RALEIGH — Washington was out of its element Saturday afternoon in Raleigh. It was the first time the Pam Pack have ever contended for a soccer state championship, but that wasn’t the only unfamiliar feeling they experienced. Their potent offense failed to score a goal for the first time all season and they came up short in a 3-0 loss.

A stingy Salisbury defense held Washington to just four shots on goal in the contest. The Hornets were quick in all aspects of the game and their size deprived Washington of some of its usual offensive strategies.

“We had a tough time out here tonight,” said head coach Jim Kozuch. “There was a big difference. We play on a 55-yard wide field. Out here it’s 75 yards. It was tough for us to put anything together. They had a good defense. But just offensively, we just weren’t there tonight.”

The Pam Pack spent much of the first half, and a good bit of the second, struggling to maintain possession. Salisbury played a strong defensive game in the midfield. Washington’s offensive strategy doesn’t revolve around one player or tactic, but taking away the midfield makes it hard for any team to establish anything offensively.

“We didn’t build up in the midfield,” Kozuch said. “They’re a great team. They had a great strategy and shut our guys down. They stuck to their game plan and they succeeded.”

The pace of the game was quick from the get-go. Kyle Hodges, who has been relatively quiet in the latter stages of the playoffs, got in behind Salisbury’s defense in the fifth minute. The window of opportunity closed quickly when he got the first taste of the Hornets’ speed on defense.

Goalkeeper William Tate made a couple of saves in the first few minutes, but didn’t stay perfect for long. The Hornets were awarded a free kick near midfield. Joshua Lynch launched the ball into the box and Chris Uribe got his head on it to send it past Tate.

The Pam Pack didn’t waver. They were able to settle into a sort of offensive rhythm in the last 15 minutes of the half and threatened to tie the game. Kozuch fired them up at halftime, telling them to keep their heads up and put more shots on goal.

“It’s only 1-0. You made one mistake and gave up a goal,” Kozuch said. “I told them that we were still in it and that we have a shot. Obviously we just couldn’t put together the second half.”

Tate had to come out of the game briefly in the 54th minute. Only a minute after Kevin Avilla took over for him, Landon Goodman, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, notched his 66th goal of the year to put the Hornets up 2-0. That goal tied him for third-most tallies in NCHSAA history.

“He’s the best player I’ve had to guard so far,” said senior defender Holt McKeithan. “I tried to stay with him, but he’s fast and kept moving. A lot of players, if I stick on them, they give up. You’ve got to give credit to him. He kept moving and he’s fast. He made quick runs and it seemed, a lot of the time, I was playing catch up. I stuck with him the best I could.”

Salisbury put the game away with a third goal just eight minutes later. A defensive breakdown gave freshman Brandon Ibanez a chance from the left side. He chipped it into the top-right corner to give the Hornets a 3-0 edge.

This team has a lot to be proud of once the sting of defeat dissipates. It made history by being the first Pam Pack squad to reach the state championship. Now they have the opportunity to step back, evaluate this season and continue to build.

The future is bright for Washington soccer.