Tigers dominate 1st half, falter in 2nd

The Albert Lea boys’ soccer team dominated the first half Friday against Waseca, scoring first and putting 11 shots on goal to Waseca’s four. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Tigers fell 2-1 in their season opener.

Callen Pirsig scored the Tigers’ (0-1) lone goal on a shot high at Waseca’s far post. Sean Laurie got the assist and the Albert Lea defense shutout the Bluejays, holding them to just four shots, and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Tigers held Waseca scoreless during the run of play, but an unlucky call and bounce let the Bluejays back into the game, along with the wrong mentality, according to head coach Elia Romano.

“We made a big mistake with our approach in the second half,” Romano said. “We really played into (Waseca’s) hands by playing frantically.”

With 15 minutes left, down 1-0, Waseca scored on a penalty kick to tie the game. 10 minutes later, this time on a free kick, the Bluejays shot the ball from 25 yards out. The ball deflected on the Tigers’ wall and dropped in under the post, sealing the win for Waseca.

“We left big hole in the midfield,” Romano said. “We should have settled back and made sure we didn’t leave to many cracks in the defense.”

The Tigers play again Tuesday at home against Winona at 7 p.m.