Seven Washington soccer players earn all-conference honors

Published 12:13 pm Wednesday, June 10, 2015

DAVID CUCCHIARA | DAILY NEWS HEAD START: Forward Sydney Walker was the lone Washington freshman selected to the All-Eastern Plains Conference team.

DAVID CUCCHIARA | DAILY NEWS
HEAD START: Forward Sydney Walker was the lone Washington freshman selected to the All-Eastern Plains Conference team.

The Eastern Plains committee selected seven players from Washington’s starting 11 to the all-conference soccer team last week, including EPC Player-of-the-Year Caitlyn Scott and freshman forward Sydney Walker.

Scott led the conference with 37 goals, while also finishing second on the team in assists with 17. The senior midfielder averaged a remarkable 1.8 goals per game and tallied 91 total points, good enough for 13th-best in the state among all classes. The Pam Pack captain notched seven hat tricks this season, including four four-goal games.

“When you go somewhere you’ve never been before, you always kind of look up to the people who have been there,” said head coach Ed Rodriguez, referring to his team’s youth. “Caitlyn was one of the few who had the experience, being a four-year player. She understood what was going to happen and all of them looked up to her for guidance and leadership.”

On May 13, Scott hit the game-winning goal on a free kick from 30-yards out to secure a 3-2 win over No. 26-seeded South Granville and advance Washington to the second round of the state tournament. The strike, one of two for Scott that afternoon, was her final goal for the Pam Pack.

Warner Little, one of six returning starters from last year’s state runner-up team, also earned an all-conference nod. Little, a senior, provided a power shot up front for Rodriguez after transitioning from her defensive varsity role to striker early in the season. She finished third on the team and fourth in the conference in scoring with 18 goals.

One of the more most vital pieces to Washington’s 15-6 season was Sydney Edwards, and all-conference selection who finished with a balanced stat line of 20 goals and a team- and conference-leading 18 assists. While being able to create scoring opportunities up front, the sophomore midfielder used her unrivaled speed to cause havoc in the midfield, breaking up opponents’ counters and limiting chances.

Walker, the lone freshman selection, finished fourth on the team in scoring with six goals, fitting in nicely with the experienced Pam Pack attack of Edwards, Little and Scott.

Defensively, seniors Anna McLawhorn and Ruby Perez earned all-conference selections for allowing 28 goals in 21 games, sharing the back line with a series of rotating underclassmen. McLawhorn, one of the faster players for Washington, used her speed to cut off runs and disrupt shots, while Perez locked down the box and limited open shots on net.

With a weakened defense, goalkeeper Emily Alligood had a much tougher task in 2015, but still managed to finish as the Eastern Plains’ top goalie and earn an all-conference nod. The senior keeper saved 132 shots and allowed just under two goals per game. She shared about 40 percent of the minutes with freshman Samantha Sheppard, who didn’t allow a single goal in 473 minutes.

Washington’s season came to an end in at the hands of No. 10-seeded Midway in Round 2 of the state tournament. After a both teams were held scoreless through regulation and four overtime periods, one penalty kick was all the Raiders needed to lock up a third round meeting with No. 2-seeded First Flight.

“I thought that last game was the best game we played,” Rodriguez said. “We held them to nothing. We were held scoreless, but it’s not because we didn’t create the chances.”

“We may not have that player next season who will be so much better than the rest, but we’ll have a very balanced team. We’re going to need contributions from a lot of different people.”

Washington graduates five of the six role players left from the state championship team this week, leaving Edwards as the last of the starters from that historic squad.