High school soccer playoffs: Viewmont takes care of business, beats Lone Peak

DRAPER — In what seemed to be a mere pit stop along the road to an Alta-Viewmont rematch, the Vikings defeated the Lone Peak Knights 3-0 in their semifinal game at Juan Diego Tuesday.

Lone Peak put up a valiant fight but Viewmont was simply brimming with talent and the hopes of a redeeming trip to the finals, as they fell to Brighton in last year's championship game.

Tuesday's semifinal contest was seemingly well matched for the first several minutes until the Vikings got things rolling.

"We didn't know much about them besides that they were going to be good," Viewmont coach Eric Landon said. "It was a figuring out process for the first twenty minutes and then luckily, we took care of our chances."

The first goal was the result of a throw-in from the left side. Midfielder Krissy Page snagged possession of the hefty toss and masterfully put it away with her left foot on a tough angled strike.

Just eight minutes later, the Vikings struck again with textbook precision.

Sara Lorscheider sent a beautiful long ball, the goalie rushed forward, and Ali Forsberg connected at just the right moment to send Viewmont's second goal burning into the net.

Lone Peak rallied late in the first half, earning opportunities and a free kick in the final minutes. Unfortunately for the Knights, Viewmont goalkeeper Alex Cook was on her game — as if she's ever off.

Cook made the diving save to crush Lone Peak's hopes of a first-half comeback.

"Our goalkeeper came up big with some saves," Landon said. "Lone Peak was right there and our four backs came up big too."

Things got physical in the second-half, giving the coaches reason to worry about injuries. Numerous players spent time on the ground and there would have been some serious ensuing grass stains to deal with had the field not been turf.

Courtney Wallis put to rest any chance of a Lone Peak rally with the final Viewmont goal in the 65th minute. She placed it in the net from just outside the 18 as her defender went down.

Lone Peak exhibited moments of brilliance but couldn't break through Viewmont's back line to create some action offensively. The Vikings successfully shut down the top scorers for Lone Peak: Maris Hamblin and Mackenzie Evans.