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Camas girls soccer team has one goal: No goals

Papermakers have only allowed two goals all season

By , Columbian Sports Editor
Published:
2 Photos
Camas first team all-league defender, Sarah Davidson, a senior, steals the ball during practice at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas, Tuesday November 15, 2016.
Camas first team all-league defender, Sarah Davidson, a senior, steals the ball during practice at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas, Tuesday November 15, 2016. (Ariane Kunze/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Everyone who plays soccer loves to score goals.

The Camas girls soccer team has done plenty of that this season.

But a major reason the Papermakers are in the Class 4A state semifinals can be found at the other end of the field.

Camas has allowed just two goals over 21 matches this season, setting program records for both shutouts and goals allowed.

“Defense is our backbone,” Camas coach Roland Minder said. “As long as you keep the ball out of the net, you’ll always have hope. You’ll always have a chance.”

Camas (20-0-1) enters Friday’s semifinal against Skyline of Sammamish having outscored its opponents 84-2. The match kicks off at 6 p.m. at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

By its nature, playing defense in soccer can be unglamorous yeoman’s work.

But it’s something Camas takes pride in.

“When the offense is putting goals in the net on their end, we feel a certain responsibility to hold our end of the stick,” senior defender Marley Lefore said.

Holding strong for teammates is something this Camas team has done since last season. The team rallied around captain Hannah Taie, who lost her mother to cancer in 2015.

Now the Papermakers are once again rallying around Taie, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the quarterfinals against Woodinville.

“She’s our teammate. She’s our family,” senior defender Sarah Davidson said of Taie. “We’re going to do everything we can to fight for her.”

That willingness to come together is why Minder said this team is among the best he has coached chemistry-wise in his 13 years leading the girls program.

“They truly love each other,” he said. “It’s a true sisterhood.”

The team’s bond has been forged over several years in high school and club soccer. Lefore says the players have an unspoken communication, which makes a difference on the field.

“For us center backs, that makes our job a lot easier,” Lefore said. “I don’t necessarily have to yell at my teammates to go where they need to. They already know.

“We just read each other’s minds, I guess.”

Lefore and Davidson both earned first-team all-league honors in the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League. Fellow defenders Perri Belzer and Ashley Carter and goalkeeper Julia Coombs were second-team all-league.

And while defense has been a hallmark of this team, Camas has a powerful offensive weapon in Maddie Kemp. The sophomore has scored a school-record 30 goals this season, including nine over the past four matches in the bi-district and state playoffs.

Kemp, Taie, forward Alyssa Tomasini and midfielder Morgan Winston also were named first-team all-league.

All season, the Papermakers have had their minds on this weekend. Camas lost to Issaquah in the semifinals last year in a penalty shootout.

Camas, which has 13 players back from that team, hopes to use that experience to capture its second state title. Camas won in 2005.

“We’ve been working toward this since before August,” Davidson said. “Our entire goal has been to make it to the finals.”

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