It has been two years since a Lawrence High-Free State boys soccer showdown had any scoring, but Tuesday’s clash had the bare minimum needed to decide a winner.

Free State snagged city bragging rights from LHS with a 1-0 victory Tuesday at Free State. The Firebirds scored once and held on thanks to improved play in the second half and tremendous work by senior goalkeeper Aaron Williams.

Before Tuesday, two of the last three city showdowns ended in a tie, including a 0-0 stalemate last year.

This time, though, the team in green stayed unbeaten at 2-0. Lawrence fell to 1-2.

FSHS sophomore Tony Gatti, who played for Lawrence High last year, found the back of the net in the 48th minute to win it — a goal made possible by unselfish play from senior forward Dustin Nye.

Nye was open from point-blank range on the right side with an outstanding opportunity to shoot it past LHS goalkeeper Colin Flanders. Instead, he dished it to his left to Gatti, who had a can’t-miss chance from a much better angle. Gatti delivered, blasting it past Flanders into the left corner of the net.

“Everyone was telling me to shoot,” Nye said, “but I saw Gatti there, so I passed it off to him, and he finished it, luckily. It worked out.”

It was the only score in a game that featured big, yet failed, opportunities on both sides. Free State midfielder Sam Buhler had a chance off a corner kick in the game’s opening minutes, then saw another long shot glance off the crossbar in the first half.

Lawrence, meanwhile, may have had more golden opportunities.

LHS senior Daniel Miranda — an undersized yet pesky forward dubbed “the mosquito” by LHS coach David Platt — had three breakaways that were broken up beautifully by Williams. One was in the last 10 minutes, after Pharouk Hussein sent a nice pass to a streaking Miranda. His shot was knocked away by Williams, a last chance for LHS turned away.

Free State High's K.J. Siebert (16) runs to join the celebration of teammates Sam Buhler, back left, and Dustin Nye, back right, after the Firebirds scored their lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Lawrence High. Tony Gatti scored the Firebirds' goal as FSHS won the city showdown on Tuesday at Free State.

The aggression Williams displayed saved Free State more than once, and in a 1-0 game, it was magnified to the extreme.

Pendleton would prefer not relying so much on his goalkeeper.

“Defensively, we’ve got a lot of things to shore up,” Pendleton said. “We kept losing people in the back, and they created several opportunities.”

Like rivalry games so often are, Tuesday’s clash was both physical and intense. Three yellow cards were issued, a result of both team’s aggressive nature.

“This game just brings an extra level of intensity,” Platt said. “Sometimes it gets sloppy because it’s so intense. But for the most part, I thought the teams held themselves up and represented the city well.”

LHS and FSHS each have a week off before continuing the Sunflower League schedule. Lawrence High will play Olathe East, while Free State travels to Olathe Northwest.

Firebirds victorious over crosstown rivals Contest within the contest

While the annual city showdown is always a big game for everyone involved, both coaches stressed it hardly meant the season.

“It’s nice, but you have to keep it in perspective,” Pendleton said. “It’s the second game of a 16-game season.”