Free State's Leah Williams dribbles in the Junction City defense on Monday at FSHS.

FREE STATE HIGH'S HANNAH CARLSON heads the ball against Junction City. The Firebirds enjoyed a rare rout Monday, scoring a 10-0 victory on their home field.

Instead of goalkeeping, Free State High’s Megan Hrenchir could have exited the soccer field in the middle of the game, retrieved a lawn chair, placed it in front of the Firebirds’ goal and fallen asleep in the sunny, 80-degree weather.

Free State mercy-ruled Junction City, 10-0, Monday on the Firebirds’ home field, dominating the Blue Jays so thoroughly that Hrenchir, a senior, barely had to move from her post. Junction City (1-10) didn’t attempt a single shot on goal.

Free State averaged a shot on goal every 1.5 minutes of play. The Firebirds averaged a goal every 4.2 minutes.

“We’re just a better team than them,” Free State coach Jason Pendleton said. “The positive from my perspective is when we got opportunities, we took advantage and finished them, because we’ve had situations earlier in the year when we’ve had opportunities that we didn’t convert.”

Referees called the game with 37 minutes, 35 seconds remaining in the second half. Freshman Apryl Hedges’ goal made the score 10-0, putting the mercy rule into effect.

Here’s a list of players who scored: Hedges, Hannah Carlson (three times), Leah Williams (twice), Grace Lang, Katie Bracciano, Logan Keasling and Clare Robinson.

Carlson registered the first hat trick of her outdoor soccer career.

“I was just in the right spot at the right time,” Carlson said. “I didn’t really do much. I was just standing there both times and the ball came to me. I just put it in.”

On her second goal, Carlson was in perfect position for a rebound and shot after Williams missed a shot off the crossbar.

Williams made her first goal interesting from the moment she retrieved the ball. Williams faked one way and darted the other to shake off a Blue Jays defender. She pounded a shot, which appeared it would sail too high. The shot clanked against the top crossbar and fell into the goal.

“I felt like it was a really good shot when I hit it,” Williams said. “I didn’t realize how high it was going. I figured if it didn’t go in, I’d have plenty other chances from the way the game was going.”

Williams got her teammates involved as well. With 19:23 remaining in the first half, she placed a corner kick to Keasling, who found a seam for Free State’s fourth goal. Williams assisted on the score.

“I would argue she’s our best player because of everything she can bring from the defense to the offensive perspective,” Pendleton said of Williams. “I thought today she was very unselfish at times, hit some good balls and still was dangerous in the attack.”

Bracciano’s goal, which made the score 3-0, generated the most vocal response from Pendleton on the sidelines.

“Wow! That exploded off your foot,” Pendleton told the junior forward as she trotted off the field.

With 23:33 remaining in the half, Bracciano dribbled down the left side of the field, beat her defender and fired a shot that netted the left side of the goal.

“Katie Bracciano’s a kid who, last year, came out for soccer for the first time since she was like 5 or 6 years old,” Pendleton said. “She has great effort and attitude and is bright on the field. That was just a great finish that she struck really well.”

The Firebirds won’t have much time to relish the victory. Free State (5-5-2) will travel to Olathe East (10-0), which won the Kansas Class 6A state tournament in 2001 and 2004, for a 7 p.m. game tonight.