Guided by a core group of seniors, a surplus of freshmen filling the voids left by recent graduates, the Washington girls’ soccer team locked up its second consecutive Eastern Plains Conference championship on Monday with a 3-0 win over second-place North Pitt.

The accomplishment, impressive on paper, prompted mild celebration from the Pam Pack, as the players casually walked off the field, exchanging no more than a couple of high fives. For a Washington team that has yet to drop a single Eastern Plains match since its inaugural conference campaign last year, the achievement is simply a benchmark in a season where playoff success is the ultimate priority.

“It makes me feel better than last year with all the young people,” said head coach Ed Rodriguez. “We did what we had to do and got it done.”

After finishing with just two wins last year, succumbing to two 9-0 blowouts at the hands of Washington, North Pitt has turned its program around, transforming a two-win team into a viable threat to steal the title from the defending conference champs this season.

But two minutes in, it was senior Warner Little who struck first for Washington. Senior Caitlyn Scott dribbled down the middle of the field and slipped a pass right through two defenders. Little received the pass, got ahead of the defense, forcing a one-on-one with goalie Sarah Leggett, and pushed the ball just under the keeper to give the host a quick advantage.

Following the goal, North Pitt came a few feet away from answering after a corner kick found the head of Mary Rodriguez, who put the ball just wide.

From there, a defense led by Anna McLawhorn and Ruby Perez would limit opportunities and frustrate the Panther attack.

“I think Anna and Ruby made nothing easy tonight,” Rodriguez said. “(North Pitt) had a couple of nice shots on a corner and a breakaway, but after that they couldn’t get a decent look all night.”

In the final 30 minutes of the first half, the Pam Pack midfield, led by Sydney Edwards and Scott, used its speed to dominant possession and pressure the opposing defense. The result was a barrage of shots, but it took until stoppage time for the second goal to come.

This time, it was Little who bent a beautiful corner kick in front of the goal right at Scott, who redirected a header past the keeper, giving Washington a 2-0 lead heading into the half.

“(Scott) gives you the opportunity to play the ball wide you can take advantage and spread the defense,” Rodriguez said.

Washington outshot North Pitt, 13-1, as keeper Emily Alligood wasn’t required to make a save through the first 40 minutes. That would change in the second half.

Mounting the pressure, the North Pitt midfield pushed up and aggressively attacked the Pam Pack net. Just three minutes in, Mary Rodriguez fired off the first shot of the match that required an Alligood save and midfielder Carina Romero followed suit two minutes later, coming less than a foot away from the goalpost.

From there, Washington’s defense regrouped and held the Panthers to just two shots through the final 25 minutes.

And with 11 minutes to go in the contest, Edwards hit a through ball up field, leading Little perfectly behind the defense. Little corralled the pass and blasted a shot to the right of the keeper, sealing the victory and the championship.

‘It’s pretty cool and great to do it again with the seniors,” McLawhorn said after the game. “As the leaders we’re supposed to be this year, we should lead this team through at least a couple of rounds in the playoffs.”

With the win, Washington improves to 13-5 (7-0 EPC) and will face North Johnston on Wednesday in the final regular season game.