By By LAWRENCE KEECH, Staff Writer
Croatan High School's soccer team scored two goals in the first six minutes of their game against Washington High School Monday night at a soggy Wagner Stadium.
That coupled with Washington's lack of offense led to a 5-0 loss by the Pam Pack.
Croatan's first shot went wide just a minute into the game, but Washington came back and drove deep into the Cougars territory. Croatan (1-0-1) got a 2-on-1 breakaway just a few seconds later, but the Pam Pack's defense foiled the effort.
A minute after their first shot, Jamie Davia got an open look at the back of the net off an assist by Amanda Blackstock.
Washington goalie Smantha Yates was set up to protect against Blackstock's shot, but the Cougars' forward sent the ball from her left foot across her body and past a Pam Pack defender to Davia.
Five minutes later, a Croatan kick bounced off Washington's goal and back into play. A second kick hit one of Washington's defenders in the stomach as she was slipping down on the wet turf. The defender threw her hands up in defense, hitting the ball in the process and getting called for a penalty.
Blackstock took the penalty kick and easily drilled the ball past Yates for a 2-0 lead.
Washington got its third trip across midfield about 12 minutes into the game, but an offsides call negated that effort.
Less than a minute later, Sarah Allen got an open field steal, but was outrun by a Croatan defender, surprising some of the fans as Allen is one of the faster members of the Pam Pack squad.
Yates made three saves in a row after that point, then a pair of saves on a corner kick and an open field shot about midway through the first half.
The Cougars struck again when Ashley Weston kicked between the legs of a Washington defender, then drilled the ball into the back corner of the net.
Nine minutes later, Rachel Erp caught a corner kick on her shoulder and the ball ricocheted into the goal for a 4-0 lead.
The lead was too much for Washington to overcome, but Croatan added one more goal for safety.
Thirteen minutes into the second half, Elaine Humphreys got a second-effort kick off a back-to-back corner-kick attempt as a host of Croatan defenders rushed the net.
Washington (0-1-1) has 25 players on its roster with the bulk being freshmen and sophomores.