OREM — The Orem girls soccer team didn't have the luxury of easing itself into Region 7 play this year, drawing Mountain View on Tuesday for its first league game. The Tigers won the game 2-0, but got a good taste of what they'll be facing in the coming weeks as the region favorites.
Mountain View battled toe-to-toe with Orem for about two-thirds of the match, and it wasn't until the Tigers pulled a few tricks out of their hat that they secured the win.
"We did things we needed to be on top at the end," said Orem coach Ed Louder, who also noted the game was played on the first day of school classes. "When we come out the first day of school, practice is usually a joke. It was going to be difficult coming out the first day of school and having a game."
It took a couple of superb second-half strikes, and some big goalkeeper saves to get the result but, all things considered, Orem had to consider winning by two goals a positive.
"I thought our first half was a little lackluster," said Louder. "I was pleased with the way they stepped up in the second half. You've got to be ready for every team."
Kaitlyn Thomas, slowed by a leg injury, scored the go-ahead goal, and that was followed up by a wonder shot from Ashley Kamoe. In between the scores, Aly Tucker made some tough saves to preserve the shutout.
Thomas found the back of the net in the 57th minute when she squeezed the ball inside the near post from a difficult angle.
Four minutes later Mountain View was awarded a free kick from a foul on the edge of the area. Abbey Cotant stepped up to the spot but was denied by Tucker's diving save.
"I was just staring at the ball and, as soon as she kicked it, I reacted," said Tucker. "Sometimes I have to guess, but I got lucky that time and reacted."
Tucker was called on again in the 66th minute. Some sloppy defending gifted Maddie Wiscombe a free run on goal, but the keeper was off her line to take away the angle before Wiscombe could settle a decent shot.
Kamoe put the game away 10 minutes from time when she curved and bended a 25-yard shot across the face of goal and into the far corner.
"Personally I thought it was pretty evenly matched," said Mountain View coach Sara Atuaia. "They put their chances away, and we didn't put our chances away. Overall I thought it was a pretty good match."