Free State's Erik Slan (18) collides with Lawrence High goalkeeper Sean Simmons as LHS's Jack Robertson, right, and Bobby Davis (20) look on. Free State knocked off LHS, 3-1, in a Class 6A sub-state game Tuesday at Free State.

Lawrence High's Rex Hargis (15) runs to stop a fight between teammate Jack Robertson, center, and Free State's Erik Slan, right. Robertson was issued a red card and Slan a yellow card. Free State won, 3-1, Tuesday at FSHS.

Free State High’s soccer team spells redemption: S-L-A-N.

In the 28th minute of a first-round home playoff game Tuesday afternoon, the Firebirds found themselves down a goal to cross-town rival Lawrence High. And the worst part for the second-seed Firebirds was that their senior forward, Erik Slan, had put the ball in the back of their net.

But Slan responded well to the soccer faux pas, putting two more goals in the back of the seventh-seeded Lions’ net to lead FSHS to a 3-1 victory.

“It was just kind of unlucky. I was trying to clear the ball, and I got a little push, and it bounced off my shin. That’s how it goes,” Slan said of the own-goal. “I was upset, but you’ve got to bounce back from it. And I knew the game owed me a goal.”

Apparently the game instead decided to give him two. Slan’s first score came on a free kick in the 40th and final minute of the first half. Forward Alex Clayton and midfielder Andrew Heck made runs at the ball before Slan pounded it over a wall of Lawrence High defenders to tie the game.

His second goal, which sealed the victory, came in the 61st minute on a penalty kick that Slan shot to the right of LHS keeper Sean Simmons.

The game hardly looked like it would be one-sided in the first half. The Lions went wild when they went up, 1-0, and seemed to have the momentum.

“Especially in the first half, we were playing probably the best soccer we’d played all year, and it was a good time to peak,” LHS senior defender Rex Hargis, whose free kick Slan accidentally knocked in, said. “After we got that first goal, I was sure we were going to get another one.”

They didn’t, and LHS coach Bill Kelly credited the Firebirds’ head man, Jason Pendleton, for that.

“We wanted them to beat us with their skill, not just with their fast players up on top,” Kelly said. “It worked the first half, and then, Jason’s a good coach, he made some adjustments and got his kids fired up. We came out just a little flat, and when you’re trying to upset the big boys you can’t come out flat.”

Pendleton praised the Firebirds (11-5-1) for making the best of a bad situation against the Lions (3-12-1).

“Even at the highest level sometimes you get an unlucky bounce and it goes in your net. I thought our kids responded really well with that,” Pendleton said. “We went down, and I thought after that we played better than we had prior to that. Our kids, in the ensuing time before the half, hit the crossbar three or four times and got a goal there at the end.”

Clayton scored the go-ahead goal for the Firebirds in the first minute of the second half. He dribbled between a number of LHS defenders before scoring what would be the decisive goal.

“He was able to keep his possession through three or four of our players,” Kelly marveled. “You want to say it’s luck, but it can’t be luck when he went through five of them.”

Though the game essentially was decided at that point, some unexpected fireworks came in the 64th minute when LHS junior defender Jack Robertson tussled with Slan as the two battled for the ball. The rivals ended up in a heap on the ground, and when they got back up it appeared they were ready to exchange blows. Cooler heads prevailed, however, as players from both schools separated the two. Robertson was issued a red card, Slan a yellow.

Had Slan retaliated and received a red card he would not be able to play on at 3:30 p.m. Thursday when the Firebirds play host to Olathe Northwest.

Both sides said playing a postseason game against a rival added to the intensity of the match.

“LHS-Free State, it’s kind of like going against your brother in something,” Hargis said. “On the field, it’s just no holds barred, especially sub-state for the seniors – it’s win or go home. For the underclassmen it might not be so urgent, because they have more years to play, but for the seniors you can definitely feel it.”

Added Pendleton: “When you’re playing your rival you have that extra internal motivation – I think you saw that, at least in the first 15, 20 minutes of the game. They were very organized and structured and played with a lot of heart and emotion.”