Youth, experience drive Pack girls’ soccer to early success

Published 2:11 am Wednesday, March 12, 2025

By Jason O. Boyd

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As far as athletic seasons go, it’s hard to top what the Washington High School girls’ soccer team did last season.

The Pam Pack won their first 17 games and tied with Eastern Plains Conference foe Farmville Central along the way before losing in the second round of the Class 2A state playoffs to the NC School of Science & Math.

Washington posted 13 shutouts — including streaks of seven and five in a row — gave up one goal three times and two goals twice. Of the 56 goals the Pam Pack scored, 36 were by then-junior Jamie Perez.

That team left a mark of success in a program that has seen its fair share along the way. However, five seniors who had graduated from the club provided leadership and scoring. The task this season is for Washington head coach Kendall Cox to find replacements to keep the train going.

A 4-2 win at Edenton in the season opener was met with a wake-up call as D.H. Conley won the next day, 9-0. Last Thursday in the team’s home opener, Washington picked up a 1-0 victory over a Faith Christian program that’s consistently among the best in the NC Independent Schools Athletic Association.

“We are still smoothing out a lot of edges, and we still have some things that we need to work on, and it’s just trying to get the time to do it, and trying to cram everything in without burning them out, without us burning out and stuff, and trying not to get injured and overdoing it,” Cox said. “So it’s a work in progress, that’s for sure.”

This season’s team has six seniors on the roster, including Perez and team captain and defender Avery Thomas. There are six freshmen and four sophomores. So getting the younger players adapted to the style of play while also using their talents to success has been a priority.

Also, like everyone else, the winter weather slowed that progress down since Washington couldn’t practice much that week before jumping right into the schedule.

“Yeah, first home game is always gonna be nerve-wracking, so I’m glad that they did get the win, cuz you’re right, it is gonna be a confidence boost for them,” Cox said. “It’s been an unusual beginning to the season, so I know they’ve been a little unsettled, and that’s okay, it’s to be expected, cuz in Eastern North Carolina, how often do you get back-to-back snowstorms?”

Washington was peppering Faith Christian’s goal a lot in the first half, except for three occasions where the Patriots broke free and challenged Washington senior keeper Eileen Escalona. While The Pack didn’t score, it at least kept the momentum going as the coaching staff emphasized smart, short and quick passes.

Sophomore Sonti Small capitalized with a goal that landed in the upper half of the left side of the goal about midway through the second half.

“My main position is defense, so I was back there, and then I guess Coach Cox just thought it was best to switch, and we switched,” Small said. “And I knew if I went up there, I had to put my own into it, and that’s what I did, and I got a goal.

“It wasn’t the spot, but I knew if I could get it to the very end, I knew I could cross it, and maybe it could go in, or my teammates could run and place it in.”

Cox said that goal lessened the pressure and allowed the Pam Pack to continue to play good defense, which they did by keeping the ball in Faith Christian’s half of the field. The win comes at a good time, too, since EPC play began Tuesday at home against North Pitt and Thursday at Greene Central.

“It did start to click right there at the end,” Cox said. “I started to not be as stressed out about it, because you could see they were seeing the opportunities, too. And they were so panicky at the beginning, and I think it probably could have been nerves, an array of things.

“It can be nerve-wracking out here on your first night in the home, especially with, you’re right, with such a young team. So things are starting to click. So you’re right, smoothing out those edges and hoping that we can be consistent with it, and we’re not waiting until the last 20 minutes of a game for that to happen.”

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