Free State boys soccer held strong in 1st half against Olathe West before Owls unleash furious scoring stretch in 5-0 loss for Firebirds

Lindsay Ryan/Lawrence Sports

Free State’s Reed NaPier and Micah Jones react to the ball going in for one of Olathe West’s five goals in a 5-0 home loss on Oct. 7, 2025.

Free State boys soccer had hoped last week’s 3-2 home win over Shawnee Mission East would be the turning point following a four match losing streak entering the midpoint of the season.

That hope looked promising in the early going of the Firebirds matchup with a highly ranked Olathe West squad.

But a second-half stretch where the Owls scored four goals in 20 minutes took away Free State’s hopes of continuing its winning momentum, instead falling 5-0 against Olathe West on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at Free State High School.

Free State had some early chances, taking five shots within the first eight minutes. Firebirds senior forwards Trenton Cozadd and Aydin Haque both had close-range attempts, but Olathe West freshman goalkeeper Jordan Freemon made a pair of saves to keep the match scoreless in the opening minutes.

The Firebirds kept control of the ball for most of the first half, limiting the Owls to just one shot on goal in the first 21 minutes. However, it only took Olathe West two shots to break the early 0-0 stalemate.

Olathe West senior forward Cristiano Palacios connected from 12 feet out, sneaking one into the top right corner of the net.

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Lindsay Ryan/Lawrence Sports

Free State’s Kaiden Helm battles for possession of the ball during a boys soccer match against Olathe West on Oct. 7, 2025 at Free State High School in Lawrence.

The Owls nearly doubled their lead on two different occasions over the next 10 minutes. After one shot hit off the post in the 24th minute, the Owls put the ball into the net again in the 27th minute only for an offsides call to wipe it away.

Free State responded to the second of those close calls by pushing the action back toward the Olathe West goal, where the Firebirds earned a free kick in the 28th minute. But the Firebirds’ shot sailed high.

Late in the half, Olathe West applied heavy pressure again, earning a pair of corner kicks. But Free State’s defense held strong with junior goalkeeper Micah Jones recording three saves in the final 12 minutes to keep the score close at 1-0.

After a close first half, the Owls took over in the second.

Olathe West senior forward Cesar Franco took two shots within the opening minute. Jones saved the first, but Franco converted the second off the post for Olathe West’s second goal.

Free State boys soccer vs. Olathe West, Lindsay Ryan-15

Photographer/Outlet

Free State’s Eli Stone dribbles the ball past an Olathe West player.

In the 51st minute, Jones deflected another shot from Franco, but Olathe West senior Miguel Romero was there for a two-foot tap-in for goal No. 3.

Palacios struck again in the 61st minute, his team-leading ninth goal of the season, and Romero added his second goal of the match just two minutes later with a 20-foot left-footed strike to extend the lead to 5-0.

Free State managed just five shots in the second half: one missed high, two went wide, and three were stopped by Freemon.

The Firebirds have now lost five of their last six games after starting the season 3-1-1. Free State currently sits firmly in 12th out of 18 teams in the 6A West region. Olathe West improved to 9-1-1 with the victory, staying tied with Lawrence High for second place in the Sunflower League and third in the 6A East bracket.

Free State’s next match is against Olathe South at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 at Olathe District Activity Center in Olathe.