The first time this season the Free State High girls soccer team met Olathe Northwest, it didn’t go as the Firebirds had hoped.

At 6 tonight, Free State will have a chance at redemption when the No. 4 Firebirds play host to No. 5 Olathe Northwest (5-10) in the first round of regionals at FSHS.

“We remember them being athletic,” Free State coach Jason Pendleton said of the Ravens. “They have a good goalkeeper. They posed a threat offensively. But I also remember we generated a few chances to score. Looking back, I felt like we had a chance to win the game.”

The Firebirds lost to O-Northwest, 2-0, in the third game of the season. But that’s the thing. It was the third game of the season, back on April 8.

“Interestingly enough, earlier in the year, I felt like we were playing well,” Pendleton said. “We just weren’t putting the ball in the back of the net. Now we’re on a run where we scored some goals.”

The Firebirds began the season with only three goals in their first six games. They were 1-4 in that span.

In its next three games, FSHS scored 13 goals. The Firebirds are now 7-8-1.

Since Free State opened, the girls soccer team has yet to escape the first round of regionals.

“We’ve been snake-bitten at different times, and haven’t always gotten the best draw,” Pendleton said. “But we’re excited. It’s a good opportunity to see where we stack up.”

The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of the Leavenworth-Manhattan game at 6 p.m. Thursday at Manhattan.