By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
After playing the No. 13 team in the state to a stalemate two days prior, the Washington Pam Pack may have come out just a bit too overconfident against West Craven. However, Beth Batchelor helped spark the Pack to a 1-0 victory.
The junior’s free kick with just over six minutes remaining gave the Pack the win over the Eagles in Thursday’s Coastal Conference soccer clash at J.G. “Choppy” Wagner Stadium. Batchelor sailed the ball over top the goalie, who let the ball slip through her fingertips.
It was Batchelor’s 11th goal of the season.
“When I got fouled, I knew that was a chance we needed,” Batchelor said. “I knew I had to put it on goal. It went where I wanted it.”
Washington coach Jimmy Kozuch was happy to see Batchelor step up in the clutch situation.
“We count on Beth for some big things,” Kozuch said. “Beth is a very smart shooter. She saw where the wall was and kicked it around the wall.”
The Pack (2-1-2, 1-0-1) notched a 2-2 tie with the No. 13 Jacksonville Cardinals in Tuesday’s Coastal opener. Batchelor believes her team was still thinking about that tie prior to Thursday’s match.
“I think after Tuesday’s game we celebrated and just weren’t prepared (tonight),” Batchelor said. “We were overconfident about ourselves. We just had to come back to reality tonight.”
Batchelor and Hannah Sandy had shots on goal just prior to Batchelor’s successful free kick. That was the lone goal Pack keeper Noelle Gargaro needed, as she posted a shutout. Gargaro tallied 10 saves in the win.
“She had a good game,” Kozuch said. “We helped her out with some pretty good defense. She worked really hard and came up big tonight.”
Rachel Thompson, Kirsten Shackelford, Emily Bohn, Nikki Woolard, Lacie Anglim and Whitney Young were some of the other Pack players that helped Washington earn the win.
The Pack has a busy week next week. Washington plays host to J.H. Rose in a 7 p.m. match Monday, takes on Havelock in a home conference match at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and travels to White Oak for a 6:30 p.m. match Thursday.
Batchelor is hoping her team can build off Thursday’s win and use that as motivation for next week’s matches.
“I think this game is definitely a stepping stone for us,” Batchelor said. “Now we know what we need to work on and that we need to come together as a team more.”