Come October, the teams typically associated with the word “cursed” are the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.

But after suffering its 10th defeat of the season Thursday night in a 2-1 loss to Shawnee Mission North, that’s about the only explanation left for the Lawrence High boys soccer team.

“It’s hard to go through a season and not see rewards in the win column,” Lions coach David Platt said. “To me, I’m rewarded because they don’t quit. I feel so hard, in my heart, that I wish we could get a win so they can see the fruits of their labor.”

The game was played under the lights on a soggy, slippery pitch at the Youth Sports Inc. fields, and sloppy play matched the conditions.

Lawrence (1-10) scored the game’s first goal when junior Spencer Sorensen popped in a shot at the 27:35 mark.

The Indians got on the board with 11:38 remaining before halftime when Phillip Perez slipped past LHS defender Greg Payne for an open look at the net. Then, with just more than a minute left in the first half, North’s Jeremy Luangphithak scored on a free kick.

At halftime, the Lawrence coaching staff tried to elicit memories of the Lions’ game against Manhattan, in which LHS gave its strongest performance of the season. The inspiration was not enough, because the Lions had sufficient opportunities in the second half, but never could convert.

When the team met at midfield after the game, the dejection clearly was evident by the players’ expressions. With steam rolling off their heads from the cold, no one could muster the slightest grin.

Platt told his players to take today off to reset themselves physically and mentally for Lawrence’s next contest at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Leavenworth at YSI.

There’s not much else he can tell them at this point, except how much he respects their effort and heart.

“It’s just as frustrating as every other game,” Sorensen said. “Every game we play our hearts out, and we seem to be as good if not better than all the other teams, and we just keep getting beat.”