The Austin girls soccer team had some nerves and a few learning experiences as a bulk of their players experienced the varsity level for the first time in a 6-0 loss to Mankato East Thursday in Art Hass Stadium.

The Cougars (1-1-1 overall, 1-0-1 Big Nine) jumped out to a 2-0 lead early on when Natalie Schisel connected on a 15-yard shot in the 11th minute of the game and Megan Gaerets scored her first of two goals in the 13th minute.

East held a 4-0 halftime lead.

“We had a lot of players with this being their first game ever underneath the lights,” Austin head coach Jake Levisen said. “That was awesome for them to experience and to have their first varsity game be at home. They’re finding their rhythm and there were some good highlights in the second half. The goal is to make that happen for 80 minutes.”

The Packers (0-1 overall, 0-1 Big Nine) tallied four shots in the loss. Senior Cassidy Nangle stopped eight of the 12 shots she saw in the first half for Austin and Robin Weaver stopped seven of the nine shots she saw in the second half.

Levisen said the team will continue to work hard in practice as the Packers will gain experience throughout the season.

“In practice we really focus on combination plays and attacking through,” Levisen said. “They’re used to having heavy pressure. This was a great game to have us really focus on personal goals and team goals. We’ll keep on looking forward.”