A season for the ages came to a close for the Bellevue Christian Vikings boys soccer team in the Class 1A state title game.

After 80 minutes of play in regulation and two five-minute overtime sessions, the outcome of the state championship came down to a penalty kick shootout to break a 1-1 tie. Highland outscored Bellevue Christian 5-4 in the overtime shootout, earning a 2-1 victory on May 30 at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner. Bellevue Christian head coach Dave Westburg said both teams came into the game with undefeated records and the game was evenly matched in every way.

“It was a tough loss. We played a very talented and skilled Highland team. It was a great all around game,” Westburg said.

The Vikings got on the board first when Riley Browne scored in the 43rd minute, giving Bellevue Christian a 1-0 lead. Brown scored the goal after the ball was deflected by Vikings’ senior Ricky Hatate. Highland tied the game at 1-1 off a corner kick with less than two minutes left in regulation to force overtime. Bellevue Christian connected on its first four penalty shots of the overtime shootout but missed its fifth attempt. Highland went a perfect 5-for-5 in penalty kicks, clinching the state crown.

Just a few hours after the defeat, the entire Bellevue Christian soccer team and many members of their families attended an end of the season barbecue at the home of senior forward Reed Schick, where they collectively reflected on the the fond memories of a legit 2015 season.

“We had a great year. It is the first time in the past 16 years a Bellevue Christian soccer team has made it to the state finals. That is a remarkable accomplishment. Right after the game the guys hurt pretty bad. There was some crying because they wanted to win so badly. I admire them and respect them for that,” Westburg said. “This was a special group that had such a great work ethic. Usually once a year during practice I have to go off due to a lack of focus but never once did I have to do that this year. These guys were always focused, played hard and played fair. A lot of the opposing teams we played this year complimented us on our sportsmanship. I’m very proud of the fact that we play the game well and we play the right way.”