The dream of any athlete, at any level, is to be a champion. Problem is, only one team gets to end the season with a win.

The Viewmont Vikings may not have left the field as state champions in girls' soccer after losing to Alta 1-0, but that doesn't mean they didn't win.

The seniors, a close-knit group that played together since elementary school, had the most wins of any group in Viewmont history. Counting their freshman year, the seniors finished with a record of 52-20-5 — a .722 winning percentage.

"We're a family, we all did it together and have done it for a long time," senior Ali Forsberg said. "We are all so proud of each other."

The Vikings also won their region for the first time since 2006, and made a run to the state finals for the second year in a row. Although Viewmont lost both title matches by the heartbreaking score of 1-0, the important accomplishment, according to Forsberg, was reflecting on the strength the Vikings had to fall, get up, and get back under the lights of Rice-Eccles one more time.

"We had a lot on our shoulders this season," Forsberg said, "but there was never a doubt that we would get back. We started the season as contenders and we never let down once."

Perhaps the most impressive achievement of the Vikings senior class is still to come. Four of the starters have already committed to play in college: Forsberg has a scholarship to Utah, Camille Green is going to BYU, Krissy Page is going to Dixie, and Sara Lorscheider will head north to Utah State.

Sometimes sports come down to chance. In the final, Alta got a great kick at the right time. If the teams played each other again, coach Eric Landon noted, the match could have ended the other way. What matters is that, in the end, the Vikings left everything on the field, and could walk away without regrets.

"I don't think we gave them anything, I don't think they gave us anything," Landon said. "It was a good game. I think the girls realized, regardless of being state champions, that they accomplished something great. They'll look back on this and have fond memories of their high school careers." —

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