KILL DEVIL HILLS — Wednesday’s marquee matchup between two eastern soccer powers, First Flight and Washington, lived up to the hype, each team needing strategy, fervor and a whole lot of grit to keep pace. But following 80-plus minutes of hard-nosed play, a match that featured a host of yellow cards and injured players, it was Nighthawks whose bruises paid dividends, as the host walked away with a 4-2 victory.

The Pam Pack, which entered with a perfect 8-0 record, had yet to face a team that fast, that tall and that skilled. However, in a tale of two halves, the undefeated visitors ignored what was an otherwise lethargic first 40 minutes, only to control most of the possession and outscore First Flight in the second half.

“I just think in the first half we were overwhelmed by a better team,” said head coach Jim Kozuch after the game. “At halftime, I just tried to settle them down and let them know that no matter what the outcome, we don’t win a state championship today. We need to go out, start off fresh and have a better second half. We made a couple adjustments and they worked.”

First Flight came prepared, breaking its midfield positioning with crossing routes to throw off the Pam Pack defense. On their end, head coach Juan Ramirez employed a double team on striker Kyle Hodges, virtually taking him out of the equation, while center midfielder Freddy Jimenez was forced to pick up the slack. Jimenez scored both of his team’s goals, but spent most of his evening frustrated, as the First Flight midfield continuously marked Washington’s leading scorer.

“They overwhelmed us with their midfield coming through and we just haven’t seen that yet this year,” Kozuch said. “We’ve seen no frills offenses, but this team overlapped their midfielders, played beautiful give and goes and we didn’t pick up on all of them.”

First Flight, the defending 2-A state runner-up that knocked off Washington in the quarterfinals of the state tournament last year, has relied on a balanced offensive attack through their first five games — six players with three or more goals, two with five. That narrative held true on Wednesday, as three different players — forward Trent Powell, junior midfielder Tommy Scott (two goals) and defender Sam Kitchi — all found the back of the net. The Nighthawks finished with 21 shots, forcing senior keeper William Tate to come up with 11 saves, including nine in the first half.

It was, undoubtedly, the most physical game to date for Washington and likely the most difficult matchup on the schedule. There certainly was no shortage of shoving, smack talk and elbows, but that should be expected in a matchup between two teams with sky-high playoff aspirations.

After both squads exchanged possessions through the first quarter of play, it was the Nighthawks who finally found a rhythm, controlling the midfield and spreading the Pam Pack back line. With 15 minutes remaining in the half, senior captain Grayson Murphy ripped a shot off the post to the left of a diving Tate, but the deflection came right to Powell, who finished easily in a wide open goal. And just two minutes later, in a similar fashion, Scott corralled a deflection off the post and deposited another strike, giving First Flight a 2-0 lead.

In stoppage time, midfielder Quinn Douglas laid a perfect slip pass to Kitchin, who blasted a perfect one-timer in the upper left corner of the net, as the Nighthawks held a comfortable 3-0 advantage at the break.

“First Flight came out and is a very, very skilled team,” Kozuch said. “Sometimes when you play an opponent that is faster and stronger, you have to play more of a team game and we did that later on.”

Washington recorded the first six shots of the second half, including a free kick right outside the box taken by Jimenez that evaded the wall for a goal. It wasn’t until 20 minutes in that First Flight notched its first shot, but on their second, Scott capitalized, working off a counter and hitting a well-hit ball past Tate, bringing the host’s lead back to three goals.

On the ensuing restart, Washington worked quickly, as Dylan Singleton hustled up the sideline and hit a hooking cross to Jimenez in front of the goal. The senior forward corralled the pass, hit a hard shot at the keeper, got the rebound and found the back of the net for the Pam Pack’s final goal of the contest.

Matching First Flight, Washington finished with 21 shots — 13 in the second half. The Nighthawks loaded their defense through the final 15 minutes to prevent any quality chances at a comeback.

But the play of the match, one that had everyone on their feet, including coach Ramirez, occurred in stoppage time. As Washington aligned a set piece off a corner, Tate ran up field and joined the last-chance effort. After the cross, Douglas regained possession, dribbled to midfield and fired at the open goal. Tate ran 60 yards, fully extended and swatted the ball away on the end line, crashing into the post in the process.

“It just shows his heart,” Kozuch said of his goalie’s effort. “We were down two goals, so when it’s all said and done, it wouldn’t of made too much of a difference, but he gave his all anyway. He never quit. It’s easy to quit when you’re playing a team that just came out and scored three goals on you in the first half. He didn’t and that shows why he’s a leader.”

With the loss, Washington drops to 8-1 and will host Ayden-Grifton on Tuesday at Choppy Wagner Stadium. Kickoff is schedule for 6 p.m.