Packer boys roll past Lake City
Published 12:19 am Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Austin's Francisco Torres celebrates his goal in the first half against Lake City in the first round of the Section 1A Tournament at Art Hass Stadium Tuesday night. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin boys soccer team didn’t waste any time showing it meant business as it rolled past No. 15 seeded Lake City (2-14 overall) by a score of 10-0 in a first round Section 1A tournament game in Art Hass Stadium Tuesday.
Austin's Zach Robinson holds off Lake City's Jack Falvey while moving the ball forward in the first half of their Section 1A tournament game Tuesday night at Art Hass Stadium. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin junior Jake Hagen-Erickson scored three goals in the first 11 minutes of the contest, including a 30-yard blast and a score off of a crossing pass from Jordan Bentley to get the ball rolling.
“You’ve got to come out and figure out your tone right away at sections,” Austin head coach Jens Levisen said. “I don’t believe in playing down to a team. I believe in playing at the level you’re capable of playing and we did a good job of that tonight.”
The No. 2 seeded Packers (10-3-3 overall) continued to play at a high level throughout the night as Francisco Torres scored two goals in the first 18 minutes — one on a breakaway off an assist from Hagen-Erickson and another off an assist from Roel Torres.
Nick Brehmer made it a 6-0 game with eight minutes left in the half on an assist from Franco Ortiz.
After Hagen-Erickson scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half to give him 26 on the season, it was time for some other Austin players to get a chance.
Tyler Stevens, a senior defender scored his first career varsity goal off a rebound on a missed penalty kick by Barush Terrazas. Stevens was lined up at forward on the play, thanks to his hairstyle.
Austin's Tyler Stevens pressures Lake City's Brandyn Oliver during first half play in their opening game of the Section 1A Tournament Tuesday night at Art Hass Stadium. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“Coach and I had a bet that if I put my hair in a comb-over I’d get seven minutes at varsity forward and I took it,” Stevens said.
Stevens was thrilled to get the chance to score, thanks to the fast start the Packers had. He also did his job on defense as Austin keeper Collin Weisert had to make just two effortless saves on the night.
“We’ve had some trouble getting going in the beginning against teams like this in the past,” Stevens said. “But everyone came out with intensity and everyone played hard.”
Austin’s final goal may have been the shot of the night, when junior Abinyan Lual drove one from 20-yards out that bent into the upper left corner of the net.
“It dropped nice, he took it off his foot nice and it was just a rocket,” Levisen said of Lual’s score. “We’d like some more of those.”
Austin's Barush Terrazas tries to get around Lake City's Brandyn Oliver during the first half of their opening round game of the Section 1A Tournament at Art Hass Stadium. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Packers will host No. 7 Byron (9-6-2 overall) Thursday at 7 p.m. Austin beat the Bears 1-0 Sept. 26.
