This was always a dream of ours to end on a high note. Our freshman, sophomore and junior year we didn’t win state or region, so it was always our dream to go get it. It’s just amazing to go out like this — it was just the best way to end it all. – Christian Bain
SANDY — After helping power his team to a memorable season filled with several accomplished milestones and aspirations, Alta senior Christian Bain has added yet another accolade to his already illustrious résumé.
Not only did the BYU commit's resolute and unswerving leadership lead the Hawks to a region and 5A state title for the first time in his high-school career, but his star-studded play throughout the season set him apart from the pack and earned him the coveted 2014-15 Deseret News Mr. Soccer award.
“This was always a dream of ours to end on a high note. Our freshman, sophomore and junior year we didn’t win state or region, so it was always our dream to go get it. It’s just amazing to go out like this — it was just the best way to end it all,” Bain said.
However, success didn't come easy or fast for the star midfielder.
After watching his sister collect three state soccer titles in her four years at Alta and coming up short of a state title in each of his first three years, Bain knew time was running out so he set the bar even higher heading into his senior season.
“Before I even started high school at all, she had already won three state titles, so that was a lot of pressure and trying to live up to that going into it,” Bain said. “After my first three years, she’d always joke on me and bring it up, so to finally be able to accomplish that and join her is just great. I feel like it strengthened our relationship and she doesn’t joke on me anymore — we can do the same things and it’s just awesome to be able to say that now.”
Although perfectly capable of taking over the game at any time with his prolific scoring abilities, Bain's electric chemistry with Hawk star forwards Bryson Colemere and Daniel Tree is what made Alta so successful.
Bain always seemed to know what the duo was doing as the majority of his assists were to the two and the trio combined to score 36 of the team's 58 goals. They continuously stepped up in big moments to help the Hawks soar to new heights.
“I’ve played with Bryson for a long time on my club teams and I’ve played with Daniel all through high school, so knowing them and their tendencies has been a big part of our chemistry,” said Bain. “Just being able to play with them for so long makes it so you can almost read their minds and their game and it just makes it that much more fun.”
Using his disappointing first three years to fuel his fire, the versatile senior captain went on to spark the Hawks to a dominant 19-1-1 season, tallying eight goals and a team-high 13 assists. The Hawks capped a perfect finish in the postseason with a state championship and an overall national ranking of No. 22 before Bain heads off for a college career at BYU.
“In the preseason, the seniors and captains got together and we wanted a different season. Obviously we didn’t have as much success as we would have liked in our first three seasons, so we wanted something to be different,” said Bain. “We didn’t know what we needed to change, but we knew we needed to change something. We focused on team unity, everyone bought in and it just made our season that much better and more successful.”
Ryan Love is a full-time student and has been a part-time sportswriter for the Deseret News since Oct. 2012.
Follow him on Twitter @RLove7724
EMAIL: rlove@deseretnews.com