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Lawrence High’s Sidra Besson braces for the swarm of teammates looking to join her and Layla Simmons in a hug after Besson scored a goal during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Lawrence High girls soccer leveraged several Free State miscues into a 4-2 victory in the City Showdown Thursday night.
Senior Sidra Besson knocked in three of the goals on free and penalty kicks, while freshman Layla Simmons chipped in another for the Lions.
“We took advantage of mistakes and scored when we needed to,” Lawrence head coach Joe Comparato said.
The Lions entered the road matchup scorching hot, having won four of five contests to open the season while outscoring its opponents 13-2.
Free State head coach Tyson Heck said that his squad was keenly aware of the Lions’ near-juggernaut status leading into the rivalry clash.
“A lot of the discussion this week was that they knew LHS was competitive, had a great record, and were going to really challenge us in pretty much every aspect on the field,” Heck said.
Heck noted that the Firebirds really started to believe they could compete after senior Cara Jeffries’ penalty kick near the 15-minute mark of the first half sailed through the net for a 1-0 Free State lead.
“Once we got that first goal, it changed the mindset,” Heck said. “And they knew they could bring that level of competition.”
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Free State’s Cara Jeffries celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
However, the lead was short-lived. Simmons and Besson scored in quick succession for a 2-1 Lions’ lead. Around 25 minutes into the second half, Besson drilled a penalty kick after getting Free State’s goalie to commit in the wrong direction, extending the Firebirds’ lead to two goals.
With around 11 minutes showing on the clock, Besson lofted a perfectly placed direct kick over several Lawrence defenders, past the goalie, and into the top right corner of the net for a 4-1 advantage. But Free State didn’t go quietly, as Wittney Bogart’s goal with just under seven minutes remaining sliced the deficit to 4-2.
“They had all the opportunity to hang their heads and close themselves out early in the second half,” Heck said. “But they battled all the way until the end, and I appreciate that kind of effort.”
Comparato said that the primary difference between the team’s torrid start to the season and its struggles the previous two years is the Lions’ ability to parlay penalties into points.
“We’ve been in a lot of situations where we had those free kicks, even around the box, and we didn’t finish them,” Comparato said. “When you can finish set pieces in this league, you can win games. And so far this year, that’s been a success of ours.
… “This was a game where you had to make plays when you had the opportunity to make them.”
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Lawrence High’s Sidra Besson sends the ball into the corner of the net away from Free State’s goalkeeper during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Besson, who notched the hat trick, said that her confidence was sky high for the much-hyped rivalry match.
“I trusted myself and my ability to kick the ball,” she said.
Both Comparato and Besson said they’ve been impressed by Simmons’ impact as a freshman.
“I don’t want to say it’s surprising, because she has a lot of capabilities, but I will say that she’s exceeding what I expected,” he said.
Comparato added that Simmons possesses “awesome vision” on the field and is technical with the ball.
“She sees the runs before they happen, and she’s able to get to the ball,” he said. “The vision she has is ridiculous.”
Others like Besson have been blown away by Simmons’ speed. But Simmons said she entered the campaign with a somewhat undefined role, recounting that she was unavailable for tryouts due to a commitment with the LHS basketball team.
“But they said I was on varsity, so I just started practicing with them,” she said of Comparato and company. “So being on varsity and starting is really amazing.”
Comparato added that he was familiar with Simmons through the club circuit and knew “what we had” with the uber-talented freshman.
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Lawrence High’s Maggie Wagner kicks the ball during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Austin Van Meter/Van Meter Photo
Free State’s Madeleine Landry and Lawrence High’s MJ Sachs battle for the ball during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Austin Van Meter/Van Meter Photo
Lawrence High’s Ginny Besson and Free State’s Zoe Prier chase after the ball during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Austin Van Meter/Van Meter Photo
Free State’s Cara Jeffries kicks the ball during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Austin Van Meter/Van Meter Photo
Lawrence High’s Lily Poteete looks over the toward the bench area after securing the ball during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Austin Van Meter/Van Meter Photo
Free State’s Wittney Bogart puts her hands to head during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Austin Van Meter/Van Meter Photo
Lawrence High’s MJ Sachs, Erin Derby and Maggie Wagner run back up the field after a Lions’ goal during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
Austin Van Meter/Van Meter Photo
Free State’s Madeleine Landry walks up the field with a sullen look as Lawrence High players celebrate in the background during the girls soccer edition of the City Showdown on April 9 at Free State High School in Lawrence.
