photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior forward Oscar Paden runs to take the ball in a 3-1 loss to Blue Valley North at Lawrence High School on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Lawrence.

The Lawrence boys soccer season came to an end on a cold, wet and windy Tuesday, as the Lions fell 3-1 to Blue Valley North in the first regional game.

Lawrence entered as the sixth seed in the 6A East, with an 11-4-1 record. That record put the Lions in the Olathe East regional to host the first game against No. 11 Blue Valley North.

“You can’t take away the year they had — they did some things that haven’t happened in years,” Lawrence coach Joe Comparato said. “It’s a special group of players. I knew it in June when we started, and there is a lot in the tank with these young guys coming up.”

The Mustangs got the better of the Lions early in the game, as Lawrence struggled to possess the ball in the middle and attacking thirds of the field. Outside of a couple of deep passes to junior forward Oscar Paden, the offense was stagnant.

What didn’t help the Lions on offense was the weather conditions. With the rain and wind, the ball skipped around a lot, making it more difficult to make precise passes.

“Our forwards really couldn’t get going on the ball,” Comparato said. “In the attacking third, it was hard to get the ball to feet because the ball would skip out a lot. Coming back the other way, when balls land and skip in different directions, it’s tough.”

On the other end, the Lions were put under pressure from the Mustangs’ offense. Sophomore center back Madjoa Tankoano and junior defenseman Sullivan Leitch were able to muck up the Mustangs offense and prevented many shots on goal. When there were, senior goalkeeper Murphy Nowak was able to make the save.

Lawrence started to build on its possessions and get a few more quality shots on goal with the forwards. At halftime, the Lions switched the attack for a better

“We tried to get some more exposure on the wings, loosen up the middle for (senior Patrick Sandefur),” Comparato said. “(The Mustangs) were just tight back there. It was tough to make something happen.”

While the Lawrence offense played better in the second half, so did the Mustangs. They continued to put pressure on the Lawrence defense, stretching the defense out and creating openings for goals.

“They play a 3-5-2, and we struggled with keeping up with their wingers,” Comparato said. “They were overloading on one side. We knew that eventually if they kept stretching the back line, it was a matter of time before they were going to put one in a space where we couldn’t defend it.”

That’s what happened when the Mustangs scored almost halfway through the second half, on a shot that crossed the face of the net and was just out of reach for Murphy Nowak to block. 10 minutes later, the Mustangs scored again on a goal that Comparato chalked up to a simple error on the Lions that the Mustangs capitalized on.

With under nine minutes left, the Mustangs scored their final goal, taking a 3-0 lead late in the game.

Lawrence continued to push the pace, and senior Kareem Juma put the ball in the net on a shot that squeezed between the Blue Valley North goalkeeper’s left arm and the right side of the net with eight minutes left.

Comparato was happy with the effort the team gave throughout the game. Nothing better exemplified that than Sandefur, who got a yellow card with under 30 seconds left and subbed back in with 13 seconds left.

“They never gave up, and that’s the thing about this group,” Comparato said. “All year long, they never gave up — it didn’t matter.”

The Lions kept searching for goals and more life, but the team ran out of time. The final horn sounded, and the Lions’ season wrapped up.

Lawrence will lose seven seniors who have all helped contribute to building the culture of the Lions that allowed the team to host a regional match. Many of those seniors have been four-year starters, and have been playing for Comparato for years.

“These kids are special in my heart,” Comparato said. “They’re the ones who bought into who we want to be as a group and how we want to play.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Kareem Juma looks to head the ball in a 3-1 loss to Blue Valley North at Lawrence High School on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore center back Madjoa Tankoano gains control of the ball in a 3-1 loss to Blue Valley North at Lawrence High School on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Lawrence.