Camas girls soccer team sets the pace

Three goals in the first 20 minutes of the game propelled the Camas girls soccer team to a 4-0 victory against Skyview Thursday, at Doc Harris Stadium.

Senior midfielder Rylee MacDonald fired a rocket into the back of the net from about 30 yards away in the seventh minute.

“Every time I practice that shot, it’s always over. So, just excitement when it went in,” MacDonald said. “It built our team energy, too.”

MacDonald struck twice in the 13th minute. Anyssa DeVera connected on a corner kick with her head. The ball bounced off a defender in MacDonald’s direction. She didn’t hesitate to put the ball right back in the net.

“It’s coming to me. It was just a quick shot in,” MacDonald said. “I love Anyssa’s headers. She has such a quick, hard head.”

Sarah Davidson threaded in a long pass from the back by DeVera to put the Papermakers up 3-0 midway through the first half. Camas scored one more goal five minutes into the second half when DeVera headed in a corner kick by Belzer.

DeVera, Mason Minder, Hannah Taie and Perri Belzer were impenetrable on the defensive end. Goalkeeper Julia Coombs didn’t even have to make a save.

“That was the best I’ve seen us play,” Minder said. “Once we got the first goal in, we said we gotta keep this up. Even after the second, third and fourth goals, we didn’t let down. It’s all about keeping up our communication, organization and playing as hard as we possibly can.”

The Camas girls also had that district championship loss to Skyview on their minds.

“This game was so different,” DeVera said. “Everyone came out with a burning in their heart to win.”

DeVera returned to action for the Papermakers on her 17th birthday Sept. 22. She scored two goals, on assists by MacDonald, to help Camas beat Mountain View 5-0. Amanda Shi, Sabine Postma and Maddie Kemp knocked in the other three goals. Postma, Davidson and Alyssa Tomasini added the assists. Coombs made two saves.

“It’s my senior year and my last chance to play with everyone,” DeVera said. “I couldn’t pass up an opportunity like that.”

DeVera committed to playing soccer for Grand Canyon University, in Phoenix. Her coaches requested she sit out her senior year of high school to prevent getting injured.

But DeVera loves her Camas team too much. After watching them play from the stands for the first time this season, she had to get back out on the field. She completed the required 10 practices in time for the Sept. 22 match.

“I watched them play on a Tuesday, and I woke up on Wednesday saying I have to play,” DeVera said.

DeVera said her coaches and teammates welcomed her back with open arms. She feels blessed to be able to play soccer with her best friends in high school.

“I missed it so much,” she said. “It never ends. The sisterhood. The fun. Everything.”