Lawrence High’s soccer game Thursday against Shawnee Mission North was summed up late in the second half by an LHS fan: “I want to leave, but I’ve got a kid playing.”

At that point, the Lions were down five goals in what turned into a 7-1 loss to the Indians.

The weather also played a role in the attitude of the fans, but according to Lawrence coach David Platt, the weather did not hamper the team.

“This (was) good temperature to play in,” Platt said of the chilly conditions at the Youth Sports Inc. fields. “Bodies stay cooler, you can stay on the field longer. This was ideal soccer weather.”

While the weather was ideal, the Lions’ defense was not.

“We were diving. The first goal was because we didn’t clear the ball, so we need to clear the ball appropriately,” Platt said. “The second goal came out because we had two players dive in and get beat. And then they beat us on our rotation. I would say three of their goals were legitimate goals, but four of them weren’t.”

Due to the Lions’ inability to clear the ball, two of Shawnee Mission North’s goals came from 15 to 20 yards out that dropped in just under the crossbar.

“We need to work on marking, mainly. And I know I need to work on high balls, but if that guy’s marked up, that high ball wouldn’t come in,” LHS goalkeeper Colin Flanders said. “But I think we’ll get there. It just takes time.”

Though he let in seven goals on the night, Flanders impressed Platt.

“Several of the goals, especially the early ones, were of errors that were not his. Those are goals he can’t be expected to stop,” Platt said. “But he’s a tough kid. It’s beautiful, it’s just incredible his quickness.”

Platt said the team’s plan was to play keep-away in order to limit the Indians’ physical size advantage.

“Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t,” Platt said. “But they were definitely stronger than we were.”

Spencer Sorenson was able to get past the defense and put back a shot that was blocked by Shawnee Mission North’s goalkeeper for the Lions’ goal.

Platt said he believed his team had more shots on goal than the Indians.

“We need to just keep putting it up there,” Sorenson said, asked what the team needed to do to capitalize on its offensive opportunities. “We get shot after shot after shot after shot, and if we keep doing that, one’s going to have to go in every once in a while, so we just can’t give up.”