Papermakers bounce back for 1-0 win in third-place match
LAKEWOOD — By late morning on Saturday, the girls of Camas soccer were all smiles.
The Papermakers wiped the sleep from their eyes and the disappointment from their guts, then beat West Valley of Yakima 1-0 in the third-place match in the Class 3A girls soccer state tournament.
Bouncing back from a 2-1 loss to Mercer Island in the semifinals on Friday, the Papermakers used Olivia Lovell’s second goal in as many days to defeat the Rams.
Lovell scored midway through the first half, chipping home a cross from Brittney Oljar.
After taking a while to warm to the task — the match started at 10 a.m. — the Papermakers’ defense settled in and Camas played its best soccer of the day in the second half.
Oljar said the team was proud of its effort against Mercer Island on Friday, and proud to claim a third-place trophy.
“I think everyone gave it their all (in the semifinals), so there was nothing more I could ask of myself or of my teammates,” she said. “We’re all very, very proud of each other. The luck just didn’t go our way in that game.”
Saturday, the Papermakers (16-4-1) found enough energy to finish on a high note. Coach Roland Minder said he was pleased with the way his squad responded to a 7 a.m. wake-up call.
“I had to distribute toothpicks for their eyes,” Minder quipped.
“They were very, very tired, and of course disappointed, after yesterday.”
To counter that, the Camas coaches had the players play tag during warmups as part of a plan to get their blood pumping.
“We just made sure they understood that third place is a heck of a lot better than fourth place,” Minder said.
Oljar, one of six seniors on the team, agreed.
“It feels great to know that our team has improved so much over the past year,” Oljar said. “And we’re the second-best team that’s ever been at Camas High, so we’re very, very proud of ourselves.”
