 0-for-2. That loss meant that the Bulldogs had to win four games over a span of 28 hours in order to reach the Super Regional, which is exactly what they did. They started with a 6-3 win over Howard. Mia went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Later on Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs eliminated South Florida 6-0. Mia went 0-for-4 with an RBI. Davidson knocked in Rylie Hull on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

Montana Davidson: In Mississippi State’s win over Howard, Montana Davidson started as the designated player. She helped knock in a run in the second inning when she sent a fly ball to right field, which was dropped. Montana scored after a fly ball hit by her younger sister, which was caught in left field. In Mississippi State’s final win over Florida State, Montana Davidson entered the game as a pinch-hitter. She also played against South Florida as a pinch-hitter on Friday.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team had a disappointing end to the season in the Southern Conference Tournament. After winning the Southern Conference regular season title, the Spartans were eliminated after losing twice to Chattanooga. In an elimination game against Samford on May 13, Dalehite scored a run as a pinch-runner off a double hit by Makeena Matthijs. The Mocs ended the Spartans season 9-7 on May 14. Dalehite also played as a pinch-runner. Dalehite played 29 games this season. She started 12, hitting .162.

Jaden Hurdle: Hurdle ended her career at Patrick & Henry Community College in the Region X, Division II Tournament. On May 11, the Patriots opened the tournament with a 8-0 win over Cleveland Community College in five innings. Hurdle went 1-for-3 with a run scored. In the second round, Pasco-Hernando State College defeated Patrick & Henry 14-6 in Richmond, VA. Southeastern Community College defeated the Patriots 8-3 to end their season on Sunday. In 43 games this season, Hurdle hit .376 with ten home runs and 37 RBIs. Hurdle will play at Division II Catawba College in Salisbury next year.

Grace Andrews: Andrews ended her career at Catawba Valley Community College last week. Southeastern Community College defeated the Red Hawks 5-2 in Henrico, VA. Andrews went 1-for-4 in her final game in Hickory. Catawba Valley ended the year 37-10.

Jaylin Jones: The Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team had its season come to an end in the semifinals of the USA South Conference Tournament on May 7. Top-seeded Southern Virginia defeated the Falcons 13-11. In his final game, Jones assisted on a goal. He had six ground balls and created two turnovers. Pfeiffer concludes the season 12-4. This season, Jones played in 16 games for Pfeiffer. He scored three goals and added six assists. He had 49 ground balls and created 17 turnovers.

It wouldn’t appear to be the most dramatic conclusion to a state championship, but it would be enough to get first place.

At least that’s what Caroline Fowlkes thought on Friday morning after she and West Carteret’s Alyssa Cooley both failed to clear 11-feet in the pole vault. Earlier on Friday morning in the 3A State Track & Field Championships at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro, Fowlkes successfully sailed over the bar at 10-feet-6 inches in her first attempt. It took Cooley two attempts to get over 10’6″. Since Fowlkes only needed one turn to get over, she figured that was enough for her to take the state championship.

Except it wasn’t that simple.

Shortly after the final failed attempts at 11-feet, a North Carolina High School Athletic Association informed Fowlkes and Cooley that they would engage in a jump-off to decide the state champion.

A jump-off?

Fowlkes had never competed in a jump-off. Heck, she had never even heard of a jump-off.

“It was one of the more nerve-racking meets I’ve ever been in,” Fowlkes said.

Suddenly, things got dramatic.

Fowlkes wasn’t going to let a technicality stop her from a state championship that she was the top-seed in. First, Fowlkes and Cooley each had one attempt at eleven-feet, which neither cleared. Then the height was lowered to 10-feet, 9-inches. Neither cleared that either.

At 10-feet, six-inches, Cooley scratched. It was Fowlkes’ turn, and in the final jump of her Cedar Ridge career, she planted a 12′ 7″, 160-pound pole deep into the pit and sailed over the bar with two inches to spare.

Just like that, Fowlkes became Cedar Ridge’s first individual state champion in track and field in seven years.

“I was so nervous,” said Sasha Morphis, head women’s track and field coach at Cedar Ridge. “When both girls scratched their final jump, we didn’t know how they planned to handle the result. We were on our toes the entire time. I never lost faith in her but I was absolutely nervous. I wanted it so bad for her.”

After word spread of her victory, Fowlkes received a congratulatory text message from Phoenix Smith, a longtime teammate and fellow senior who was unable to compete this spring after she suffered a torn ACL last December.

“I really miss seeing Phoenix at practice,” Fowlkes said. “I wish she could have been at the state championships competing with our team.”

Fowlkes completed her state championship a week after winning the Mideast Regional title at Franklinton High School. She is the first Red Wolf to win an individual state championship in track & field since Kacia Vines won in the long jump in 2015, the last of her two state titles.

Fowlkes is only the second Red Wolf in history to win a state championship at the 3A level. The other five female state champions were in the 2A ranks, along with six male state champions.

“She has been an amazing athlete,” Morphis said. “No matter what you ask her to do, she will do it. She never complains and is one of the most dedicated athletes I’ve ever coached. Working with her has been amazing and I will miss coaching her.”

The progressive heavy metal band Dream Theater’s 24-minute epic “Octavarium” concludes with the theme that “Everything ends where it began.” And so it is with Fowlkes, who last competed at North Carolina A&T on May 17, 2019 as a freshman in the state championships. She reached ten feet, good enough for ninth place.

Between then and Friday, there’s been a pandemic that killed her 2020 outdoor season, struggles with new equipment that led to her failing to qualify for the state championships last year and academic demands that led to her considering sitting out this season.

Fowlkes didn’t compete during Cedar Ridge’s indoor season this winter. With a 4.0 grade point average and a member of the International Baccalaureate Program, Fowlkes has been accepted at Appalachian State University. Under the IBP program doctrine, students take almost all of their exams during their senior year. To alleviate the pressure in the classroom, the possibility of skipping this outdoor season did cross Fowlkes’ mind.

Last year, two accomplished Cedar Ridge runners who were members of a school record relay team opted to focus on academics in lieu of their final track season.

“I was pretty concerned about school and my exams this year,” Fowlkes said. “I wondered if I would have enough time for practice, especially in the spring semester. But it ended up being all right. It was good to have something to do after school after studying for exams.”

Fowlkes finished her exams last week just in time to focus on the state championships.

It turned out to be a wise move. Fowlkes won all nine meets she competed in this year. At the Orange County Championships inside Culton-Peerman Stadium at Chapel Hill High School, Fowlkes finished first at 10’6″. At the Central Carolina Conference Championships in Mebane, she set a personal best at 11’6″, over three-and-a-half feet better than the runner-up.

The previous year, Fowlkes finished with no height at the Mideast Regionals at Southern Lee High School. The main problem was adjusting to a new pole. Pole vaulters are required to weigh-in before competitions. After Fowlkes reached a certain weight, she was required to adjust to a 145-pound pole, which was too small for her taste.

“This year, I was prepared,” Fowlkes said. “I jumped with a 165-pound pole, which was perfect for me. The weight of the pole is how much it takes to bend that pole. If I’m jumping on a 160-or-165-pound pole, I just have to be every fast and extra strong to bend it.”

Fowlkes also competed in the high jump this year. She continued to compete with the Cedar Ridge cross country team last fall.

Fowlkes’ father, Thomas, was a pole vaulter at the University of South Alabama. Her mother, Jenna, was a pole vaulter at the University of Florida.

Caroline would like to continue her pole vault career at Appalachian State, but says the school hasn’t reached out to her yet.

For now, Fowlkes will prepare for graduation next month after winning a state championship in the most unorthodox of ways. In her case, everything truly did end the way it began.

Joey Berini: The East Carolina baseball team clinched the American Athletic Conference regular season championship after they swept the South Florida Bulls in a three-game series at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville last weekend. On May 14, the Pirates defeated the Bulls 11-3. Berini went 1-for-2 with three RBIs after he entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. In his first plate appearance, Berini had a two-run single to left field to put the Pirates ahead 6-3. On Wednesday, the Pirates edged Campbell 7-6. Berini started as designated hitter and played at shortstop. He went 0-for-2. This weekend, East Carolina completed a three-game sweep of Houston. On Friday night, the Pirates defeated the Cougars 5-3. Berini had a pinch-hit, RBI single in the eighth to score the final run of the game. East Carolina will enter the American Athletic Conference Tournament next week at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida as possibly the hottest team in the country. East Carolina has won 14 in a row. They finished the regular season 38-18, 20-4 in the AAC.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson came out of the bullpen for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs on Monday at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won 9-0. Wilson threw five-and-one-thirds innings. He surrendered four runs off eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Dillon Peters suffered the loss for Pittsburgh.

Landon Riley: The Liberty baseball team honored its seniors during a game against Kennesaw State at Worthington Field on Saturday. Riley, one of the seniors, helped the Flames beat Owls 16-12 in its regular season finale. Riley threw the eighth inning and didn’t surrender a run. He struck out one batter and surrendered one hit with one walk. On Thursday, Kennesaw State defeated the Flames 9-6. Riley threw two shutout innings of middle relief. He conceded only one hit with two strikeouts. Liberty will start play in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament in Fort Myers, Florida on Tuesday.

Brandon Andrews: The Nicholls State baseball team completed its season in the Southland Conference Tournament at Lake Charles, Louisiana. On Saturday, Incarnate Word edged the Colonels 9-8. Andrews, in his final college appearance, threw two-thirds-of-an-inning. He surrendered two runs off two hits. On Tuesday, Louisiana defeated Nicholls 6-1. Andrews threw one inning of relief with one strikeout. He surrendered one hit. Last Sunday, Nicholls edged Southeastern Louisiana 4-3 in eleven innings. Andrews threw the eighth inning and surrendered one hit and one walk. Nicholls ends the year 26-25, its first winning season since 2017. Andrews, who returned to Nicholls this year after spending a season with Jacksonville State, had a 2.70 ERA. He was second on the team with 20 appearances. Andrews went 2-1 with 19 strikeouts and ten walks.

Phillip Berger: The Division III William Peace baseball team’s season came to an end in the USA South Conference Tournament at Cleaveland Field in LaGrange, NC. Berger won his final start of the season in an elimination game against Methodist on May 6. The Pacers outscored the Monarchs 14-10. Berger threw seven-and-one-thirds innings. He struck out four. He also gave up eight runs on nine hits. Six of the runs were earned. Peace was eliminated by LaGrange College. This season, Berger led the Pacers with eight wins. He went 8-2 in 13 starts. He finished with a 4.64 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 19 walks.

Will Walker: The Pitt Community College baseball team ended its season in disappointing fashion in the Region X Division II Baseball Tournament at Big Rock Stadium in Morehead City. The Bulldogs started with a 12-6 win over Cleveland Community College. Walker hit his sixth home run of the season, a solo blast in the fifth inning to put the Bulldogs ahead 7-5. Walker went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. On May 6, Catawba Valley rallied for two runs in the bottom-of-the-ninth inning to beat the Bulldogs 9-8. Walker went 1-for-5. In an elimination game, Brunswick Community College defeated Pitt 11-9. The Bulldogs led 6-3 until Brunswick scored eight runs in the seventh inning. Walker was named to the Region X, Division II All-Defensive team. He ends the season with a .319 batting average over 35 games. He hit six home runs with 31 RBIs.

FAYETTEVILLE–91 degrees at kickoff in 45% humidity playing 102 miles from Hillsborough against a team that finished undefeated in its conference.

None of those obstacles were big enough to stop the Orange women’s soccer team from making history.

Senior Bella Brown notched her fifth career hat trick, her first this season, to propel the Lady Panthers (11-7-1) past Cape Fear 5-2 at Colt Stadium on Thursday night in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. Freshman Elliana Sullivan Gaddy notched the game-wining goal with 27:29 remaining. Sullivan Gaddy, who scored two goals in Orange’s win at Harnett Central on Tuesday night, now leads the Lady Panthers with 13 goals this season.

Cape Fear (15-4-2), who finished undefeated in winning the United Eight Conference championship, got both goals from sophomore Jayda Angel. She ends the season with 32 goals.

It’s the first time in the 34-year history of the program that Orange reached the 3rd round of the state playoffs. On Tuesday, the Lady Panthers defeated Harnett Central 5-3 for its second postseason victory in team history. The other was in double overtime against Southern Lee in 2016.

“It’s really a tribute to their hard work,” said Orange coach Jacki Mignosa. “I’m just kind of there to guide them, but they put in that time, they put in that effort. I’m glad they’re reaping the benefits.”

While Sullivan Gaddy got the game-winner, Brown injected Orange with a huge boost of adrenaline on a muggy night in the final minute of the first half. Junior midfielder Sydney Rogers sent an entry pass from 35 yards away. Cape Fear goalkeeper Meridith Wenthur struck the ball at the edge of the six-yard box. The ball popped off Wenthur’s hands, then bounced off the leg of Isabel Jones and off the chest of Brown, where it rolled into the right corner of the net with only 13 seconds remaining.

The equalizing goal provided Orange with momentum that they would not lose again.

Cape Fear had the first scoring opportunity in the second half when senior forward Brooke Dawkins dribbled up the right sideline. Dawkins fed a cross to Angel, whose attempt was blocked by Rogers. Throughout the second half, the Colts’ repeatedly tried to attack Orange’s sophomore left back Lily Crayton, who shut down every threat Cape Fear offered as Orange started controlling possession.

“When Lily gets on like that, there’s no stopping her,” Mignosa said. “She’s gets in that mindset and keeps steeping and going. She’s only a sophomore.”

Orange earned three corner kicks in the opening ten minutes of the second half. With 31:10 remaining in the second half, Brown sent a high line drive off the crossbar from 18 yard away. After Orange centerback Channing Mahaney cleared an entry pass, Crayton forced a turnover that led to a shot by Rogers that was saved by Wenthur.

As wingback Christina Paz sent a back pass to Wenthur, Sullivan Gaddy stuck her leg out, which doesn’t work about 95% of the time. This was an exception.

Sullivan Gaddy made just enough contact at the edge of the box to force a turnover. Sullivan Gaddy beat Wenthur to the ball and tucked it into the right corner of an empty net to put Orange ahead 3-2.

Cape Fear nearly earned a penalty kick on the subsequent possession. Angel sprinted towards the middle of the field, where Crayton rubbed her off the ball and fell to the turf. The Cape Fear fans screamed for a handball, but the official shook his head “no” as Crayton successfully cleared it down the field.

With 24:27 remaining, Ella Wimsatt fired a long shot that Wenthur blocked with both hands. The rebounds spilled out to the right flank, where Brown fed Jones on a gorgeous cross. Jones chipped it over the goal line from eight yards away into the right corner of the net for Orange’s first insurance goal.

Brown, who transferred from Burlington Christian Academy in 2020, ended the scoring with possibly the goal of the season for the Lady Panthers. After Crayton picked off a cross, Jones played it to Sullivan Gaddy. Brown got a slither of daylight from 22 yards away and fired a gorgeous ball that sailed into the left corner past a flailing Wenthur to send the Orange bench into hysteria.

“She’s had a lot of really pretty goals,” Mignosa said. “But that was beautiful.”

Brown now has 24 career goals.

As has happened time and time again across women’s sports in the Central Carolina Conference, Orange will face a conference rival in the third round of the state playoffs. On Monday night, the Lady Panthers will travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams. On Thursday night, the Bulldogs upset second-seeded Union Pines 2-1.

Orange and Williams had a bizarre season series where the Bulldogs dominated Orange 2-0 in Hillsborough on April 14. Just eleven days later, Orange traveled to Burlington and handled the Bulldogs 5-0.

That win started a four-game winning streak for Orange that propelled them into the sate playoffs. Now, this Orange team has gone where no other Lady Panther squad before them ever has: the Sweet 16 of the 3A State Playoffs.

“I’m so proud of them,” Mignosa said. “It’s amazing and it’s really just an honor to watch them and to just have time with them and be a part of their lives right now. This team works so hard. I lot of times, I feel like they get overlooked. So I’m so happy that they gets this time in the spotlight. They deserve it.”

After 34 years of fielding teams, Orange women’s soccer is in the 3rd round of the state playoffs for the first time. On a hot, humid night in Fayetteville, senior Bella Brown scored a hat trick, while freshman Elliana Sullivan Gaddy notched the game-winning goal with 27:29 remaining as orange defeated Cape Fear 5-2. Isabel Jones added another goal for the Lady Panthers, who claimed its third-ever win in the state playoffs. With the game tied 2-2 at halftime, the Colts had a strong opportunity to score early. But Lily Crayton, playing left back for Orange, stopped a shot by Jada Angel. Midway through the second half, Orange’s Ella Wimsatt set a hard shot from 30 yards, which was thrust away by Colts goalkeeper Meridith Wenthur. Brown gained the rebound and sent a cross to Jones, who knocked it into the left corner of the net to put Orange ahead 4-2 with 24;27 remaining. After two trips to the Sandhills this week, Orange won’t have to travel far for the third round of the State Playoffs. Orange, the #23 seed, will travel to Burlington to face Walter Williams on Monday night. The Bulldogs upset #2 seed Union Pines on Thursday. Orange and Williams split the season series this year. Orange won 5-0 at Williams on April 25. 

The Orange women’s soccer team had waited six years since its last win in the state playoffs. What was another 45 minutes?

Despite a severe weather threat forecast on Monday, the Lady Panthers had still driven to Angier to face Harnett Central in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. It was the first time Orange had been in the postseason since 2017.

Orange was a hungry, confident team and they played like it. Freshman Elliana Sullivan Gaddy notched two goals in the opening half. Senior Bella Brown, who was the Lady Panthers’ leading scorer in 2021, added another. Sophomore Ella Wimsatt and junior Isabel Jones also tallied goals to put Orange ahead 5-2 when action stopped because of a lighting.

So Orange coach Jake Mignosa, assistant Will Stinnett and the players killed time the best way they knew how. An eclectic playlist full of music to sing and dance to.

There was lots of Taylor Swift, which sophomore Kassi Scarntino labeled “her 2000s songs.” Also Hannah Montana, Willie Nelson, even a Nirvana tune that most of the players liked, though they couldn’t quite remember the title (probably “Smells Like Teen Spirit because, well, that’s what it usually is when its Nirvana). Just enough songs to pass the time until the delay ended, complete the game and head back to Hillsborough to arrive at a decent hour ad get enough rest in time for school the next day.

Except there was another weather delay that followed shortly after play resumed. This second hold-up kept the players on the pitch until the final whistle sounded at 10 PM. Mind you, the day started on Monday morning with a standard day of classes, followed by the team boarding a bus for Angier for a 100-minute road trip. By the time the bus pulled back to the soccer parking lot adjacent to Orange’s tennis courts, a wilted but victorious group of players staggered off the bus at 11:30 PM.

“It was just mentally exhausting waiting through those delays,” Mignosa said after practice on Wednesday. “Keeping their spirits up, keeping their bodies loose, it was hard. There was some music, but I didn’t want them to think we were done playing. Because we weren’t.”

Orange came away with a 5-3 victory over the Trojans, the program’s first win in the 3A State Playoffs since 2016. Though it took a long time, lengthy postseason victories tend to be common in Orange’s soccer heritage. The Lady Panthers’ last state playoff win was a 5-4 double overtime victory over Southern Lee in Sanford.

Orange, the #23 seed in the 3A East Region, travels to Fayetteville tonight to face Cape Fear. The Colts (15-3-2) finished undefeated in the United Eight Conference.

The variance of Orange’s season are emblematic of a young team that has only two seniors (Brown and Laura Garcia). Of its top three scorers, Sullivan Gaddy (eleven goals) and Caroline Cathey (17 points) are freshmen.

All of which has led to some unpredictable results this year. On April 14, Walter Williams shut out the Lady Panthers 2-0 in Hillsborough. Eleven days later, in Orange’s very next game, they traveled to Burlington and beat the same Williams team 5-0 behind goals from Sullivan Gaddy, Brown, Wimsatt, Jones and Cathey. Junior goalkeeper Abby Monteith earned the clean sheet.

Ironically, the game that delivered the biggest confidence boost for Orange was also its most heartbreaking loss. On April 12, Orange was one minute away from beating Eastern Alamance and tying for first place in the Central Carolina Conference. With roughly 45 seconds remaining, the Eagles scored the equalizing goal off a low corner kick to end regulation 2-2. In a wild overtime session, the Eagles scored twice and held off a furious, last-minute Panther charge to win 4-3. Eastern Alamance went on to win the CCC title with an 11-1 record.

It would have been easy for Orange to be demoralized. Instead, their confidence got a boost.

“I think it clicked in our brain that we could compete with anybody,” Mignosa said. “That confidence makes a big difference. I think it really helped them. We played an amazing game that didn’t go in our favor. But Coach Stinnett and I reiterated that we were proud of them and they were completely capable of playing the best of the best.”

After the Williams defeat in Hillsborough, Orange won four straight games to sew up a state playoff spot. That included three straight shutouts over Williams, Cedar Ridge and Person. Monteith, usually the goalkeeper, came away with two goals in the win over the Rockets.

In a 3-0 shutout of Cedar Ridge on April 27 at Orange Soccer Field, Monteith and Kate Barger combined to shut out the Red Wolves. Sullivan Gaddy, Cathey and Destiny Lily Crayton all scored goals, while Brown and Jones had assists.

If Orange has ever advanced to the third round of the state playoffs in women’s soccer, there aren’t any online records that show it. Which means the Lady Panthers will make a road trip to Fayetteville tonight (which severe weather in the forecast, naturally) with potential history on the line.

There are some good omens. Of the three teams from the Central Carolina Conference that reached the state playoffs, all of them won their opening round games in the 3A State Playoffs (Eastern Alamance romped past Fayetteville 71st, Williams defeated Dixon in Holly Ridge).

As the photo that accompanies this article indicates, the players seem to get a kick out of playing along each other. That bodes well for a team that is slated to have nearly everyone back next season, along with new arrivals from Orange Middle School that captured the Orange-Person Athletic Conference Northern Division Championship earlier this month.

“All the girls get along so well,” Mignosa said. “We’ve been blessed with their companionship and their camaraderie. Having Sully (Sullivan Gaddy) and Caroline Cathey come up as freshmen and start varsity games has been amazing. We know it’s going to improve for the future.”