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Lehi senior midfielder Ally Dahl kicks the ball away during the 5A championship game against Skyline at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Lehi senior Ally Dahl kicks the ball during the 5A semifinal game against Bonneville at Juan Diego in Draper on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. (Patrick Carr, Special to the Daily Herald)

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Lehi senior Ally Dahl celebrates after scoring a goal during the Region 8 game against Timpanogos in Lehi on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Lehi junior Ally Dahl kicks the ball during the 3-1 Pioneer win over Mountain Ridge in Lehi in the first round of the 4A playoffs on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lehi senior Ally Dahl takes a free kick that resulted in a goal during the 5A quarterfinal game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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Lehi players celebrate after senior Ally Dahl scored a goal during the 5A quarterfinal game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021. (Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald)

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One of the most memorable moments of the regular season for the Lehi girls soccer team came on Sept. 23, when the Pioneers hosted undefeated Timpanogos.

The Timberwolves had handed Lehi its only loss of the season earlier in the year and so Lehi was determined to get revenge.

That was particularly true for Pioneer senior midfielder Ally Dahl.

“After the first Timpanogos game, we were all really defeated because we were doing so well,” Dahl said. “We really wanted to win.”

But Dahl had sprained her ankle and Lehi head coach Tim Graham wanted to be cautious with how much she was on the field.

“I had to play because it was Senior Night,” Dahl said. “Graham told me I would start and he would see how I did, then pulled me out five minutes into the game. I was really frustrated.”

She said her younger sister, sophomore Erin Dahl, came over when the team was down 2-1 and said the team needed the senior back in the game.

“I told Tim that I knew my limits, that I wouldn’t be telling him I could go back in if I couldn’t,” Ally Dahl said.

That was a moment Graham said he will always remember when he thinks of Ally Dahl.

“She said, ‘Put me in and I’ll make a difference. You can’t take me out of this game,'” Graham said. “When a player does that at that level, you leave it alone.”

The Pioneer senior went on the field for the final few minutes of the first half, intercepted a Timberwolf pass and fired a bullet into the net from the top of the box to tie the game.

Lehi would go on to win the game, 3-2, in overtime and Graham had another example of just how tough and determined Ally Dahl is when it comes to winning.

“She had more will to win this year than I’ve ever seen since she’s been here,” Graham said. “It was to the point where, if she had to, she was going to singlehandedly help us win whatever we could. She has never been one of those players who puts the whole team on her back but she never let the moment be too big for her. She was ready to step up and do what she needed to do.”

Ally Dahl’s leadership, toughness and drive provided a foundation for the Pioneers to reach the 5A state championship, and also earned her the title of being the 2021 Daily Herald Girls Soccer Player of the Year for Utah Valley.

“I was really excited to get the award, especially because it was my senior year,” Ally Dahl said. “I wanted to go all out.”

Graham said that while her on-field performance was always impressive, her biggest impact was often not as visible.

“She’s a leader that not just commands respect but earns it,” Graham said. “She does it in every way, with little things. She would be the car pool for the freshmen kids who didn’t have a ride. She always goes out of her way to make sure someone who is not feeling included is included. Those are not soccer things, but they just go so far as you step onto the field.”

Not surprisingly, the Lehi senior was quick to spread credit for the teams success to others when asked about the season.

“When the seniors all sat down together, we were like, ‘hey, we know that we’ve said this for the three years that we’ve been here but this year we really need to do it,'” Ally Dahl said. “I think like the biggest thing for us was just that we were so positive and close to this year. We were just all together and I think that’s one thing that the seniors did really well this year. It was not just me. We really tried to leave lead with positivity.”

That mentality was important as the Pioneers were only seeded sixth in the Class 5A rankings, meaning they were the underdogs and had to be ready for some tough challenges.

Eventually, however, Ally Dahl and the rest of the Lehi squad emerged with wins over Woods Cross, Cedar Valley and Bonneville before falling to Skyline, 3-2, in the finals.

Dahl said that even though that was over a month ago, the loss still stings.

“I still get really sad thinking about it,” Ally Dahl said. “That was also probably the last time I’ll ever play with my sister. Emotions were just running so high. This time we actually knew that no matter, the season was going to be over. It was just really hard because we worked so hard to get there and then didn’t get the final outcome.”

While her high school soccer career has come to an end, Ally Dahl is preparing to graduate early and move on to the college ranks. She will go to St. George and play for Dixie State (which will officially change its name to Utah Tech next summer).

Graham said the Trailblazers are getting a player who has a deep understanding of the game.

“I think her biggest strength is her soccer IQ,” Graham said. “She knows where she’s supposed to be and what she’s supposed to do. And she helps others know that as well. Her her work ethic is unmatched. She’s always not just physically working but always focusing on learning the game. She watches a ton of film so she can scout the opponent.”

Both player and coach agreed that she can improve on getting to balls in the air, while Ally Dahl added that she wants to improve her one-on-one defending as well.

When she’s not player soccer, Ally Dahl said she is already a certified nursing assistant and she plans to go to nursing school.

But she said she is always going to remember the special moments as part of the Pioneer soccer program.

“One of my favorites was walking out of the locker room when we left for the state championship game,” Ally Dahl said. “Having everybody there and our families as we were walking us out, I thought that moment was really special. And then going to Rio Tinto and taking our first step across the line as a team knowing that it was going to be our last game, that was great too.”

Looking back now, Ally Dahl said she learned the value of both pushing yourself and enjoying the moment. She advises new high school soccer players to embrace that combination.

“You really need to soak it in but also you have to work your hardest for it,” Ally Dahl said. “High school soccer is meant to be fun and social, but if you want to have a good experience you honestly have to work. If someone is playing more than you or better than you, you just have to work harder. It’s going to be hard but you have to enjoy the hard times.”