photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Gavin Hayes battles for the ball in a game against Olathe Northwest on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

A few errors proved to be too much to overcome for the Lawrence boys soccer team on Thursday as the Lions fell 3-2 to Olathe Northwest at home.

Facing a team that Lawrence coach Joe Comparato believes is among the best in the Sunflower League was always a test for Lawrence early in the season, and the Lions were just a couple mistakes away from winning.

“We fought hard,” Comparato said. “That’s a good team… I thought we were there. We dominated the majority of the game.

Lawrence had a better offense in the first half and finished with two goals in the opening 40 minutes. Senior Oscar Paden netted them both, but Comparato was pleased with how the overall offense looked and how much better it can become with a little more patience.

“This year, we have a lot more firepower than we’ve probably had in years,” Comparato said. “With Oscar up there, we picked up (junior) Jackson Raney from Rockhurst, and then Brock White — a freshman who scored both of our goals Tuesday night. We’ve got a lot of firepower up front.”

Paden scored his first in the 12th minute after beating the goalkeeper to the ball and punching it in. The Ravens responded with a penalty-kick goal in the 26th minute to tie it and then scored on a free kick at the top of the box a couple minutes later.

The two goals allowed on set pieces are tough to defend, and the simpler solution for the team to not allow those goals is to make sure the team isn’t put in that situation in the first place.

“Sometimes you have to play smarter instead of harder,” Comparato said. “You lose the ball, you want to make the play, but then you’re overcompensating and you create a foul where you didn’t need to. Just recoil, recycle, start over. Especially when we’re defending out of the back box.”

Paden scored the equalizer in the 31st minute on a ball that seemed like a pass inside that bounced beyond the reach of the Olathe Northwest goalkeeper.

Lawrence’s offense slowed down in the second half, and Comparato believes exhaustion was the primary culprit. More rotations and substitutions for the Lions are likely ahead to keep the team fresher late, Comparato said.

“We have 22 on this varsity roster, and everybody can play, everybody can contribute,” Comparato said. “Some of it is situational at times, some of it is positional. But I have no problem with any of the subs we need to make at any time.”

The Ravens were on the attack for the final half, and Lawrence’s defense held up for the most part. Senior goalkeeper Noah Schmidt had back-to-back saves 10 minutes into the second half, and the Lawrence defense kept the Ravens from shooting the ball in the box for the most part.

But the defense didn’t hold up for the entire night, as the Ravens scored with three minutes left in regulation. A miscommunication put the ball between Schmidt and the goal-scorer, and the Ravens beat Schmidt to the ball and put it in the net.

“They’re still getting used to each other,” Comparato said of the defense. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are back, but we also have a lot of new guys and freshmen that are contributing.”

Lawrence failed to tie it up in the final minutes and ended with the loss.

“When it’s 2-2 with five minutes left, that can go either way,” Comparato said. “We just made the mistake.”

Lawrence will be back in action on Tuesday to host Topeka Seaman at 6:15 p.m.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore Shinaayomi Akinniyi passes the ball in a game against Olathe Northwest on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Gavin Hayes jumps for a header in a game against Olathe Northwest on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Jackson Raney turns to the ball in a game against Olathe Northwest on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence senior Jasper Piepergerdes gets tangled up in a game against Olathe Northwest on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Lawrence.