photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State sophomore forward Siena Schamberger dribbles the ball upfield in a 3-2 win over Shawnee Heights at Free State on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Free State’s girls soccer team won its home opener on Thursday in a 3-2 win over Shawnee Heights.

The win was of particular importance for the Firebirds, as it was the first time in the four years under coach Joe Waldron that the team won its home opener.

“It’s always good to get a win,” Waldron said. “We scored three goals, we looked good organizationally going forward, and we did good on defense.”

The Firebirds were able to utilize some of their speed for a couple of early goals in the first half. A long ball put the Thunderbirds in a pinch, and the Firebirds capitalized by attacking. Freshman Lauren Wood, who scored the team’s only goal against Olathe Northwest on Tuesday, scored the first two goals of the game for Free State. Sophomore Siena Schamberger assisted on the opening goal with Wood.

Free State held the lead for the rest of the opening half. The team has some athleticism and speed that helped them chase down the Thunderbirds’ front line and keep them from scoring.

The Thunderbirds made a comeback in the second half as they were able to pop the ball beyond the defense in a quick sequence and score twice. The first came with 27 minutes left, and the game-tying goal came almost eight minutes alter.

“They have a couple of pretty dynamic players, and they caught us in transition,” Waldron said. “We paid for it.”

As disappointing as it was to give up two goals, the Firebirds showed some mental fortitude to keep the energy going in the final 20 minutes. Senior goalkeeper Merrit Hale was immediately back directing the defense and keeping them motivated after the goals. Waldron said he thought the response from Hale was the biggest contributor in the team’s win.

“The fact that we stayed the course and stayed on task was important,” Waldron said. “Going up two goals, giving up two goals, and then scoring a game winner takes a lot of effort. It’s a hard thing to do.”

Senior Taylor Wood scored with under seven minutes left in the game to give the Firebirds the 3-2 lead. Waldron said he was happy for the senior captain to be able to make the game-winning goal. The Firebirds took advantage of some confusion on if the ball went out of bounds or not to carry the ball up the field.

The Firebirds kept the lead with the defense and won the game, bringing their record to 1-1. Next, the Firebirds will host Hayden on Tuesday at 7 p.m.