All of those full-field sprints, the time on the track and the relentless conditioning ordered by Free State High boys soccer coach Jason Pendleton in the preseason paid off.

Facing Wichita Carroll on Saturday at Free State, the Firebirds showed their depth and endurance advantage, running circles around the Golden Eagles in the closing minutes of a 3-1 victory.

The Golden Eagles had talent, no doubt, but their fatigue was visible come the end of the second half. As a result, Free State scored two goals in the last 10:08, breaking a 1-all tie with the first and sealing the season-opening victory with the second.

“We got a good effort, and the intensity was there throughout the game,” Pendleton said. “The key for us was our depth.”

Added depth came from three freshmen — Greg Glatz, Andrew Heck and Alex Clayton — who played well in their high school soccer debuts.

“In the first half, we were a little lackadaisical,” senior midfielder Sam Buhler said. “But we picked it up in the second half. We were in better shape.”

Free State struck first in the 27th minute when Heck sent a nice pass airborne toward junior Quinn Klutman, who was about 15 yards out. Klutman controlled the ball enough to poke it past the Carroll goalkeeper, giving Free State a 1-0 advantage.

The lead was short-lived, though. Carroll answered in the 36th minute when midfielder Adam Watts beat a defender at the top of the box and drilled a shot past Free State goalkeeper Brian Hatesohl to tie the score before halftime.

It took a penalty kick in the 70th minute to break the stalemate after a Firebird was fouled in the goalkeeper’s box. Buhler knocked the PK in the left side to give FSHS a 2-1 advantage.

Buhler helped put the game out of reach in the 79th minute when he sent a pass to Clayton, who gained control, spun around and scored in the corner of the net for the clincher.

Free State (1-0) now starts the Sunflower League schedule with archrival Lawrence High, which is 1-1 this season.