Emporia ? Free State High scored first and last, but in between it was all Emporia.

As a result, the Firebirds’ girls soccer season ended with a 3-2 Class 6A regional first-round loss to EHS on Tuesday.

“We had our chances,” FSHS coach Jason Pendleton said. “We just didn’t convert.”

The Firebirds, whose season ended with a 5-9-2 record, took a 1-0 lead just three minutes in when Michelle Garcia scored off an assist from Meredith Mayo.

Emporia tied it with 15 minutes to go in the first half, then took a 3-1 lead with two goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Free State, seeded sixth, pulled within 3-2 with 15 minutes left when Nicole Lafond scored off a corner kick by Garcia, but third-seeded Emporia turned back several attempts by Free State to tie it.

“We put a ton of pressure on them,” Pendleton said. “We had numerous scoring opportunities. Inside the last minute, we had a goal called back when the goalkeeper caught it and fell into the goal, but we were called for a penalty when they said we pushed her in. We had our opportunities.”

In that regard, Pendleton said, the season finale was like the year in microcosm.

“It was a season of missed opportunities,” he said. “We certainly had our chances through the season, but we weren’t able to convert when we had things facing us.”