It is an established truism that scoring goals is the most difficult thing to do in soccer.
It is also well established that Union and Camas are rivals. In girls soccer that usually means two hungry, disciplined teams fighting to find an advantage. That was the case again Thursday as the Titans and Papermakers battled through 90 scoreless minutes at McKenzie Stadium.
And, they demonstrated that soccer matches don’t need goals to be entertaining.
“This is the most fun game. These are the games I look forwards to the entire season,” Union central defender Alyssa Mehan said, summing up the spirit of the match.
Fun is what brought Camas senior Anyssa De Vera back to high school soccer. Committed to play college soccer at Grand Canyon, De Vera initially planned to sit out her senior season of high school soccer.
“I wanted to play it safe and not get hurt. Then I came out to watch one of the girls games and realized how much I missed it,” De Vera said. “It’s my last time playing with some of my best friends and I’ll never get that again.
“The sisterhood of everything, playing for my school, playing for this team, I didn’t want to miss out on it.”
De Vera was paired with Mason Minder in the middle of the Camas defense on Thursday. It’s not her natural position, but she helped limit Union’s scoring chances to shots from distance.
Camas had more possession in the first half, but it’s only scoring threat before halftime came from a free kick.
In the second half, Camas looked to shoot more often and Union focused on winning more possession. There were rare flurries of action in front of each goal, but most of the battles happened in midfield, meaning playmakers had limited time and space to make plays.
By the end of the night, Union goalkeeper Mo Spieth had four saves. Camas keeper Julia Coombs made two saves.
The Papermakers reach the midpoint of the Class 4A Greater St. Helens league season atop the standings with five wins and this draw. Union is 4-1-1 in league play.
“I think it hits us mentally that (Union) is our biggest rival in everything,” De Vera said, explaining the tenacity — and joy — experienced any time the Papermakers and Titans get together.
