Lehi Sports
Lehi boys soccer wins three in region
The Lehi boys soccer team defeated three more Region 8 opponents before falling in an overtime thriller in matches on either side of the spring break.
The Pioneers gutted out a win against the Beetdiggers with a spark from senior defender Garrett Weber, who provided the assists for all three Lehi goals in the match.
The teams were knotted at 1-1 going into the break but the Pioneers managed to get one more goal than Jordan in the second half to claim the victory.
Senior Alfred Vargas, senior Nate Shepherd and junior midfielder Brayden Ikeme each scored a goal. Junior goalkeeper Kaleb Cowley tallied 12 saves in the contest.
“We are still banged up,” said Coach Tim Graham. “We’ll train as best we can as we nurse our boys back to health.”
Mar. 31: Lehi 2, Mountain View 1
Shepherd broke a halftime tie with his second goal to beat the Bruins. Weber and Ikeme made the gives for the Pioneers and Cowley tallied six saves in the effort.
“We possessed very well,” Graham said. “I think we kept the ball 75 percent of the match. We created a lot of chances but just couldn’t put them in the back of the net.
“I am super proud of the boys,” he continued. “We have had so many injuries and setbacks this season, but they have done a great job handling the adversity. Getting rest over spring break will be fantastic for us.”
April 11: Lehi 8, Timpview 0
It seems that the extra rest did the Pioneers some good as they scored five goals in the first half and three more after the break to overwhelm the Thunderbirds on the road. Cowley had three saves but shared the shutout with junior Jayce Trejo, who minded the net for one period and had two saves.
Senior forward Corbin Torkornoo and junior Yo Aitken each tallied a goal and an assist while freshman midfielder Marco Miranda made two gives in the match.
The other scores came from Shepherd, Vargas, sophomore midfielder Gavin Fenn, senior Nate Elwell, freshman Jesse Baker and senior Cole Marriott. Weber, Ikeme and senior Steve Roper had the rest of the assists.
“For the first time all year, we started the same 11 two games in a row,” the coach said. “Spring break was great for us. It helpedus get some needed rest. We trained well the last three practices,and the boys were very good tonight in the final third.”
April 14: Alta 2, Lehi 1 (OT)
The Pioneers took the lead in the 23rd minute as Weber served the ball to Ikeme for the score. That advantage held up to the end of the period.
“We came out really on fire after the break and missed five great chances in the first 30 minutes of the second half,” Graham said. “We then gave up an unfortunate equalizer in the 71st minuteand the match went overtime.
“We had three chances in OT and couldn’t find the target,” the coach said. “With three minutes left in overtime, Alta scored on a great counterattack to win the game with a golden goal.
“Our boys played well and had Alta on their back foot for most of the match,” Graham added. “We just couldn’t finish our opportunities in front of the goal, but we saw some great things in the match. We’re still 7-3 on the season and sitting at No. 3 in the RPI.
“That was a tough loss, but a loss to a good team isn’t as hard to swallow,” the coach concluded. Cowley tallied six saves for the evening.
