It’s a bonus if any of the city high school girls soccer coaches know anything about the team they’ll be facing today.

Honestly, the city coaches know little about their own teams.

“There’s obviously some curiosity about what type of team we’re really going to be,” Free State High coach Jason Pendleton said. “We’re wondering if we’re prepared or not.”

This spring’s first city showdown is at 4 p.m. today, when Lawrence High and Free State do battle at Free State’s soccer field.

The Firebirds (0-1) and the Lions (0-2) are young, inexperienced teams filled with underclassmen. This is the time for Pendleton and LHS co-coaches Matt Makens and David Platt to get a feel for the teams they’re going to battle with.

Free State has played just one game — a 4-0 loss to Shawnee Heights last week. Saturday’s scheduled game with Manhattan was postponed due to conflicts with SAT testing, giving the Firebirds a few extra days to prepare for today’s game.

“We kind of look at that as a positive,” Pendleton said. “Friday, we were able to work really hard instead of taking it easy before a game. Saturday we had a good day of practice, too.”

LHS, meanwhile, dropped a 1-0 decision to Topeka Seaman March 18 and lost 9-1 to Shawnee Mission West on Saturday. Sophomore Megan Johnson scored Lawrence’s lone goal late in the second half.

“We definitely have got to come out from the very beginning ready to play,” Makens said of today’s match. “And we have to keep that intensity the whole game.”