The TNT’s All-Area girls soccer player of the year paced the Vikings to an undefeated season

Present Callie Lowney with even a little free time and she’s off looking for another challenge to conquer.

It’s been that way ever since Lowney can remember. She always competes.

That drive pushes the Puyallup High School junior to become the best midfielder she can be on the soccer pitch. And that competitiveness has resulted in Lowney becoming the News Tribune’s spring 2021 All-Area player of the year.

“I was just super surprised,” Lowney said. “But it also was super exciting news. With this whole crazy year, I actually forgot (that All-Area awards are given). Just with everything going on, I didn’t think about it.”

Lowney and her Vikings teammates had their minds focused on winning soccer games once they finally were cleared to play a COVID-19 pandemic-delayed and shortened season early this spring. Back in the fall of 2019, Puyallup won the Class 4A state title.

The Vikings won’t get the chance to defend that championship until this coming fall. The pandemic erased all playoffs beyond league competitions for this school year.

Puyallup’s girls just went out and went undefeated during Season 1, and added a 4A South Puget Sound League title to the trophy case.

“It was a weird year. That’s the best way I can explain it,” Puyallup coach Matt White said. “But one, it says our kids were focused. And especially for someone like Callie, who gets to rise up.”

Lowney, who scored a team-high nine goals as the attacking midfielder, was in the middle of it all.

“She’s just a rare bird,” White said of his junior captain. “She was my first-ever girl to be a captain as a sophomore. She’s unique, just as far as the kids see her. She just competes every day.”

Lowney came by her competitive nature early on, heightened by having older brother Colin always there to compete against, as well as two other older male cousins.

“They were always bigger than me,” Lowney said. “So I’ve always been competing with them. Still, my brother always beats me in tennis. It’s one of the most annoying things in my life.”

Getting beat by brother Colin on the tennis court is about the only time Lowney loses there, as well.

Lowney didn’t pick up competitive tennis until she entered Puyallup as a freshman. In the years leading up to high school, Lowney was too busy with soccer, club softball and even basketball.

“In the ninth grade, I decided soccer was my sport,” Lowney said. “Basketball was never my favorite. Even with softball, I’ve always said that everything you do is like a penalty kick.”

One batter comes to the plate, one pitcher throwing the ball. One ball gets hit, one player tries to make an out.

“With soccer, I’ve been playing since I was 3 years old,” Lowney continued. “It’s so much more of a team sport. Everybody has to be on the same page all the time.”

Once Lowney determined to focus on her soccer aspirations, it freed up some time. So, she and best friend Ally Beavers grabbed tennis rackets and turned out for the Puyallup team.

A few weeks ago, after a solid freshman season two springs ago and missing last year due to the pandemic, Lowney and Beavers won the 4A SPSL doubles title.

It was just another competitive success for the girl who has experienced a lot of them.

“She is intense, but positive,” White said. “I think of someone like Michael Jordan. Jordan made dudes cry. Callie is not like that. As demanding, clearly, as she is of herself, she sets the bar for everyone else. She sets the standard.”

For her part, Lowney knows that leading by example is her role.

“I do work hard,” Lowney said. “And I think people do look up to me. I want to push everyone to do well.”

None more so than Beavers, who in addition to being Lowney’s tennis doubles partner, plays next to her as the defending midfielder for the Vikings soccer team.

“They push each other to compete,” White said of his midfielders. “They even try to beat each other in the game. That pushes each other into the next stratosphere.”

“Yeah, but it’s all friendly competition,” Lowney said. “One of us will tell the other, ‘I scored that goal.’ Sure, ‘But I got the assist.’ ”

The friendly competition lifted Puyallup to an undefeated season, and more. The Vikings actually gave up only a single goal, going 10-0-1 overall and outscoring opponents 31-1.

“I heard the UW men’s basketball coach say this — your team resembles your best player,” White said. “If that’s the case, that’s awesome for us. For all the girls here, they see (in Lowney) this is what we’re supposed to be.”

This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.