Lawrence High senior goalie Megan Fleming stretches for a save attempt against Leavenworth on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at LHS.

In his soccer career, Lawrence High soccer coach Joe Nemzer has played for several teams that came on strong to end their seasons.

And after a 2-1 victory against Leavenworth on Senior Night at LHS — the Lions’ first win in their last nine games — Nemzer said his team could definitely do something similar.

“It’s not the way you start a season,” Nemzer said. “It’s the way you end it.”

Juniors Kirsten McKay and Natalie Wilkins tallied goals, and the Lions’ backline held off the Pioneers in the final minutes to secure the victory.

McKay’s goal came on the Lions’ eighth shot on goal with 13:30 remaining in the first half.

She burst to the ball bouncing in the box and headed it over Leavenworth keeper Lindsay Davis. The ball bounced a couple times before settling in the back of the net.

The Pioneers made a charge to end the half, though.

Leavenworth’s Bri Rayna fired a shot off the left goalpost with 38 seconds remaining and the Lions escaped the half with a 1-0 lead.

In the first minute of the second half, Wilkins corralled a failed clearance attempt in the box and lofted a shot over Davis into the left side of the net.

Rayna continued to create chances with her speed, pulling the Pioneers within a goal with 27:22 remaining. Her first attempt thumped off the right post, but she corralled it and calmly finished to the left.

And in a hectic end to the game, Davis ran from her goalbox to join the rest of her team in the Lions’ goalbox for a corner kick, but the Lions cleared the ball out of the box as time expired.

“Our backline has been our rock all season,” Nemzer said.

Senior defender Tess Carpenter said that it meant a lot to get a win after so many consecutive losses. That didn’t mean she was necessarily happy with how the Lions finished.

“It wasn’t the best game I’ve ever played, but it works, I guess,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter and fellow seniors Clare Payne, Sarah Stuever, Megan Fleming, Marley Sutter and Sydney Alexander were recognized in a postgame ceremony. Senior Sarah Hirschey was also recognized, but she wasn’t able to attend the game or ceremony because of a family matter.

Nemzer said he will always remember how his first senior class knew when to take things seriously and when to just have fun.

“They definitely made my life a lot easier in my first year, for sure,” Nemzer said.

The Lions take the field again at 6 p.m. today against Olathe Northwest at LHS. The teams’ earlier matchup was suspended with 30 minutes to go in the first half and the Ravens leading, 1-0, so the teams will start from there.