Lawrence's Dar Fornelli, left, advances the ball up the field against Olathe East defenders. The Lions lost, 1-0, to the Hawks on Monday at Youth Sports Inc.

Fifteen minutes into Monday’s Lawrence High-Olathe East soccer match at Youth Sports Inc., the Hawks scored on a rebound off of LHS goalie Sam Wessels.

It turned out to be the only goal of the game, and the Lions fell, 1-0.

Rust from an 11-day layoff? Perhaps. Fluke bounce and bad timing? Also possible. Either way, the result was not entirely deflating for the LHS side.

“We’re not satisfied,” LHS junior Tor Fornelli said. “But no one’s crushed about it, either. We’re hungry for wins, and we’re not going to settle for losses this year. I think this shows we can play with anyone.”

Largely untested through the early part of the 2008 season, the Lions got all they wanted from traditional power Olathe East on Monday night. The Hawks were sharp on offense, stingy on defense and relentless in their attack.

Still, the Lions found themselves in the game until the end. Doing so against the cream of the crop in the Sunflower League gave LHS coach Matt Anderson reason to boast. The fact that his team had practiced just twice in the last six days and had not played a game since Sept. 4 created all-out gushing.

“I applaud the guys for being able to lock in and give a great effort,” Anderson said. “I love playing the top teams; it makes my job easier. I don’t have to talk to the guys about, well, anything. They just know they have to show up ready to play.”

LHS (2-2) looked anything but ready in the first 20 minutes. Superior in both individual skill and team play, Olathe East made run after run at the Lions’ net, guarded admirably by Wessels. Despite out-chancing the Lions, 10-2, in the early going, the Hawks managed just one goal, leaving the door cracked for the Lions.

After a brief halftime talk, Anderson saw his team play the part of the aggressor in the second half. Although East still had its chances, the Lions looked like the more hungry team. But each time LHS approached O-East’s last line of defense, the Hawks dug in, refusing to give the Lions any good looks at the net.

“That’s a situation where you really need to be two passes ahead of the game,” Fornelli said.

LHS struggled to execute that concept. Runs were late, support was absent and one-touch passes faded just a foot or two off of their target. Despite being unable to mirror Olathe East’s precision-based attack, the Lions nearly forced overtime with tremendous heart and all-out effort.

“They do an outstanding job of moving as a unit,” Anderson said of Olathe East. “And that’s something we’re still working on. But to get 10 or 15 shots off against Olathe East is really good. We had so many chances. We still have a long way to go but now we’re to the point where we’re fine-tuning the little things.”

The Lions’ best chances came in the waning minutes, as Fornelli, older brother Dar Fornelli, Eddie Okene and Spencer Scott continually rushed the Hawks’ net hoping to find the equalizer. Instead of panicking, Olathe East held its ground and turned the Lions away each time.

Discouraged, but not devastated, LHS walked away from the game optimistic about the rest of the schedule.

“It was our first Sunflower League game this season and we were right in it,” Tor Fornelli said. “So I think that shows that if we keep working we can fight for one of the top spots in the league.”

Next up the Lions play Olathe North at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Olathe District Activities Complex.