photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore MJ Sachs chases down a forward in a 6-0 win over Topeka on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

Lawrence girls soccer came into the season in the best shape that coach Joe Comparato has seen, and in Friday’s 6-0 win over Topeka, that conditioning helped the Lions run over the Trojans.

“They’re fit and don’t want to come out,” Comparato said. “That’s good. In the past we’ve struggled with fitness, but we’ve got that this year.”

The Lions showed their speed and chemistry on the pitch, getting 50-50 balls and staying aggressive in a physical match. Even if the team’s timing on passes and movement can improve, the showing was impressive for a team that is hungry to win.

“We still have a lot to work on,” Comparato said. “Tonight we did a much better job possessing the ball. Our press was working, we were attacking as a group, and that really helped us keep the ball in the attacking third and get those opportunities.”

With a senior-heavy roster, the Lions have a leg up on a lot of teams who are still getting acclimated to new teammates in new positions. The Lions have nine seniors on the team, and most of them have started at Lawrence since their freshman years.

“We all want to win it for our seniors,” junior Maggie Wagner said.

Lawrence scored first on a goal from senior Ginny Besson that popped over the Topeka goalkeeper into the net eight minutes into the match. Besson went on to have a highlight night with three goals.

Besson’s second goal came in the 23rd minute on a short goal in the middle of the net.

The Lawrence defense didn’t allow many shots on goal, but junior goalkeeper Emerson Sloop had a shutout night when the ball did get near the net. Sloop was quick to get to the ball and prevented the Trojans from scoring on any second-chance opportunities.

Lawrence freshman Layla Simmons scored the third goal of the half with two minutes remaining when her header after a penalty kick was blocked by Topeka.

Despite the three-goal lead, the Lions kept their feet on the gas. The team said the energy around the group is high, which contributed to the team’s overall effort.

Four minutes into the second half, freshman Emily Unekis kicked a deep shot to the top of the net and snuck the ball in for the fourth goal of the game. Four minutes after that, sophomore Rylee Williams scored on a shot that bounced at the top of the Topeka goalkeeper’s hands and into the goal.

Along with Unekis and Simmons, freshman Katelyn Valbuena stepped into a starting role after senior Sidra Besson’s red card in Lawrence’s season-opening win on Tuesday. Comparato said she, and the rest of the freshmen, were “amazing today.”

Besson capped off the night with the final goal to give the Lions a 6-0 lead with 16 minutes left in the game.

Lawrence finished with the team’s second shutout in as many games as Sloop saved all five shots on the night.

“She got a clean sheet and did a great job,” Comparato said of Sloop.

Lawrence will be back at home on Tuesday to host DeSoto at 7.p.m.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Emerson Sloop kicks the ball in a 6-0 win over Topeka on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Elise Lawrence watches the ball in a 6-0 win over Topeka on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Ginny Besson passes the ball in a 6-0 win over Topeka on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Lawrence.