Magic run ends for Pam Pack: Washington falls to East Duplin in third round of playoffs

Published 4:35 pm Tuesday, May 20, 2025

By Jason O. Boyd

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It was a situation that had not been seen this season.

Members of the Washington High School girls’ soccer team were visibly upset after Monday’s 3-1 loss to East Duplin in the third round of the Class 2A state playoffs. A season that was filled with so much success amidst a generous mix of talented players from all grades had come to a sudden end.

It was hard to watch as hugs were exchanged while coaches and parents offered words of encouragement to express their gratitude for a successful season.

The Pam Pack, the No. 6 seed, the Eastern Plains Conference champs and winners of 11 straight and a tie before Monday, ended the season at 15-3-1. The only other losses came against Class 4A D.H. Conley and Class 3A Richlands. Both lost in the second round of their state playoffs.

East Duplin (13-8-2) goes to No. 2 Roanoke Rapids for an East Regional semifinal game on Thursday.

“They really started excelling and learning their positions and working it, and everything was really falling into place,” Washington coach Kendall Cox said of her team’s success this season. “And there was heart. I mean, it sucks. There’s no doubt about that.

“We made it this far, and I cannot be more proud of them because you’re right. We haven’t done it since 2014 (when Washington went to the state final). And you know what, next year we’re going to come back. We’re going to go further. That’s the goal. Push a little bit further each year, each year, a little bit more, a little bit more.”

Washington’s success lately has been putting pressure on the opposition with strong defense and quick scoring. Washington had outscored its opponents 64-2 during their winning streak.

The Pam Pack got on the board first as sophomore Elizabeth Barrera Meza finished a fast break by taking a free ball and putting it in the left side of the net in the fifth minute. However, East Duplin answered back five minutes later with a breakaway goal where Miranda Roblero curled a corner kick into the right side of the net.

In the second half, the Panthers turned the tables on the Pam Pack and were applying a lot of pressure on both sides of the ball while also substituting freely. East Duplin got a rebound in the 54th minute and Kaydance Drinkwater dribbled then shot the ball in the top right part of the goal for a 2-1 lead.

That gave them momentum,” Cox said. “And I was really hoping we’d put another one in the next five, but I think that it woke the other team up.

“And then, whereas we’ve had challenges this season, we are not used to having to come back. We’re used to putting it in and putting it in and putting it in and putting it in and really going and really going because like once we get it, it’s like, it’s like a fire happens and they go.”

East Duplin nearly punched another one in minutes later off a throw-in at the 64th minute. Pack keeper Eileen Escalona and defender Citlali Ramirez were able to stop the threat. However, the Panthers’ Katelyn Jones put another goal in to put the game on ice for a 3-1 lead with less than six minutes left.

“I told the girls coming in, I said, this other team that we’re going up against, I said, they’re physically aggressive,” Cox said. “I mean, the last time we played them, I was an assistant still. They sent tw to the hospital with dislocated shoulders.

“So I knew it was coming, and they were ready for it. I’ve got some girls who are very solid and very confident in using their body and putting themselves in front of the ball and using it to push them out of the way.”

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