Chieftains fall in 2A girls soccer championship match, while Papermakers bounce back to take third-place match in 4A bracket
It was not the trophies they wanted when they arrived for the final four this season, but the Columbia River and Camas girls soccer teams have to be feeling good about the accomplishments this season.
Defending champions, both of them, the Chieftains and Papermakers knew they had targets on their backs all season. They got the best from every opponent, hoping to knock off the champs.
By the end of the season, both teams returned to the final weekend of the high school season.
Columbia River finishes second:
Columbia River’s impressive postseason run finished one win short of defending its state title.
Liberty of Issaquah beat the Chieftains 3-0 in the Class 2A state championship match Saturday at Shoreline Stadium.
Columbia River won the title in 2016 and graduated six seniors, including three who are playing college soccer now.
Still, the next wave of Chieftains responded to the challenge of defending that title. Columbia River won the 2A Greater St. Helens League, then won the district title.
The Chieftains lost two of their first five matches of the season, but then went almost two months without a loss, going 16-0-1 in their next 17 matches before Saturday’s loss.
Defense led the way for Columbia River. The Chieftains had given up one goal in the previous 11 matches.
Camas wins third-place match:
The Camas Papermakers knew they would not be repeating as Class 4A state champions after Friday night’s loss in the semifinals.
Still, they showed a heart of a champion, responding Saturday in the third-place match.
Jazzlynn Paulson and and Callie Rheaume scored in the first 10 minutes of the second half to give Camas a 2-0 lead, and the Papermakers held off Kennedy Catholic for a 2-1 victory at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
Camas completed a 17-3-2 season. The Papermakers only lost to one Washington opponent, Issaquah in the semifinals Friday. Issaquah would go on to win the state title Saturday.
