A slow start and rainy conditions at Wescott Field on Thursday night contributed to a close loss for the Austin boy soccer team against Albert Lea.
Visiting Albert Lea scored two early goals and made them stand up for a 2-1 win over the Packers in Big Nine Conference action.
The Tigers scored in the opening five minutes and added another goal midway through the first half. The Packers were unable to generate any offense in the opening 40 minutes and trailed 2-0 at halftime.
In the second half, things were a bit different as the Packers took control of the tempo.
Edgar Vargas finally broke the Austin scoring drought with 15 minutes left in the game. This was the ninth goal of the season for Vargas.
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"Edgar put it in the upper right hand corner off a direct kick," Austin coach Steve Modaff said. "It was a beautiful shot. We played it out tough in the last 15 minutes."
With the goal by Vargas, the Packers gained the momentum and put on a series of rushes at the Tigers' net. Yet, despite the final flurry there would be no more scoring in the close conference loss.
"We played really well in the second half and they were scrambling defensively," Modaff said. "But we just couldn't get another goal. Still, it was close the whole way and I was happy with the play all-around. We have a young team and we're still learning."
Austin (4-4-1, 2-3-1) plays at Mankato West on Saturday at 1 p.m.
