The Washington soccer team opened up Eastern Plains Conference play with a decisive nine-goal win over Farmville Central on Monday.

With the return of center midfielder and senior captain Lupe Barrera, the Pam Pack enter the conference slate at full strength, as head coach Jim Kozuch has his eyes set on a second-straight championship.

“It felt great getting conference started with a healthier team,” he said. “The boys have worked very hard and are excited to get a chance to defend last year’s championship.”

Last season, Washington finished with a near-perfect 9-0-1 conference record, activating the mercy rule in four of the 10 contests. Despite losing nine varsity starters to graduation, head coach Jim Kozuch’s team picked up its third-straight win over the Jaguars.

Striker Kyle Hodges notched his second hat trick of the season, giving him a team-high 17 goals on the year, while forward Sergio Higuera recorded four first-half goals and an assist.

Senior William Page, who assumed more of an offensive role to compensate for the loss of Barrera, remained in the midfield, finishing with a goal and three assists.

A seven-goal lead in the first half gave Kozuch an opportunity to play some of his junior varsity players, including freshman goalie Kevin Avila, who played the majority of the second half, and sophomore Ben McKeithan, who managed to find the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

In total, Washington recorded 35 shots and held the Jaguars to just three shots on goal. Goalie William Page, who was moved to forward after Avila replaced him in goal, picked up the Pam Pack’s final goal with a well-placed shot.

Washington will face what Kozuch considers the toughest Eastern Plains opponent in North Pitt at home this afternoon. Returning most of their starters from last season, the Panthers, like the Pam Pack, are winners of five-straight and are averaging 3.5 goals per game.