The Panthers recognized the importance of playing until the last whistle was blown in a 3-2 loss Monday night against Cedar Ridge

Coming out strong and scoring the first goal of the game against cross-town opponents Cedar Ridge certainly started the Panthers off with an excited and confident tone on Monday night.  Brandon Clark (34, shown dribbling at right) had an excellent goal where he dribbled past a defender and then shot the ball into the far-side of the goal to put the Panthers in the lead.  However, the Panthers let up slightly afterwards, possibly due to premature confidence of the win.  Bowen Collins was moved to an attacking position in the hopes of pulling the team ahead even further, but his presence on defense was sorely missed as Cedar Ridge notched two quick goals before the close of the half.

The Panthers came back in the second half refusing to settle for a loss, and battled hard for possession of the ball.  Eli Lockwood had another great game, just barely missing a goal by less than a foot, Trevor Samsa had multiple close calls, including one free kick that soared just to the right of the frame of the goal, and Bowen Collins had multiple chances up top.  RJ Jackson won many 50/50 balls in the center and Gerardo Figueroa tried his hand at an outside midfield position. The defense stayed tight in the back with Tyler Taubenheim, Hector Paredes, Morgan Collins, and Finn Hubbs holding Cedar Ridge offsides a total of six times and making tough tackles and steals throughout the game.  The defensive players are coming together exceptionally and playing with much more quickness, agility, and intention.   

About 20 minutes into the second half, Brandon Clark sent a ball soaring towards the goal after receiving a throw-in from Gerardo Figueroa that inched over the top of the 6'1" goalie's hands (Brandon is shown below, watching the ball as it approaches the goal, and after, as it hits the back of the net). 

The Panthers celebrated jubilantly but quickly remembered that with only about 20 minutes left, the score was still a tie.  The Orange High JV Men's team ended up outshooting Cedar Ridge 14-8, having 3 more corner kicks than their opponent, and dominating possession of the rest of the game, but with 14 minutes left, Cedar Ridge claimed their third goal with a shot low and to the bottom left corner.  Brad Barbee, with his vision obstructed due to all of the players in front of him, couldn't get to the ball in time before it hit the goal.  Brad had 8 crucial saves throughout the game. 

The Panthers walked away with their heads up, knowing that they played a great game of soccer.

There were two Players of the Game, one offensive and one defensive.  Brandon Clark showed flashy moves while dribbling through the Cedar Ridge players and a knack for finding the goal (twice!) on Monday night, and the coaches are excited to see more of him at forward throughout the season.  Morgan Collins, shown right dribbling past two defenders, has come to be a star outside defender this year.  His decision-making is precise and fast, sometimes playing the ball over the top and sometimes passing wide to the outside.  His tenacity and sheer refusal to get beaten by another team's forward truly makes him a great natural defender.  His free-kicks into the forwards have come close to being assists on goals, and the coaches have no doubt that one game, one of those kicks will turn out to be exactly that.  Congratulations to both Brandon and Morgan; great games!

The Panthers had a hard but important practice Tuesday (learning give-and-go's, overlap passes, the urgency of marking up, and shooting) and head into tonight's game against Graham ready to go.  The game is at home at 5 pm.  We hope to see you there!

*Note: Players will be sent to the Orange High School Open House in shifts, starting at 4:30.