The Austin boys soccer team had its hopes of an undefeated season slip away in a 1-0 loss to Faribault in Art Hass Stadium Tuesday.

The Packers (5-1 overall, 3-1 Big Nine) made a big late push, but Faribault keeper Josiah Hoisington stopped a pair of point blank looks in the last 20 minutes of the game. The Falcons (4-1 overall, 2-1 Big Nine) had taken a 1-0 lead when Abdiwahab Abudllahi connected on a 20-yard free kick with 11:52 left in the first half.

The loss was a tough one for the Packers to take, but head coach Jens Levisen said he hopes his team uses it as motivation for the rest of the season.

“This will be that thing that drives them and burns them,” Levisen said. “I remember as a kid hearing [former Olympic wrestler] Dan Gable talk about struggling with defeat, but there’s so much value in defeat. The value is there if you get up and learn from it and continue to push yourself to get better. We always talk as a team that one day will be our day.”

Austin’s Chris Kirchgatter made six saves, including a diving stop in the first half, and the Packers fired off 13 shots on goal. The Falcons, who played in the Class A state tournament last year, were able hold on by keeping the Packers at bay for much of the second half.

“They have experience. They went to the state tournament last year and they know how to defend,” Levisen said. “They know how to kick the ball high and long and we have to be aware that they’re going to do that and we have to attack the way that we want to attack.”