A year ago, a bruised and battered Washington soccer team struggled to find its identity in the early stages of the season. The midfield — young, injury prone and inexperienced — assumed a heavy burden in a 4-4-2 formation that had difficulty transitioning to the target man, forward Sergio Higuera.

The result was a 2-4-1 start to the season, an exhausting stint against quality teams like First Flight, D.H. Conley and J.H. Rose. For head coach Jim Kozuch, options were limited and his bench even more unproven than certain parts of his starting 11. But the Pam Pack emerged from the opening slate battle tested, eventually establishing chemistry and piecing together a 20-win season, including three-playoff wins.

Two weeks into the 2015 campaign, there’s a different assertiveness associated with this team, more expectations and success than questions and possibilities. It begins with something Kozuch didn’t have last year, an aspect that’s eluded the Pam Pack soccer program for quite some time — depth at every position, highlighted by 10 seniors and 10 juniors.

“Unfortunately, a part of having depth is having a lot of experience, so a lot of our guys are seniors. It shows a little bit when you can take some guys off the bench and you’re not really losing too much production. Those guys are good players too,” Kozuch said.

Never was the Pam Pack’s depth more apparent than during Thursday’s game against Edenton Holmes. Kozuch went with an unconventional starting lineup, fielding reserves like Zack Pagnani, Rob Zerniak and Uriel Castanon, while keeping starters Gabriel Vallez-Torres, Kyle Hodges and Freddy Jimenez on the bench for most of the first half.

The Pack didn’t miss a beat. Seven minutes in, two bench players — Zerniak and Castanon — hooked up for a meticulous give and go on a two-against-one situation just outside the box. Up 1-0, for the next 20 minutes, it was the back line of Weston Brown, Pagnani, Arturo Leal and captain Holt McKeithan that limited the Aces to just two shots on goal.

“We’ve got a 21-man squad this year, so we thought it would be a good idea to give some guys the start who really deserved it,” Kozuch said after Thursday’s game. “We went out there and the reserves looked good, started off and got us a goal. They’ve put in a lot of work and deserved some time today.”

Once the starters were inserted with about 15 minutes left in the half, the floodgates opened, as forward Freddy Jimenez scored a hat trick in six minutes and Hodges flicked in two goals during that same six-minute stretch. Washington held a comfortable and rather effortless 7-0 lead at the half.

The forwards are dynamic, midfield efficient and goalie William Tate experienced. And against some of the prime competition the team faced last year, including J.H. Rose, Washington is off to a 4-0 start, outscoring opponents 31-4.

On defense, it’s not so much a question of whether the back line can get the job done, but rather who will earn a starting position. It’s a preseason competition that has carried over into the regular season, as five guys — Ben McKeithan, Pagnani, Brown, Arturo Leal and Dylan Singleton — continue to compete for three open positions. So far, to Kozuch, they’ve all looked like starters.

“I’m still in a spot where I like five or six guys for a four-man position, which isn’t a bad problem to have,” he said. “Every day the guys are going to suit up and every day is a tryout.”

And if the midfield is the foundation, the forwards are the catalysts. Hodges and Jimenez have combined for 19 goals in four games. The duo is complementary, Hodges relying on his breakaway speed to score and Jimenez using his unmatched technical ability to work his way through the defense. Hodges, who only had six assists last season, already has five, a testament to his growth this offseason.

“I think that Kyle has a great opportunity to score 40 goals again this year and Freddy is right there with him,” Kozuch said. “If we keep those two guys healthy we’re going to be dangerous. It’s coming together early, which is nice. We want to make sure we don’t peak too early and keep playing to our potential.

“As long as it doesn’t become a goal-scoring competition between the two, we’ll be in good shape. A lot of these guys right now seem to be best friends, which is awesome. I think we have a bigger picture, a larger goal than individual achievements.”

Washington will look to continue its success today when it rematches West Craven at Choppy Wagner Stadium.