By Staff
RYAN ROCKWELL, Sports Writer
A left-footed 25-yard kick by Washington's Brook Woolard in the second period broke a scoreless tie and lifted the girls' soccer team to a 1-0 win over Edenton Monday.
Woolard's shot came midway through the second period at approximately the 20:30 mark and was all the Pam Pack defense, led by goalkeeper Samantha Yates, needed. Yates had eight saves, three in the final 15 minutes.
After the game, Washington coach Ben Brand was exceedingly pleased with his team's effort on both sides of the ball.
Defense dominated the opening half and the ball remained in the middle of the field with neither team gaining a consistent advantage. The first shot on goal came with just under 16 minutes left in the first period, as Edenton's Aaron Potocki got a clear look on a breakaway attempt. The shot went directly at Yates, who caught it cleanly.
Washington's first shot came about a minute later, but was easily handled by the Aces' goalkeeper. Then, at 13:50, it appeared Washington's Sarah Allen had given the Pam Pack a 1-0 lead. Allen aggressively followed the ball right into the hands of Edenton's goalie, who mishandled the ball. Allen's kick found the net but did not count because Allen made contact with the goalie.
Yates continued to control the Washington net, making a diving stab on Lauren Chesson's attempt with eight minutes left in the half and then stopped a Courtney Mathias shot with around five minutes to go in the half.
Edenton (2-1) took four shots on goal in the first period while Washington managed just two. Despite the slight disparity in shots, neither team dominated the ball.
The Pam Pack (2-4-1) was outshot 10-5 by Edenton as Edenton got several good opportunities for shots. Edenton's Kristian Fleming shot and missed with 35 minutes to play in a much more offensive friendly second period. The ball handling and passing improved for both teams in the second 40 minutes.
Edenton's Lindsay Williford took the final five shots and had an excellent fast break attempt five minutes into the second half. Williford received a hit-ahead pass from a teammate and sprinted upfield in hopes of a shot on Yates. Washington's Leslie Cuttler got on her horse and tracked down Williford just before she reaced the goalie's box, deflecting the ball off Williford and out of bounds.
Then, with 25:55 to go, Williford nearly squeezed a scoring shot in the left corner of the net, but Yates dove horizontally for the ball and came up with another spectacular save.
Washington's fifth and final shot of the game would be the game winner with 20:30 to play. Woolard got the opportunity from 25 yards out on a re-start. The referee laid the ball down and Woolard did it all herself, lofting the ball over the goalie and into the bottom left corner of the net.
The Aces played well, said Bates, but were frustrated by their inability to make good on several scoring opportunities.