CAMAS — The Camas boys soccer team figured to need its best effort to beat Shorecrest in Tuesday night’s showdown between two of the best Class 3A teams in the state.
Wow, did the Papermakers deliver.
Taking away space from the visiting Scots all over the Doc Harris Stadium field, controlling the midfield, and attacking with confidence, Camas sauntered to a 3-0 win in the first round of the state tournament.
“We came into it knowing that Shorecrest was a great team, but knowing that if we stepped up we could be a greater team,” said Camas co-captain Drew White, who had a goal and an assist. “We really stepped up today. Everybody played for each other.”
The goals came in the last 17 minutes of a match the Papermakers controlled almost all evening.
Camas (17-1) will host Sammamish of Bellevue on Saturday, probably at 1 p.m., in the state quarterfinals.
“I was surprised that we actually controlled the game the way we did, expecially the midfield,” Camas coach Roland Minder said.
With freshmen Wyatt Brown and Matt Palodichuk playing as central defenders, Minder expected a tough matchup against Shorecrest forward Glenn Paden and attacking midfielder Ian Adams.
“For our two freshmen backs to control the backline, and to win the midfield the way we did, it was more than I expected,” Minder said.
Camas really pushed the play throughout the first half, but couldn’t put away some quality scoring chances.
“Camas was very good in the first half,” Shorecrest coach Drew Thompson said. “We just couldn’t get into a rhythm in the first half.
“They were playing sharp and crisp and had us on our heels, creating lots of set plays.”
Play was more balanced after halftime, and it looked like the Scots were gaining energy as the game entered the final 20 minutes. But a quick change of direction put Camas in control.
The first goal came seconds after a Shorcrest free kick in the attacking third. A long ball up the right wing set Nathan Beasley on a run. The Camas freshman turned one defender to gain entry to the 18-yard box, then sent a sharp cross to the 6-yard box. A Scots’ defender got to the ball first, but watched helplessly as it bounced off of his leg and into the goal.
“Just when we thought we had a little bit of momentum, it turned again on us with that own goal,” Thompson said. “Lucky for Camas. Unluckey for Shorecrest.”
With Shorecrest forced to push players forward in an effort to tie the game, Camas’ potent counter attack got busy.
Adam Allison made it 2-0 with 6:52 left, running to the penalty spot and finishing a delivery from White. The finishing touch was a White goal off a counter attack with less than five minutes to play.
Shorecrest goalkeeper Sam Schober made several big saves, perhaps the best of them a stop on a Beasley run with 27 minutes left. With 19:50 remaining, Wyatt Brown hit the crossbar in a corner-kick scramble. He put the rebound home, but a teammate was offside and the goal was waved off.
But, in the end, none of those almosts mattered.
“I don’t know if they’ve come up against a team that’s had more possession than them yet,” senior midfielder Chris Miller. “We definitely frustrated them, and from that came the fouls. And eventually we scored.”
Last year, Camas beat Shorecreast in a much-hyped state quarterfinal match, then lost in the semifinals. They don’t want such a deflating encore this season.
“We’re not going to come out any different on Saturday,” Miller said. “We’re going to go full at it, all out.”
