PLAYOFF PREVIEW: Pam Pack soccer looks to move on to second round
Published 6:07 pm Monday, May 7, 2018
Washington’s undefeated run through conference play earned the Pam Pack the seventh seed in the NCHSAA 2A women’s soccer state championship bracket and a first-round home game against 26th-seed Bunn High School today at 5 p.m.
Washington (16-5, 10-0) enters the playoffs on a three-game winning streak, having brushed aside South Lenoir, Kinston and West Craven with scores of 8-0, 9-0 and 9-0, respectively. The Pam Pack’s last loss came against J.H. Rose, the 17th seed in the 3A state playoff bracket.
Washington has built up an impressive goal differential over the course of the season, scoring 127 goals while allowing only 31. The Pam Pack attack is led by the precocious Lilly Frances Lobos. The freshman leads her team in both goals and assists, having scored 44 times and provided 22 assists. Senior Sydney Walker, who usually plays out on the wing but has stepped in to play forward due to injuries, chipped in with 14 goals and 14 assists.
Unlike the Pam Pack, Bunn (11-9, 9-5) is coming into postseason play on a two-game slide. The Wildcats first lost 9-0 at Roanoke Rapids, before losing their final game of the season to Franklinton, 2-0. While Washington outscored its opponents this year by a goal margin of 96, Bunn scored only one more goal than it let in, scoring 71 and allowing 70. To come away from today’s game with a win, the Wildcats will lean heavily on Rachel Alford and Alex Husinko. Alford led Bunn with 33 goals and 18 assists, while Husinko was second with 25 goals.
The Pam Pack has shown the ability to both produce lots of goals, while at the same time keep its opponent from getting on the scoreboard. With the confidence that comes from going through conference play undefeated, along with the return of Jordan Prescott, the team’s second-leading goal scorer, expect Washington to win comfortably and move on to the second round.