Game of inches: Packers settle for a tie after close call with Huskies – Austin Daily Herald

Sometimes the result of the game comes down to a measurement that is the smallest of margins.

That was the case for the Austin boys soccer team against Owatonna on Thursday night, as a matter of inches forced the Packers to settle for a 1-1 tie in Art Hass Stadium.

The Packers produced no less than five solid scoring chances in the game’s final 15 minutes and none were closer than a 28-yard free kick by Leo Hernandez that deflected off of the cross bar with 11:16 left in the game.

“We were inches away from winning the game. Literally, inches away. It’s frustrating, but it’s soccer,” Hernandez said. “We’re improving a lot and the boys are getting better. From the first game to this game, we’re a completely different team.”

Austin (1-2-2 overall) saw plenty of adversity in the first half as the Huskies (0-2-1 overall) took an early 1-0 lead on a penalty kick by Jacob Gillespie with 3:20 left in the first half. Austin tied the game when freshman Law Htoo juked a defender and scored, but then Austin keeper Kyler Flanders went down with an injury.

Yair Lazaro Aviles made two saves in relief of Flanders who returned in the second half to make some big saves.

“I battled through a headache at the end, but I knew the boys would battle and they would have my back,” said Flanders, who finished with eight saves. “The defense makes my job so easy.  I was a little scared at the end, but I think I have unworldly confidence and I believe in myself a lot.”

While they didn’t produce a goal, the Packers had plenty of big chances in the second half. J’dan Stevens also almost gave Austin the lead when he netted in a 20-yard shot just seconds after play was stopped for a foul on the Huskies.

Austin head coach Jens Levisen said he’ll look at the game as a positive, even though the team would rather win than tie.

“We went down early, but the kids kept fighting all game,” Levisen said. “They’re playing how we want them to play. Owatonna wanted to keep the ball in the air because they’re so much taller, but we wanted to keep it on the ground and we did that. That created a lot of opportunities.”