photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior defenseman Ryder Konek-Ermey kicks the ball on a free kick in a 2-2 road tie against Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Olathe.

OLATHE — Free State soccer battled back from a two-goal deficit in a wet, rainy match against Olathe West on Wednesday, finishing with a double overtime tie.

The prior week was a tough one, with Free State losing 4-0 to Shawnee Mission West and 4-1 to Olathe East, dropping the Firebirds to 4-4. Some injuries and communication errors led to the losses a week ago.

“The team as a whole stepped up really well,” Free State coach Tyson Heck said. “There’s a lot of people coming off the bench playing in that game and battling really hard.”

The field conditions were poor from the start, with the turf field splashing water when players kicked the ball. It led to a little bit of inconsistency for both teams, but the Firebirds were pleased with how they faced the challenge.

“I was really happy with the way we dealt with it,” senior forward Kaiden Helm said. “It usually affects a lot of stuff, but honestly we played better than we have all season in the rain. We were all feeling really good. Those two goals didn’t feel like anything.”

It would’ve been easy for the Firebirds to punt on this game, coming off a bad week and getting down early in a game with terrible playing conditions. But the team rallied and made sure to have fun playing together. Heck saw the group have good spirits before the game and keep that energy even when the score turned.

“That’s been one of our struggles: We get down and we check ourselves out of the game,” Heck said. “We talked about it at the beginning — the conditions suck, but let’s have fun. Let’s have a good time doing this. The captains stepped up, they had a great time out there.”

The Owls scored in the eighth minute for the only goal of the first half. The Firebirds didn’t have many shots on goal in the half, where the rain was the heaviest.

Olathe West added another goal in the 50th minute to take a 2-0 lead. Despite the deficit, the Firebirds continued to push and had more offensive rhythm in the second half. Free State put more shots together and had more possession in the final third of the field.

“The connection we had in the first half kind of fell apart in the final third,” Helm said. “We were finally able to connect on those chances and score goals to come back.”

The Firebirds found the net when Helm passed to senior forward Raleigh Jeter, who popped the ball up and in the net.

Free State’s defense faced a few challenges in the second half, but plays by senior goalkeeper Micah Jones and junior defenseman Kaysan Haque kept the Owls from scoring after Free State’s first goal.

The Firebirds tied it up with 10 minutes left in the match, as Helm got his own goal deep in the final third.

Neither team scored in the final 10 minutes of regulation or in the first and the second overtime. Free State comes away with a 2-2 tie after looking for the win, but the Firebirds have a lot to take away from this game. Heck said the game is fun as long as the team makes it fun. The team learned how it can battle back from deficits, as long as they stick together and keep spirits high.

“That is the best we’ve played all season, and we’ll definitely turn that into our next games with confidence,” Helm said. “In soccer and sports like this, it’s so important to have momentum because you really feel like you can do anything when you have it.”

Free State is next scheduled to host Shawnee Mission South at home on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior forward Kaiden Helm eyes the ball on a corner kick in a 2-2 road tie against Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Free State senior midfielder Ryan Mastrosimone runs to keep possession of the ball in a 2-2 road tie against Olathe West on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Olathe.