After his team lost its third straight game Tuesday night, Free State High soccer coach Jason Pendleton decided he needed to “mix things up and find people who can make plays and execute under pressure.”

In Thursday’s final regular-season home game against Shawnee Mission Northwest, those playmakers showed up in a 1-0 Free State victory.

“The last couple of games we played really good teams, but the big thing for us is we hadn’t really executed,” Pendleton said. “We hadn’t competed to our utmost capacity. I felt like we did today.”

The first playmaker was freshman midfielder Greg Glatz, who 12 minutes into the game juked to his left and snuck a shot over Northwest goalkeeper Ben Berning.

On defense, Pendleton praised sophomore Travis Everett, junior Brian Bracciano and senior Dustin Nye for helping lock down an offensively capable Cougars squad.

Nye, normally a forward, played the entire second half as a defender after senior Sam Buhler was forced out of the game because of an injured ankle.

The anchor for the Firebirds’ multiple defensive stands was senior goalkeeper Aaron Williams. He saved six shots on the night, but none more impressive than the first.

With just under 10 minutes to go before halftime, Northwest’s Cole Daly-Roentved had a golden opportunity in front of the net. Williams, already going to his right, leapt to his left and deflected the shot.

Free State High soccer player Quinn Klutman, top, lands on the back of a Shawnee Mission Northwest player while fighting for a loose ball. The Firebirds won, 1-0, Thursday at Free State.

“We’ve got the best goalkeeper in the Sunflower League, without a doubt, and he made a couple of huge saves,” Pendleton said.

The victory had implications for the Firebirds other than snapping a three-game skid. It gives the team 10 wins as well as a school-record six Sunflower League victories. Free State now is assured the No. 2 seed and a home game in Tuesday’s sub-states.

Oh, and its most likely opponent? Lawrence High.

The 10-4-1 Firebirds wrap up their regular season tonight, traveling to Shawnee Mission West.

But more than anything, Thursday’s victory restored the team’s confidence at a crucial juncture.

“You need the momentum in the postseason,” Williams said. “This gives us the best record of our Free State careers. We’re just showing that Lawrence is coming up in soccer, and those Olathe and Shawnee Mission schools are gonna have to respect us more now.”