Girls soccer report

The non-league portion of the schedule ended Saturday with a rivalry match between Prairie and Battle Ground at District Stadium.

The stakes become higher starting Tuesday for most area teams, but here’s a quick look back at some of the highlights of the non-league schedule:

As expected, the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League had its share of success against the bigger schools in the area. Camas, Columbia River and Union each had five wins and a tie in non-league battles, and Prairie was 4-0-1 entering Saturday’s match.

The one 4A school that held its own against the 3A GSHL powers? Defending league and district champion Heritage. Granted, the Timberwolves haven’t won a match yet, but they managed four ties. Friday’s 1-1 draw with Columbia River was Heritage’s third tie against a 3A GSHL opponent.

They also played Camas to a scoreless draw and tied 1-1 with Prairie.

Union did beat Heritage, 2-0, but the Timberwolves’ other loss was to Class 2A Hockinson. The Hawks beat Heritage 4-0.

That was the only win thus far for Hockinson, but its 1-4-1 record is a bit deceiving. The Hawks lost by one goal to Mountain View and Camas, and by two to Skyview and Columbia River.

Rivalries renewed

While not as meaningful as league matches, the non-league schedule does provide an opportunity for old rivalries to be renewed. For example, Skyview and River tangled on Thursday, with the Chieftains prevailing 1-0.

“It’s not an angry rivalry, but it’s definitely a heightened intensity on the field,” first-year Columbia River coach Colleen McKinney said.

Expect the intensity to pick up in the coming week with league play getting started. Columbia River, for example, goes from playing a neighborhood rival in non-league action against Skyview to facing a new rival in the opener of league play. The Chieftains take on Union on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Jason Lee Middle School.

Union will have an interesting week, facing Prairie on Thursday at McKenzie Stadium.

Evergreen revival

With a new coach and an almost entirely new roster, Evergreen has already enjoyed more success than it did a year ago. The Plainsmen are 3-3, with wins over Hudson’s Bay, Fort Vancouver and Ridgefield. More impressive might be the fact that they played Union tough in a 1-0 loss.

Evergreen has one returning varsity player from the team that won just once last fall.

Girls Soccer Report runs each Sunday through the fall season. Coaches with items can report them by e-mail at sports@columbian.com or phone at 360-735-4484.