By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
Washington battled Coastal Conference foe White Oak down to the wire, but at the very end the Vikings had a little more gas left in the tank as they edged out the Pam Pack 2-1 on Tuesday.
“White Oak just played harder than we did tonight,” Washington coach Jimmy Kozuch said. “We got up early on them, then we just slowed down big time. We slacked off a little bit, let them catch up and they took the momentum in the second half and carried it through.”
Washington (3-4-1, 0-2-1) jumped out to an early lead when T.J. Crompton was able to slip the ball past the Vikings’ keeper in the first half.
“We had some strong passes and we were able to cross the ball and T.J. was able to score,” Kozuch said.
Washington played tough on the defensive end of the field and was able to hold on to its 1-0 lead until right before the half.
With the game knotted at one goal a piece at the break, Kozuch urged his team to pick up its intensity and get aggressive in the second half against the Vikings (6-5, 1-2).
“The strategy in the second half was to come out aggressive and attack like we did in the first half,” Kozuch said. “We really wanted to come out and score a goal before they did and get some of that momentum back.”
Washington looked sharp early in the second half as it did a good job winning the field position battle and keeping the pressure on the White Oak defense.
Graham almost notched his second goal of the game at the midway point when he booted the ball towards the Vikings’ keeper, but his aim was slightly off as his shot ricocheted off the post.
With both teams struggling to get on the scoreboard, the game appeared destined for overtime. However, with under five minutes remaining in the game White Oak managed to get one past Washington keeper Nick Lietz for the game-winner.
Despite the loss, Kozuch said he received a good effort from several players.
“Thomas Sutton, one of our defenders, had a big game today,” Kozuch said. “He played really well and just dominated the back as far as defense goes. Cameron Ashley also gave us a good game defensively.”
The Pam Pack gave a good effort on Tuesday, but will need to step it up another level in its next game as it faces Jacksonville, the No. 1 ranked 3-A team in the state, on the road Thursday.