Leawood Forest Stuns Liberty FC in Late Comeback Victory

By Tim Burr

Leawood, KS — Under the golden haze of a setting sun, Leawood Forest finally gave their home fans something to cheer about.

Sammy Habimana with the ball.

Coming into the match, Forest found themselves languishing near the bottom of the table, while visiting Liberty FC sat comfortably in fourth place. But standings didn’t tell the full story of a night where grit, persistence, and a second-half surge saw Forest pull off a thrilling 2-1 comeback.

From the opening whistle, it was clear Leawood Forest hadn’t shaken off the rust. The team looked disjointed, a side that hadn't played together in over two weeks — and indeed, they hadn’t. Missed passes and disconnected play plagued the early stages, and Liberty took advantage. Less than 15 minutes in, Liberty broke through with a clinical strike that beat the Forest keeper low to the far post.

Even with the late June sun shining directly into Liberty's eyes, Forest couldn’t find enough cohesion in the first half to mount much of a threat. But the story took a sharp turn after the break.

John Edward scored the match winner.

Revitalized and more composed, Forest began to click. Though several breakaway opportunities came and went without reward, their persistence paid off midway through the second half. Sammy Habimana, who had been a workhorse in the midfield, pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the box and coolly placed it into the bottom corner to level the match at 1-1.

The momentum shifted entirely. Then, with just about 10 minutes left on the clock, one of Forest’s most electric players of the night, John Edward, lit up the pitch. Bursting past defenders with blistering pace, Edward tucked the ball past the keeper off his own rebound to give Leawood Forest a 2-1 lead — a scoreline that would hold until the final whistle.

It marks Forest’s first home win of the season and continues their upward trajectory since the summer transfer window reshaped the squad. With confidence rising and chemistry building, they now set their sights on a road trip to Gladstone to face Northland FC on July 7. Northland, who fell to Woodland FC tonight, will be looking to bounce back — but they’ll face a Leawood Forest side that finally believes.