In the last regular season game, the Cougars played the Lawrence Free State Firebirds. Northwest didn’t know what to expect from a Free State team who had played inconsistently this year. The Firebirds tied Olathe East, who defeated Northwest, but they also narrowly escaped a loss to the weak Leavenworth team.

Fortunately for Northwest, Free State came out slow. The Cougars put up five goals in the first half. Goal scorers were seniors David Fancher (2), Bill Kolega, Connor Holman, and Logan Knisley.

Many of Northwest’s starters played minimal minutes in the second half as to avoid injuries and possible suspensions going into playoffs. It showed. The NW defense conceded a goal early in the second half and the offense had trouble creating opportunities on goal. However, near the end of the game, junior Galen Gossman and freshman Cole Nelson were able to score to give the Cougars a final score victory of 7-1.

“Our team has been playing some of the best soccer we’ve played all year so we have a lot of confidence going into the postseason,” Fancher said. “We are hoping to make it all the way to the state championship.”