Lehi senior defender Tyson Haunga loves soccer, a sport he has been devoted to for much of the last 14 years.

To get a better idea of what made him such a vital part of the Pioneer team this year, however, ask him about what he likes to do besides soccer.

“I would say serving others,” Haunga said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “I like to help others a lot. For me, when I see someone who needs help, I have to help them because I wouldn’t want to be in their position. I like to help other people.”

That mentality has been the hallmark of what Haunga gave to Lehi throughout his career and most specifically during the Pioneer run to the 5A boys soccer state title game in 2022.

“He just loved the program and he loved his teammates,” Lehi head coach Tim Graham said. “It was awesome to watch him. He always was picking them up when they were down. He’d fight for him if he needed to. He would do anything for those guys.”

Haunga’s love, leadership, desire lift those around him and presence on the field earned him the distinction of being named the 2022 Daily Herald Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

“Being recognized shows where I’ve been and where I’ve come to,” Haunga said. “I’m proud that I’ve been awarded this and that I’ve been recognized while I’ve been playing. It’s great that all the hard work, or any of the hard work that I’ve put into playing this last season was recognized.”

Graham saw Haunga come in as a freshman when things weren’t great for the Lehi soccer program and give everything he had to elevate it during his career.

“We talk about getting him as a freshman and watching him grow, but he always understood the game,” Graham said. “His soccer IQ is through the roof. I remember that I don’t think he was 100 pounds soaking wet but he fought like crazy. From where he was then to where he is now is just incredible.”

That journey is something Haunga values now as high school soccer has come to an end.

“All I remember my first year is all the players talking about how terrible we’d been in the past two years,” Haunga said. “It’s been crazy to see where we started, how they won only like a handful of games before my freshman year. Then that season we won just as many games as we had like the past three years. Then each year since then, we’ve progressively got better and better until this year we made it to the finals.”

He said that now he feels like now there is a sense of just how good Pioneer soccer can be.

“All the players before me that I’ve looked up to, I feel like getting to the state finals showed all of them that we could have done it,” Haunga said. “All the kids that are coming to Lehi next year and the years after, Lehi isn’t a bad program. It showed we can take something not good and make it good. I’m just really proud that me and my team this year could make the final.”

Huanga played a key role in making that happen for the Pioneers, according to Graham. His defensive ability, which is often overlooked, allowed the rest of the team to push forward and be more aggressive.

“He just kept it so cool in the back,” Graham said. “He would fire the team up when they needed it but he wasn’t an emotional leader vocally. But they turned to him for for everything. He was just consistent. Without him, it’s going to be tough to fill those shoes. He was just always there. If anyone made a mistake, Tyson would clean it up. There was never a doubt.”

Haunga felt like his biggest strength as a soccer player is staying focused and he tried to ensure the rest of the team stayed locked in as well.

“During preseason and getting ready to play, me and another senior Christian Jones, we were the only ones there since our freshman year,” Haunga said. “We knew a lot of the kids and I just think from the beginning, it was just about setting an example of what the people in the past have set for me. I think that’s important because if we don’t set the example for them, then it won’t carry on throughout the program.”

Although it wasn’t easy, Haunga decided that the conclusion of high school soccer would be the end of his career in the sport. He plans to go to college and move on with his life.

But his advice to the next generation of soccer players is to enjoy the moments.

“I received that advice as a freshman and throughout my career a million times, but I never took it to heart until I was a senior,” Haunga said. “But it really is important to never take anything for granted.”

Courtesy photo

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