Friday was a day of firsts for the soccer team. Playing Lee’s Summit in its first ever final four game, the team was facing a tough opponent. After a physical game, the team earned its first loss in the final four.

Lee’s Summit outplayed the Spartans and had a 2-0 lead in the second half. Even with the attempt at a comeback with senior Ryan Hutson’s goal, the team could not close the gap. According to senior Andrew Keller, the inability to score was the team’s greatest weakness.

“Not being able to finish,” senior Andrew Keller said. “It was there plenty of times, it just didn’t go our way. We got unlucky and couldn’t finish.”

The game may have ended in a loss, but prior to the game the boys were extremely excited and the roaring student section only increased their motivation, according to senior Max Kirkpatrick.

“I was probably the most pumped I’ve ever been all season in that atmosphere. It was one of the greatest feelings ever,” Kirkpatrick said.

After an aggressive game, the Spartans lost 2-1, but the crowd stayed by their side the entire time. For senior Jordan Henderson, the crowd, after travelling three hours to cheer on its Spartans, was impressive and pushed the team to play its best.

“I’d give [MVP] to the student section that travelled this far to come and watch us play. I don’t think we could do it without them,” Henderson said.

The student body that filled three entire buses to travel to Blue Springs on its Friday night impacted the entire team. These students braved temperatures in the 20s with only one goal: to watch their boys make Spartan history. Junior Colton Schweigert would not have had the same enthusiasm without the crowd.

“They were a big help. I don’t think I would have been twice as pumped if they didn’t come, they were just a huge help. It was great that they could all come out there and support us,” Schweigert said.

Although the team lost one Friday, its season is not over. The team will be playing for third place today, Sat. November 15. For Henderson, his experience on the team was one of a kind.

“Some of us have been lucky enough to play with each other since we were five or six years old and end up going to the same high school and kept playing together. We have great chemistry on the team, everyone gets along, so we might not be playing for first, but third place will mean something.”