Free State's Anne Goebel tees off on the 18th hole, Monday, Oct. 5, 2015 during the Free State Invitational at Lawrence Country Club.

At the beginning of the girls golf season, Free State High junior Anne Goebel was frustrated by her play. A month later, she’s hitting her stride.

Goebel carded a 96 on Monday, tying for 27th place at the Free State Invitational at Lawrence Country Club.

“It was better than expected,” Goebel said. “I definitely had some bad holes, but for the most part, I thought I did pretty well.”

Goebel was Free State’s only varsity golfer at the beginning of the year, which she admitted was a little tough. The Firebirds added sophomore Tori Hoopingarner to the varsity lineup. She shot a 103 on Monday in only her second 18-hole varsity meet. Hoopingarner tied for 42nd place.

“I’m happy for them because they’re happy,” FSHS coach Layne Meyer said. “I think Anne was frustrated with her first couple of tournaments. Today she played more up to her potential, so I’m really happy and proud of her that she was able to bounce back from some early frustrations. She’s worked hard, and today, her hard work paid off.”

Goebel was strong with her driver, helping her shoot a 49 on the front nine and 47 on the back. She had a few problems chipping the ball, but she bounced back with drives on the fairway.

“Now that the season has gone on, she’s trusted herself a little more,” Meyer said. “I think she’s more committed to her shots, and she’s allowing her natural ability to come through in her play.”

Hoopingarner didn’t need much time to get comfortable at the varsity level. She finished 49th at the Lawrence Invitational last week.

“I’m not as nervous as I was at the beginning because I was freaking out about how the competition would be,” Hoopingarner said. “It’s a lot more competitive than (junior varsity) and more serious. But I think I’ve adjusted well. Since I have Anne, it’s going pretty good.”

Hoopingarner said she saved a few strokes at the end of her round with strong putts. She carded a 49 on the back nine and a 54 on the front.

“She’s just come along so much since the beginning of the season,” Meyer said. “She made it to where we couldn’t keep her on JV with the scores she was posting. She’s just so coachable, and her attitude is so great, and she’s improved so much that she earned her spot on varsity as you can see by her scores.”

With regionals approaching next week at Alvamar, the Firebirds are thrilled they’ll get to play at their home practice course.

“That’s definitely a big advantage because we play there, like, every other day, and I’m a member there, so I play there a lot during the summer,” Hoopingarner said.

Meyer added: “Right now I think they’re both playing their best golf.”

Lawrence High freshman Beatrice Lopez shot a 118 and finished in 76th place in her first varsity tournament.

Lopez fired a 62 on the front nine and a 56 on the back.

Both schools will compete in the Olathe East Invitational at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. Andrews.

Free State Invitational

Monday at Lawrence Country Club

Team scores: 1. Shawnee Mission East, 331; 2. Washburn Rural, 331; 3. Blue Valley West, 350; 4. St. Thomas Aquinas, 364; 5. Mill Valley, 374; 6. Blue Valley, 379; 7. Blue Valley Northwest, 394; 8. Olathe Northwest, 399; 9. Olathe South, 404; 10. Shawnee Mission South, 406; 11. Olathe East, 411; 12. Shawnee Mission Northwest, 422.

Medalists: 1. Alex Larson, BVW, 75; 2. Jessica Parker, SME, 77; 3. Abby Glynn, WR, 80; 4. Tatum King, STA, 80; 5. Megan Lucas, WR, 83; 6. Teagan Noblit, SME, 83; 7. Bella Hadden, MV, 83; 8. Kendra Jellison, WR, 84; 9. Candace Dawson, WR, 84; 10. Haley Bell, SME, 85.

Free State results: 27. Anne Goebel 96; 42. Tori Hoopingarner 103.

Lawrence High result: 76. Beatrice Lopez 118.