photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Indigo Comfort looks in a pass from junior Riley Swart in a 3-1 loss to Mill Valley on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Lawrence.

The Lawrence boys soccer team suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday, 3-1 against Mill Valley.

The Lions, who started the year 7-0, fell behind early against the Jaguars and couldn’t get back into the game despite keeping the effort up throughout the 80-minute contest.

“We couldn’t put the ball in the net when we needed to,” Lawrence coach Joe Comparato said. “We had some chances in the first half that we didn’t finish, and then it became a different game (going down multiple goals early).”

Mill Valley struck first with a goal less than 10 minutes into the game on a corner kick. Of Mill Valley’s three goals, this was the one that Comparato was least concerned about, considering Mill Valley’s strength at set pieces.

A few minutes later, the Jaguars scored again with a shot that bounced up and almost over the crossbar but went in the net for a goal.

After that point, the Lions started to find some offensive cohesion and put some shots on goal. Junior Riley Stewart nearly put one in that went right of the net shortly after the Lions came close but missed on a corner kick.

For the final 20 minutes of the opening half, the Lions continued to put shots on goal but weren’t able to score and entered halftime down 2-0. Less than five minutes into the second half, the Jaguars scored a third goal after a defensive mixup in front of the goal in the goal area.

“We always say it’s a game of mistakes, and we made the mistakes tonight,” Comparato said. “We gave them two of their three goals. We had a couple defensive breakdowns that cost us.”

Comparato was happy with how the team continued to fight through the game, even when the score got away from them. Comparato said he noticed his players continuing all the way through the final minute, which shows the leadership of the team.

“They never give up, and that’s something you can’t teach,” Comparato said. “In the first half, (Mill Valley) outworked us on the 50-50 balls. But I think in the second half, we did a better job of that, and I think we controlled the tempo for most of the second half. We gave up that silly goal, but we kept up pressure on their end.”

Lawrence got on the board with less than 20 minutes left in regulation on a goal from senior Patrick Sandefur. Comparato said he felt if the team had pushed one more through the net with around eight minutes left then the team might’ve been able to pull off the comeback.

“We would’ve had the momentum,” Comparato said. “It would’ve been a different game. But that’s high school soccer. It’s really about: Can you get the momentum to swing?”

The Lions had a few more chances in the final 20 minutes of the game but couldn’t finish on a goal. Neither team scored after the Sandefur goal, and the Jaguars gave the Lions their first loss of the year.

While the team’s inability to finish on a few scoring opportunities hurt them against Mill Valley, it hasn’t been a common issue this season, especially with Sandefur. On Thursday, however, the finishing ability wasn’t there for the Lions.

“We’re still scoring — we’re still getting opportunities,” Comparato said. “Our forwards didn’t get as many opportunities as they usually do, and I’ll credit (Mill Valley’s) back line. I felt they were ready for our forwards.”

Lawrence will start a three-game road stretch starting next Tuesday with Shawnee Mission North. The Lions have eight Sunflower League games left in the regular season and will finish with a three-game home stretch before entering the postseason.

“We know you’re never going to run the table in the Sunflower League,” Comparato said. “I think (the loss) is a good wakeup call for them. We’ve made some mistakes — especially on the defensive end — that we need to correct. We’ll just keep going. If we put the wins behind us, we have to put the losses behind us.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Indigo Comfort heads the ball in a 3-1 loss to Mill Valley on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Lincoln Beck chases after the ball in a 3-1 loss to Mill Valley on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Riley Swart battles for the ball in a 3-1 loss to Mill Valley on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Lawrence.