Lawrence high’s Matthias Reiber goes after the ball during the second half. The Lions played to a 1-1 tie against Olathe North on Thursday at LHS.

The way Lawrence High soccer coach Matt Anderson sees things, Thursday’s 1-1 tie against Olathe North demonstrates one thing: The Lions are ahead of where they were last season.

“Last year, these guys beat us, 2-1,” Anderson said. “So I’m happy with the point. We’re plus one by comparison, and I thought our effort was good tonight.”

The Lions had their chances to take control of Thursday’s contest, but so, too, did the Eagles. That, along with his team’s effort from start to finish, left Anderson pleased with the result.

Olathe North jumped on top, 1-0, 12 minutes into the game. After hanging around the LHS end for much of the start, the Eagles cracked the scoreboard first after a long throw-in was deposited into the back of the net.

“Those huge throw-ins were basically like corner kicks,” Anderson said. “It’s that kind of thing that we talk about all the time. That one move, that one touch, that one run. Those are the things that win you games and (Olathe North) got rewarded for it tonight. Fortunately, we didn’t let that beat us.”

The two teams battled back and forth for the next 20 minutes before Daouda Drame tied the game with a goal at the 34-minute mark. LHS and O-North entered halftime tied at 1 and that’s where they stayed for the next 70 minutes. Through the entire second half, two 10-minute overtimes and two more five-minute overtimes, neither the Lions (2-2-1) nor Eagles could solve each other’s defense.

“It could’ve gone either way,” Anderson said. “We felt like we let some chances get away from us and I’m sure they feel the same way.”

LHS is scheduled to play Blue Valley on Monday at home but may move that game to a later date. Should that happen, the Lions’ next contest would be Tuesday’s city showdown against unbeaten Free State High at LHS.