Another 90-minute battle between the Skyview and Camas boys soccer teams settled nothing.
But Saturday’s third clash of the season between the Storm and the Papermakers demanded a winner — with district championship medals and a berth to the Class 4A state tournament as the prize.
Skyview walked out of McKenzie Stadium the big winner, outscoring Camas 4-3 in the penalty-kick tiebreaker after each team scored two goals over 80 minutes of regulation time and 10 minutes of overtime.
The result means the Storm are guaranteed a spot in the 16-team state tournament, while Camas must win a pair of loser-out games to get there.
The first of those must-win games for the papermakers will be played at 5 p.m. Thursday at Doc Harris Stadium in Camas. Skyview will play Puyallup at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Doc Harris Stadium in a match that will help determine state tournament seeding.
Both sides felt Saturday’s match was a great springboard forward.
“Playing Camas is to me more fun than playing in the (2012) state championship sophomore year,” Skyview goalkeeper Evan Laws said. “I feel like it’s a better matchup, and it’s great to play with boys that we know, and who love the game as much as us.”
Laws made eight saves in the game and one in the shottout, but he was also thanking the left goalpost for helping the Storm get to overtime.
In the dying seconds of regulation, Camas’ Matt Palodichuck drove a strong header off the post. Cameron Eyman got to the rebound, but Laws recovered to gobble up that chance.
“I was a little freaked out,” Laws said. “Whenever a ball hits the post I thank my uprights that it didn’t go in and that I was able to recover.”
Palodichuk said he was unlucky not to hit the inside of the post for the game-winner.
“In practice, you aim for just inside the post. It’s just ironic that when it comes down to it you hit the post” in the final seconds, Palodichuk said.
Brandon Zilles scored in the 11th minute for Skyview, but Camas led 2-1 by halftime on goals from Bennett Lehner and Cayne Cardwell as Camas had the better possession over the last half hour of the first half.
Skyview had more of the ball in the second half, and eventually tying the score with 16 minutes left in the second half on one of the Storm’s seven second-half free kicks.
Skyview’s Austin Horner rolled the ball to Gavenn Saftich, who was alone along the right sideline. Saftich then sent a floating ball that found the upper left corner of the goal.
A few minutes later, Camas goalkeeper Sharif Batroukh was forced to make two quick reaction saves on shots from inside the 18-yard box.
As was the case in a 0-0 draw to open league play and a 2-2 tie in the second match between Skyview and Camas, neither team could convert a late chance. That left the outcome up to the game of chance that is penalty kicks. When Camas’ fifth shooter sent his shot just wide, Skyview had a district championship.
