Free State senior defender Greg Glatz pulls his jersey over his head as he walks off the field. The Firebirds lost to Olathe Northwest, 4-2, in a shootout Thursday at Free State, ending their season.

Eighty minutes wasn’t enough.

Neither were the first two 10-minute overtime periods.

Nor the final two five-minute stanzas.

Free State High’s soccer team never could put away Olathe Northwest Thursday, and it finally came back to bite the Firebirds when the second-round regional home playoff game came down to penalty kicks.

The No. 3 Ravens won the shootout, 4-2, and the regional championship by knocking off the No. 2 Firebirds.

Down 3-1 in penalty kicks, FSHS senior midfielder Andrew Heck put one in the back left corner to keep his team alive. But ONW senior defender Tony Weber, the Ravens’ fifth and final shooter, kicked his decisive goal left, out of the reach of FSHS goalie Frank Hurtig, to seal the upset.

FSHS senior forward Alex Clayton, who shot second for the Firebirds (11-6-1) and went high off the crossbar, said the pressure of the situation was palpable.

“As the game wears on and it gets closer and closer to the end, the possibility that this could be the last time that we play soccer for Free State – for the seniors – it just gets more and more real,” Clayton said. “It’s intense.”

Free State coach Jason Pendleton said a playoff game decided by penalty kicks was taxing for his players.

“Because you’ve put all that hard work and effort into it you get to that point and I think some of them felt the weight of the world on them a little bit,” Pendleton said.

Senior forward Erik Slan, who fired the third penalty kick for FSHS, was stymied by ONW keeper Gabe Bliss, a two-time all-league selection, when Bliss dove to his right to deflect a strong shot from the reliable Slan.

Hurtig also had an impressive save, knocking down Nick Aguilar’s penalty kick.

“I thought Frankie came up big and made a big save,” Pendleton said, “but they made some good penalty (kicks), and we were a little bit unfortunate.”

Sophomore defender Daniel Chance scored the Firebirds’ first penalty kick.

In the 73rd minute, penalty kicks, and even overtime, were the furthest thing from the Firebirds’ minds. After a number of missed chances against ONW (11-8-1), FSHS finally got on the scoreboard when a Slan shot that bounced first off the left post, and then off the right, was rebounded by Clayton and put in the net for a 1-0 Firebirds lead. The players, coaches and fans all erupted, thinking that the game was over.

“At that point I thought we’d won,” Clayton said afterward. “I was about ready to celebrate. I didn’t even believe it at first when their goal went in.”

ONW’s goal came just three minutes later when the Ravens played the ball into the box and sophomore forward Brandon Allen controlled it to score the goal that led to the extra time, penalty kicks and, eventually, the victory.

“It was definitely a roller coaster,” Pendleton, named Sunflower League coach of the year last week by his peers, said. “When you put a team down a goal with just a few minutes to go in their season, they’re fighting for their lives. And they responded and put numbers forward and dug and clawed and found a way to get a goal.”

ONW coach Mark Sheldon didn’t take much credit for the victory.

“They had a great season. We just got lucky,” he said.

While the Ravens celebrated their dramatic victory, the Firebirds barely could keep their heads up as they walked off the field. In the postgame meeting, Pendleton did his best to encourage them.

“There’s not much you can say right now to make things better,” Clayton said. “(Pendleton) said he was proud of us. That means a lot.”

Pendleton said he was proud of what his players did for the FSHS soccer program this year, citing their behavior on and off field and their work ethic.

“One game doesn’t define your season as a success, and it certainly doesn’t define it as a failure,” he said. “I’ll look back on this season with fond memories, and I don’t know that I’ll have any regrets.”