photo by: John Young

Manhattan sophomore midfielder Sadie Samenus, right, pushes past Free State High junior forward Sabrea Platz (18) as the two fight for control of the ball during their soccer match Thursday evening in Manhattan. The Firebirds lost, 2-0.

Manhattan ? Free State High girls soccer players felt they played one of their best games of the season Thursday in the regional championship against Manhattan. One shot turned that effort into a season-ending loss.

Manhattan senior defender Maggie Fischer launched a free kick from nearly 35 yards away into the left corner of the net with 33 minutes left, costing the Firebirds in a 2-0 loss at Bishop Stadium.

The third-seeded Indians (14-4) added their final goal with four minutes remaining when senior forward Brooke Henry sneaked behind Free State’s defense and fired a shot that deflected off of Free State goalkeeper Mika Schrader into the back of the net.

“That stuff happens,” FSHS junior midfielder Sabrea Platz said. “We have to learn how to pick up our heads and carry on in the future and move on from stuff like that. It’s really difficult, but it’s the game that we play.”

There was nothing the Firebirds could do about Fischer’s free kick, which was placed perfectly over Schrader’s outstretched arms into the back of the net. But they weren’t too sure about the foul that led to the free kick.

“I’ll have to go back to film and see how the foul occurred,” FSHS coach Kelly Barah said. “From my angle, I really didn’t see it.”

Playing through spurts of rain, the 11th-seeded Firebirds kept their composure defensively in the first half with their strong back line of defenders — senior Lauren Johnson, sophomore Kate Odgers, junior Molly Bryant and senior Tori Karlin. The Indians fired 14 shots, but the Firebirds limited quality chances by anticipating passes and winning one-on-one battles to steal the ball away and clear it downfield.

Free State’s defense, which has been tough as Teflon all season, allowed one goal or less in 13 of its past 15 games. The Firebirds lost, 3-1, against Manhattan on April 4 in their second game of the season.

“That unit has carried us all year,” Barah said. “But the thing going into next season is, we have to make sure that we don’t put too much pressure on them to be able to hold us until we get that one goal or two.”

Free State’s best opportunity to score came with 1:30 left in the first half, when freshman forward Julia Larkin found Platz with a cross in the middle of the field. Platz was a step ahead of Manhattan defenders, but her shot from inside of the 18-yard box was stopped by MHS goalkeeper Emilie Korenek.

“There were a couple (of defenders) on me, and I just got off balance and slipped off the ball — the ball was really slick,” Platz said. “Missed it, but it was a really good opportunity. You can’t create those opportunities without the great passes from your teammates. The over-the-top ball worked really well in this game.”

In the second half, FSHS freshman midfielder Emma Yackley fired a few long-distance shots that carried over the net. Senior Marcela Ellebracht, playing with a cast on her hand, caught a cross from Yackley with four minutes left, but didn’t have time to gather herself for a strong shot.

The Indians added their final goal less than 30 seconds later.

Against a group of quick and physical defenders, the Firebirds only attempted nine shots and had four on net, limiting chances for Larkin, sophomores Emma Perez and Sydni Beeley, and freshmen Brittany Hoffman and Emma Hertig.

“In practice we look for gaps in the middle or on the outside that we can slot through, but their defenders were smart,” sophomore midfielder Maya Hodison said. “Those gaps weren’t necessarily open, so the way we usually play was not on. We had to look for the ball over the top, which was difficult.”

The Firebirds will lose five seniors: Schrader, Johnson, Karlin, Ellebracht and Sidney Zavala, but have plenty of optimism for their future, ending the season with a 6-9-3 record.

Barah told his team that Thursday’s loss was the first game for next season.

“We have a lot of young players that can step up,” Hodison said. “Our whole bench is ready to step up. I’m just real excited for the future.”

Platz added: “This was one of our best games of the season. We played really well as a team. It’s really tough going out like this, but we’re already looking forward to next season and working on what we can do outside of season to make the result next year better.”