The Free State High boys soccer squad used the luck of the bounce and solid defense to rebound from its first loss of the season with a 3-0 victory Saturday against Kansas City Wyandotte at Free State.

“I thought we were focused and had good energy,” Firebirds coach Jason Pendleton said. “I thought we could have done better with our execution, but it was good from an effort standpoint and with our defensive intensity.”

The Firebirds kept the ball on the Bulldogs’ half of the field for the majority of the game, capitalizing twice in the first half by punching in shots that deflected off a post.

At the 21:52 mark, freshman Greg Glatz booted a shot that ricocheted off the left post but was punched in by junior Aaron Ideus.

With six minutes remaining before halftime, junior Spencer Flannigan slipped a rainbow shot from the right side past the Wyandotte keeper, but it deflected out off the inner portion of the left post. This time, it was senior Dustin Nye on cleanup duty, putting the Firebirds up 2-0 at the half.

“We just wanted to come out and prove something to ourselves,” Nye said. “A lot of this was effort and mentally being there.”

Anchored by senior Sam Buhler, the Firebird defense made the Bulldogs’ offensive spurts short-lived all morning. Wyandotte did not register a single shot on goal; Free State had ten.

“We put a lot of pressure on them, and that was by design,” Pendleton said. “We were trying to get as many people in to attack as we could, so we had the numbers advantage for most of the game. That’s what we’re going to be trying to do.”

Free State High soccer player Aaron Ideus (6) weaves through the Kansas City Wyandotte defense. The Firebirds won, 3-0, Saturday at Free State.

The third tally for Free State came on an own goal by Wyandotte in the second half.

The victory against Wyandotte was sweet after the Firebirds suffered a 2-0 loss Thursday at Shawnee Heights. Saturday’s win puts the Firebirds at 8-1-1 on the season, with the meat of their league schedule on the horizon.

“Our upcoming stretch is very tough with our six games left,” Pendleton said. “We’ve got to become a little sharper in terms of our technical skills. We’ve got to do a better job with finishing, because against the best teams, we’re not going to get as many opportunities as we had today.”