in 2-1 regional soccer loss

? Jason Pendleton saw it, but couldn’t believe it.

Free State High’s boys soccer coach was ready to move senior Bryan Spangler from sweeper to forward in an effort to make a late run against Manhattan when the referee called the Firebirds for a foul in the penalty box.

With the Indians leading by a goal, it seemed a ticky-tack foul to call with less than 20 minutes remaining in Thursday’s Class 6A regional final. Indians forward Andrew Gerth flopped after a little contact from FSHS defenders Paul Becker and Alan Martinez, resulting in a Manhattan free kick.

Pendleton went ballistic.

He admonished the ref, received a red card and was dismissed after about 90 seconds of arguing. Manhattan converted the kick, and that was it. The Indians (13-3) held on for a 2-0 win Thursday night at Kansas State’s Memorial Stadium.

“We’re still in the game until the PK,” Pendleton said. “He calls a huge penalty on a play that was  but we knew we were going to get homered. But knowing your house is going to get robbed doesn’t make it any better.”

FSHS (9-7-2) was denied a return trip to the 6A state quarterfinals, but it wasn’t solely because of the call.

The Firebirds consistently were beaten to balls and the Indians were in control throughout the game. The score could’ve been higher if not for the play of the FSHS defense and goalkeeper Justin Howell.

Howell was marvelous, stopping five point-blank shots, blocking several more that skidded along the artificial turf and forcing Manhattan forwards to shoot when they weren’t ready because of his aggressiveness off the line.

FSHS fullbacks Ben Marshall and Paul Becker clamped down on Gerth throughout the game, though the Manhattan forward may have been the most talented  certainly the biggest  player on the field.

Still, the defense couldn’t spark Free State’s offense, which looked lost most of the night against a solid Manhattan back four. Indian goalie Daniel Townsend was tested twice, once in each half.

“We’re a counter-attack team,” Pendleton said. “They did such a good job possessing the ball that it really took away from what we were trying to do.”

FSHS seemed to have trouble adjusting to the artificial turf at the old KSU football field. A surface similar to the field at Kansas University’s Memorial Stadium, the Firebirds seemed uncomfortable passing on the slightly slicker surface.

“Right at the start it took a couple of funny hops,” Spangler said. “But it didn’t really affect the offense later in the game.”

The first half was even until Manhattan started banging away at Howell with about 15 minutes left. Near the end of the half, the Indians made a late run down the left sideline, then Jose Villareal lofted a cross over Howell’s head that drifted into the goal, landing in the back of the net 15 seconds before halftime. Howell said he thought the ball was kicked after it was dribbled out of bounds, but the ref made no call.

It was an odd goal, to say the least.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Spangler said.

Added Pendleton, “It just seemed out of character for the play. I think it just surprised them.”

When Pendleton walked back to talk to his team after the game, the rage had turned to regret, but not for the way his team played.

Instead, after losing one starter this season to a knee injury, and two more because of other problems, he had nothing but praise for his team.

“I’m real proud of what we accomplished this year,” he said. “The kids played hard and we continued to establish the tradition we’ve started the last three years.”