Packers tie No. 1 ranked Cougars
Published 10:46 pm Thursday, September 30, 2010
Austin's Andrew Striker fends off Mankato East's Abdifatah Aden during the first half of their game Thursday night at Art Hass Stadium. -- Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
It didn’t result in a win, but the Packers boys soccer team played its best game of the year in settling for a 1-1 tie with No. 1 ranked Mankato East in Art Hass Stadium Thursday.
It was the first non-win of the season for the Cougars (11-0-1 overall, 6-0-1 Big Nine), who scored with 10 minutes left in regulation to tie the game.
“It was a really great feeling,” said Austin forward Dante Ortiz. “We played like a team and that’s how we should play all the time. It was a really fun game.”
Austin's Nick Brehmer turns the ball toward the Mankato East goal during the first half Thursday night at Art Hass Stadium. -- Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Ortiz put the Packers (5-4-2 overall, 2-2-2 Big Nine) up 1-0 in the 44th minute when he hoisted a shot into the upper-right corner of the goal off a pass from Rolando Rubio, who broke down the defense with penetration.
“I was kind of nervous, but I thought one of the guys was going to slide tackle so I just took the shot,” said Ortiz.
Adam Osman put Mankato East on the board when he stole possession in the corner and hoisted a shot at a tough angle past Austin keeper Jesus Allejo, who had eight saves on the night.
“They’d been creating opportunities and that one was knocked so many different ways,” Austin head coach Jens Levisen said. “Somebody just got a foot onto it.”
Austin just missed taking a 2-1 lead when Erick Soto had a shot sail a couple feet over the net with 5:35 let in the game and Francisco Torres sailed a shot wide left of the goal with 10 seconds left in regulation.
The extra period saw both teams play solid defense as no shots on goal were attempted.
Levisen said his team was able to play the Cougars close after learning from a pair of 3-0 losses to Rochester Mayo and Rochester Lourdes earlier in the season.
“When we played Mayo and Lourdes we saw them attacking every ball and if it was a 50-50 ball they were right on it,” he said. “We knew that was something we’d have to do tonight if we wanted to be in the game with them. Our mids were on every ball and that was one of the biggest things.”
Allejo gave the Packers a solid effort as he made a big diving save with 12:26 left in regulation on a point blank look from the Cougars.
“Jesus did a heck of a job in the net,” Levisen said. “It was a total team effort. There wasn’t a gap between the mids and the forwards and everything flowed as one. They were confident and they trusted each other.”
