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Orem senior Clate Bergeson (16) battles Lehi senior Stephen Roper for the ball during the Region 8 game in Orem on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lehi junior Ammon Cannon (18) battles Orem freshman Benjamin Bradley (3) for the ball during the Region 8 game at Orem on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Orem senior Ivan Arechiga heads the ball during the Region 8 game against Lehi in Orem on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lehi sophomore Gavin Fenn attempts to redirect a cross toward the goal during the Region 8 game at Orem on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lehi junior Ammon Cannon (18) and senior Mac Worthington (20) battle Orem junior Angel Solorzano during the Region 8 game at Orem on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Orem senior Clate Bergeson (16) takes a corner kick during the Region 8 game against Lehi in Orem on Friday, April 21, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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The Orem boys soccer team had a 3-1 lead at halftime of its season-opening match against Salem Hills on March 9, only to surrender two second-half goals and then lose, 5-4, in the penalty kick shootout.

Ever since then, however, the Tigers have been determined to not let it happen again.

“That helped us realize that anyone can play with us but it just depends on if we want it,” Orem senior Drew Thomson said. “We’re good enough to beat teams, but we actually have to want it. That’s what we kind of figured out.”

The Tigers have won 10 straight games and have outscored their opponents 36-6.

The latest team to take on the Orem freight train was Lehi on Friday afternoon in Orem and although the Pioneers gave it their best, the Tigers held on for the 1-0 win.

“This was proof that anyone can come in and play,” Orem head coach Luis Herrera said. “It doesn’t matter if you are No. 1 or a Top 10 team. Anyone can take the game to you and you can’t get overconfident.”

Thomson said he felt like the Tigers generally played well but simply struggled to finish for much of the game.

“We moved the ball pretty well,” Thomson said. “We struggled a little bit early, just kind of getting it out through the midfield. But we came out with the W.”

After an initial surge by Orem, Lehi fought back and put the home team on its heels for long stretches of the first half.

“We told the boys to play simple, disciplined soccer,” Herrera said. “Our goalkeeper, Anderson Laparra, had some beautiful saves to keep us in it. Lehi really took it to us and that’s how soccer goes.”

Pioneer head coach Tim Graham said his team is banged up right now and that made him even prouder of how his athletes performed.

“We fought like crazy,” Graham said. “We’ve had two games where we’ve had the same starting lineup in this entire year. We’ve had two big season-ending injuries and eight concussions. We had some of the guys that came in that have never played. They did everything we asked them to do defensively. We just didn’t put the ball in.”

Neither team was able to take advantage of opportunities until the 68th minute.

The Tigers got the ball deep in Lehi territory and sent a hard cross across the face of the goal. Pioneer junior keeper Jayce Trejo blocked it and knocked it down, but Thomson was able to win the race to the loose ball and put it in.

“It was hit pretty hard so I thought he might make a mistake,” Thomson said. “I just had to follow through with it. It was great to finally put one away. That’s a great feeling.”

Lehi tried to rally and created a couple of chances in the final minutes, but the Orem defense stayed strong and closed out the win.

“We are battle-tested,” Graham said. “Having so many injuries, I think it will make us tougher. My only concern is that the guys won’t see the step forward they made today. We stepped up and I think that shows their character. I’m super-proud of them.”

Herrera said he likes how his team is playing but wants to see them continue to improve their cohesion.

“The next step is building off each other, playing for each other and trusting each other more,” Herrera said. “We know that we can control the game, so I tell the boys to control what they can control. It may not go all the way all the time, but we can control the standard that we have for our program.”

Thomson said he feels like the key is for the Tigers to focus on playing their own style.

“We’ve got the players to go far in the state tournament,” Thomson said. “We just need to play our game basically. A lot of us have played together for years. We’ve just been doing it for as long as I can remember. If we just play our game, I think I think we’ll do great.”

Orem (10-1, 8-0) will face a tough test when it plays at Alta on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. while Lehi (7-5, 5-4) will look to bounce back when it heads to Jordan on April 28 for a 7 p.m. game.