The Albert Lea and Austin boys’ soccer teams renewed a heated rivalry Tuesday in Albert Lea and the Packers came away with the last laugh with a 1-0 win over the Tigers.

At the 24:20 minute mark Luis Ruiz blasted a bending shot off a free kick to the near post that beat Albert Lea keeper Cameron Hove.

The rest of the game was a physical battle between the two schools with each team collecting a number of fouls. 

“It was a really physical game, a hard fought game,” Packers head coach Jens Levisen said. “Both teams were trying to create opportunities. This was a pretty big win for us. After tying and getting rained out against Albert Lea last season, it was nice to get a win in a full game.”

The Packers (4-0-1 overall, 1-0-1 Big Nine) attempted 18 shots, which varied from shots off the post, to shots that went soft and wide.

“We created a decent amount of scoring opportunities,” Levisen said.

Ruiz stepped up for the Packers when the team needed him most.

“We’ve got so many guys that can score on this team,” Levisen said. “It just goes back to always playing as a team and that’s huge.”

Austin goal keeper Ryan Rasell made 16 saves.