CAMAS — Camas entered the girls soccer postseason with the sparkling defensive numbers, but with a state berth on the line it was the Union defenders who became an unbroken wall.
The Titans shut out an opponent for the third consecutive playoff match and freshman Mikayla Woods converted a first-half opportunity as Union beat Camas 1-0 on Thursday at Doc Harris Stadium. The result knocks the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League champions out of the playoffs and sends Union to the state tournament as the No. 2 seed from District 4.
Union (13-5-1) will travel to play the No. 2 seed from District 3, the winner of a Saturday match between South Kitsap and Gig Harbor.
Skyview, which beat Camas on penalty kicks on Tuesday for the district title, is the No. 1 seed and will host a state playoff match on Wednesday at Kiggins Bowl.
The Union goal came in the 20th minute of Thursday’s elimination match when Woods scored from close range. The opportunity started with Delaney Lindahl entering the 18-yard-box with space. Lindahl crossed the ball to Alex Sanders, who sent the ball back across the face of goal where it found Woods.
Union was playing its fourth match in eight days. But Titans coach Kelcey Burris rotated players throughout the match and Union had plenty of energy for an intense battle typical of the Camas-Union rivalry.
Burris, whose squad has only three seniors, said he has used a lot of players throughout the season.
“They’ve grown up,” Burris said. “We’ve had our ups and downs through the season, but our group continues to grow. Our older players have really helped build the confidence of those younger players.”
Union senior Naomi McDonald said the key to shutting down Camas was constant pressure on the ball.
“Pressure. Everyone had to keep pressuring and pressuring and not let them get past us,” McDonald said.
The best scoring chance for Camas came in the final moments. Sarah Yang had a close-range shot from an angle to the right of goal, but Union goalkeeper Morgan Spieth’s fifth save of the night quashed the Papermakers hope for a late equalizer.
“Just react. That’s all you can do at that point,” Spieth said. “The game is so fast you just have to react as best you can.”
Camas had 15 wins and one draw and no losses in the regular season, including 11 wins and one draw to capture the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League title. The Papermakers beat Union 1-0 and 2-0 in league play. They had only been scored on twice entering postseason play.
But the margins are narrow in playoff soccer, and Camas scored only once in losing to the Storm and the Titans in the district tournament.
“It’s very hard to beat a good team three times in a row,” Camas coach Roland Minder. “This would have been the fifth time in a row (over two seasons). In some ways it’s just not realistic.
“All credit to Union,” Minder said. “They came after it. They just played hard and were the better team in the first half and got their goal.”
