As a sophomore, Maya Parman became the corner-kick specialist for the Camas girls soccer team.
“I’ve always enjoyed taking corners, mostly because I don’t like being in on all the chaos in front of the goal,” Parman said.
The strong-legged Parman saw her role expand to all free kicks and penalty kicks during her junior season.
Whenever the Papermakers needed a big kick, Parman got the call. And she usually delivered.
So the pressure was on her when she stepped up first during the penalty-kick shootout against Issaquah after a scoreless draw in the 4A state championship match in Puyallup.
“It was stressful, but it was also really quick,” Parman said. “We walked out there and the official said ‘OK, we’ll take your first kicker.’ And I just thought ‘Just do it how you always do it.’ I’ve taken a few during games, so I think I have a little more experience with them than maybe the other players. I had that going for me. I kept thinking ‘this is just like practice.’ So I just set the ball down and did what I always did.”
The first kick set Camas on its way to winning the shootout 4-2, giving the Papermakers their first state title in girls soccer since 2017 and the third in school history.
It also earned Parman the selection as The Columbian’s 2021 All-Region girls soccer player of the year.
Parman knows all about how difficult winning a state title can be.
As a freshman, she watched Camas reach the state semifinals, only to lose to Issaquah.
Playing a bigger role on the team as a sophomore, Parman and Papermakers lost to Skyline in the state title match.
Then came the COVID season last spring, which took the state tournament completely out of play.
But Parman said last winter’s abbreviated season played a role in the Papermakers’ success this fall.
“Last season was just a lot of fun,” Parman said. “Everyone had a great attitude going in it because we hadn’t been able to do anything for so long. I think everyone kept that attitude of having fun going all the way through this season. We knew that we could work hard and still have fun. That really helped with the team chemistry too, and that was our biggest strength during the season.”
Parman was a key ingredient in that chemistry, both as team captain and as a midfielder making contributions on both side of the pitch.
“I really love playing midfield,” she said. “It’s so much fun to me. I love attacking on the offensive end. And I also love defense, although sometimes it’s very stressful. I still love it. We have such great attacking forwards and great defenders, it’s nice to be in that position of being in the transition between the two. It’s a bridge between the two, that’s how I’ve always described it. And you really get the best of both worlds.”
Her play at midfield earned Parman the selection as the 4A Greater St. Helens League player of the year. It also caught the attention of the coaches at Seattle Pacific, where Parman has signed to play college soccer.
And she capped her high school career by achieving something she had hoped for since her freshman year — a state title.
“It was the picture-perfect ending for all of the seniors to have all that, the league championship, the bi-district championship and then the state championship to top it all off,” Parman said. “We just had our team banquet and (Coach Keri Tomasetti) was reading off all the accomplishments that Camas had in soccer over the years. And it was really cool to know that you are going to have that impact on future teams, and you were a part of something special. I mean, only three (Camas girls) teams have won it all. So it was amazing to be part of one of those three teams.”
But mostly, she was proud to be part of this Camas girls soccer team.
“It was so challenging (to win state), and I couldn’t be more proud of our whole team for sticking with it to the end,” she said. “I’m proud of each one of them. They’re amazing. And I’m going to miss it so much.”
Shaela Bradley, La Center
The sophomore midfielder was the top scorer for the Wildcats, earning player of the year honors for the Trico League.
Andi Buckley, Columbia River
The junior forward and first-team all-2A Greater St. Helens League pick helped the Rapids place third at state.
Logann Dukes, Columbia River
The junior defender was the 2A Greater St. Helens league defensive MVP for the co-league champions.
Olivia Euverman, Union
The senior defender helped the Titans to a runner-up finish in the 4A Greater St. Helens League.
Elizabeth Farley, Ridgefield
The senior shifted from midfielder to defender during the Spudders’ postseason run to the 2A state semifinals.
Emerson Grafton, Camas
The senior forward and Idaho State signee was a big finisher for the 4A state champion Papermakers.
Claire Jones, Ridgefield
The junior forward recorded goals in the Spudders’ district title win and both wins in the 2A state tournament.
Lauryn Krith, Mountain View
The sophomore forward was the 3A Greater St. Helens League player of the year.
Lily Loughney, Camas
The senior forward is a University of San Francisco signee for the 4A state champion Papermakers.
Brooke Milohov, Kalama
The senior defender was the Central 2B League South defensive MVP, leading the Chinooks to the 2B state title.
Lauren Rabus, Washougal
The senior was the offensive MVP in the 2A Greater St. Helens League, leading the Panthers into the district playoffs.
Keely Wieczorek, Camas
The junior goalkeeper stepped up big in the postseason, making two pivotal saves in the penalty kick shootout in the 4A state title game.
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