Free State freshman forward Emma Yackley (19) celebrates with teammates after scoring on a corner kick during their match against Shawnee Mission Northwest on Tuesday evening at FSHS.

When Free State freshman Emma Yackley sent the ball into the air from the far corner late in the first half of Tuesday’s game against Shawnee Mission Northwest, she had no designs on it going in.

But it did.

Twisting, turning and bending in the wind, Yackley’s corner kick that found the back of the net was just one of dozens of balls impacted by a stiff breeze from the south during the Firebirds’ 3-1 loss at FSHS.

“I really thought that would give us a boost to get through the half,” a still-smiling Yackley said of her Tuesday goal. “But it’s a lot tougher going against the wind.”

And that’s what the Firebirds (1-2) were forced to do throughout a second half in which the Cougars (3-2) dominated possession and scored three goals in a 15-minute stretch.

The Cougars would’ve scored much sooner had it not been for the strong defense of Eyerusalem Zicker and Lauren Johnson, who teamed up to stuff Northwest’s Amelia Hoelting on a breakaway six minutes before Yackley’s goal gave the home team the lead.

That lead was short-lived, though, and once Northwest’s offense got rolling, it was tough to slow down.

The first SMNW goal, off the foot of freshman Adriana Bobki at 23:40, came after a breakdown by the Free State defense. After a misstep by the back line allowed Bobki to jump free, she ripped a shot past the right shoulder of FSHS goalie Mike Schrader and into the net.

Sixteen seconds later, a diving save by Schrader kept the Cougars from jumping on top in the same minute.

The next two goals were the result of scrambles in the Free State end, the first of which came after a collision between Schrader and SMNW’s Erica Esch at the top of the box that allowed Ashley Ard to flip the ball into an open net. And the second came with 8:25 to play when Alix Willming floated a shot toward the net from 30 yards away and looked more than a little shocked when it went in.

“That was the wind,” a disappointed Schrader admitted. “I took a step up and it got over me.”

Never one to make excuses, Free State coach Kelly Barah said the wind wreaked havoc on Free State’s defense as much as it aided the SMNW offense.

“You can’t kick a ball 45 yards into the wind and expect to do something with it,” Barah said.

Despite the loss, Barah said his young team took a couple of significant steps forward on Tuesday, but, perhaps more importantly, learned how crucial paying attention to details at all times was.

On the second goal, Barah lamented an unsettled back line for letting the ball reach the net. And the third goal, he said, was a product of not putting enough pressure on the ball to clear the zone.

“Right now we just lack a killer instinct,” Barah said. “But we’re seeing the windows to make our runs through and just not finishing them with goals.”