WHITE SALMON — Columbia High School’s girls soccer team last week earned a 2-2 tie at Fort Vancouver and a 2-1 win at La Center to remain unbeaten early this WIAA Class 1A season.
Coach Parker Walker’s Bruins (3-0-1) pulled out the Sept. 15 win at La Center in the closing minutes. The Wildcats had tied the match with 10 minutes remaining before Columbia’s Willow Cohen scored the game-winner with about six minutes left.
Just as she did on the opening goal for the Bruins, midfielder Gigi Clark set up the second Bruin goal by sending a through ball from about 40 yards out down the right center toward the goal. The swift Cohen, who had been operating on the left side, angled toward the ball, beat her defender and controlled the ball with a head of steam. The La Center keeper had no chance to stop her right-footed shot to the lower right side.
Columbia’s first goal, 10 minutes into the second half, came after Neva Madsen tapped away the ball from a La Center midfielder in the Bruin half of the field. La Center regained possession briefly before Clark stole the ball on the other side of midfield. Clark sent a pass which Cohen ran onto about 20 yards from goal, took one dribble and slid a left-footed shot low and to the right of the diving goalkeeper.
La Center (2-3-0) tied the match on a hustle play. Bruin goalkeeper Kiki Barkhimer squared up on a hard La Center shot from about 15 yards out. Barkhimer stopped the blast, but as she was trying to control the rebound the ball got over her shoulder and to her right. She deftly fell backward and to the side to keep the ball out of the net, but an unmarked La Center’s player had followed up on her teammate’s shot and kicked the ball out from under Barkhimer’s outstretched hand.
Barkhimer made two stellar saves after the Bruins had retaken the lead. The first came when she challenged a La Center header attempt, colliding with the Wildcat forward. A few minutes later Barkhimer dove to her right to stop a low shot from seven yards away.
Commented