When it mattered most the Albert Lea boys’ soccer team came through with one of its finest performances of the season Tuesday in a 3-2 win over Byron in the opening round of the section 1A playoffs in Byron.

The Tigers, a No. 12 seed, came back from a goal deficit in the second half to win 3-2 with two minutes left to play when forward Oscar Hernandez scored his second goal of the game. Hernandez scored after he received a through ball from Adam Clark in the 78th minute and dribbled around the goalkeeper to advance Albert Lea to the second round.

“He’s a big game player,” Tigers head coach Elia Romano said of Hernandez. “He brings a very consistent approach to the game.”

Hernandez also scored the equalizer in the 72nd minute on a header from a Jairo Campos corner kick.

The Bears, the No. 5 seed, had taken the lead on a penalty kick in the 65th minute of play but instead of getting upset about the goal and the call, Albert Lea devoted its energy to the attack and started to dominate the game in the later stages.

“That penalty kick was the best thing that could have happened to us,” Romano said. “We started flat out attacking and we really poured it on.”

Early in the season a penalty kick that late in the game could have been a real blow to the team, but the Tigers have learned to play from behind and also come from behind.

“There was a noticeable change in the atmosphere,” Romano said. “We started committing defenders up the field … the last 15 minutes we had them pinned in.”

Romano said it was the best he’s seen the team play this season as it has battled injury, consistency and defensively lapses. Last time out against Byron, the Tigers gave up three goals on set pieces and lost in the final minute of play.

“It was a great soccer game,” Romano said. “Both teams played really well. It looked like two different soccer teams.”

After Hernandez scored his first goal he assisted on an Adam Clark goal that briefly gave Albert Lea a 2-1 lead. The Bears came back in the next minute of play and headed the ball home to tie the game at 2-2 but Hernandez wasn’t about to give up on the game as he came back to score the game winner with two minutes left.

The heroics of Hernandez were one thing but Romano was equally impressed with the effort from the defense.

“It was an 11-man effort,” Romano said. “The defense was just outstanding. “This was a tough night to be a defender. Every time we made a mistake there were already two defenders behind the ball.”

Albert Lea will face Caledonia Thursday in Caledonia. The Warriors finished the regular season with an 11-4-1 record and are the No. 4 seed in the tournament.