On a rain-soaked and mud-covered pitch, Winona slipped past the Albert Lea boys’ soccer team in the regular-season finale for both squads.

The Winhawks had more than three times as many shots on goal than the Tigers, but Albert Lea’s defense held them to one goal.

“Our defense played great,” said Albert Lea goalie Foster Otten. “They (Winona) didn’t have many opportunities at all, and the one goal they did score was off a lucky (unintentional) deflection in the middle.”

Winona’s Michael Speltz found the net with 3:18 before halftime, and that was the difference as the Tigers fell 1-0 Thursday on Senior Night at Jim Gustafson Field.

The score was set up by a foul that happened in front of the box and turned into a free kick for the Winhawks.

“They were both running hard for the ball, they got tripped up and slid into each other,” said Albert Lea coach Joe Squires. “I can’t necessarily take a whole lot away from this because the rain played so much of a factor.”

Offensively, Albert Lea’s Jerry Halstead had a pair of promising opportunities in the second half, but Winona’s defense rose to the occasion both times.

In preparation for the moisture, Squires said the team utilized soft-ground cleats. However, judging by the number of wipeouts, it was tough for either team to maintain a solid foothold.

“It was just really slippery,” Otten said. “Every step I took I was worried I was going to slip, and then the ball was bouncing everywhere.”

Despite the conditions, Squires was proud of Otten’s effort between the posts.

“It didn’t really seem like the rain affected him at all,” Squires said. “He was moving well and getting to the ball. He had good control of it.”

Squires will have a meeting to figure out the Section 1A seeding on Sunday. Albert Lea has only won one Big Nine Conference game. However, the Tigers fared much better in the section. Albert Lea (4-11-1 overall, 1-9-1 Big Nine Conference, 3-4 Section 1A) would be set up with the No. 6 seed out of 17 teams if the QRF ranking system was used to select the seeds — like it will be for Albert Lea’s girls’ soccer team.

However, the Sunday meeting will be used to determine seeds instead of the QRF, Squires said.

“If they put us down toward the bottom, we’re going to be coming out with a vengeance,” he said.