The Midlo Girls Soccer program has a history of excellence, and one player who contributed to this is 2014 graduate Kari Johnston. While Johnson has gone on to play the sport she loves professionally, her road to success started with her time at Midlo.

Johnston’s soccer career blossomed throughout her four years playing on the Midlo girls soccer team as she earned statewide recognition and became a star player. Her favorite memories from that time were of all the “pasta dinners the day before games and winning the 2014 Regional Championship,” Johnston said.

After refining her skills on the high school team, Johnston attended Virginia Tech where she was a member of the school’s Division 1 soccer program.

“My parents went to Virginia Tech, as well as my brother and sister, so it always felt like home. Their women’s soccer program is always top in the nation, so being able to play there was a dream come true,” Johnston said.

Upon graduating from Virginia Tech, Johnston was given the opportunity to take her soccer career further when asked to be a part of a professional team in Norway.

“When I was presented the opportunity to play in Norway, I was nervous but wanted to see where it would take me,” Johnston said. She signed to play for Amazon Grimstad, a renowned Norwegian football club, which marked the start of her international career.

Part of Johnston’s desire to play internationally came from her yearning to explore the European culture as well as getting a chance to travel.

“I’m excited to continue growing as a player and explore European lifestyle, which is centered around football,” Johnston said.

After two seasons of developing into a key player for Amazon Grimstad, Johnston transferred to the Swedish league MallBackens IF where she currently plays.

Johnston’s incredible soccer career is still unfolding, and with Johnston’s recruitment to MallBackens IF, she proves she is only in her prime and still has many goals left to score.