High school boys soccer: Murray outlasts Desert Hills in in wild goal fest in 4A semifinals

Desert Hills’ Pierce Robinson tries to stay with Murray’s Michael Martinez as they play in the 4A boys soccer semifinals at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Murray won 4-3. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News From Murray’s bright start, to Desert Hills’ incredible three-goal response, to Michael Martinez’s banger of an equalizer to freshman Parker Lawson’s late game winner, Tuesday morning’s 4A semifinal had just about every wave of emotion.

In the end, Lawson’s curling 24-yard strike proved to be the game winner as No. 1 Murray kept its perfect season intact with wild 4-3 win over No. 4 seed Desert Hills at Zions Bank Stadium.

It was just the second goal of the season for Lawson. “I had to get up there, because when I have a chance like that to win us this game, I have to. I don’t get many shots, so I just had to take it,” said Lawson, who said the fact that senior playmaker Carlos Nieto-Rosales passed him the ball in the first place gave him full confidence to uncork the shot in the first place.

“Them having trust in me to be able to take shots like those in games like this, it’s awesome,” said Lawson, whose only other goal of the season came back on March 20. On Monday though, it seemed like everyone was scoring goals in the seven-goal outburst. Four different Murray players scored goals, while Desert Hills’ Todd Simister scored a brace and Boone Heaton added his own goal.