The Albert Lea football squad had its best showing of the season but failed to clinch a victory Friday night in Winona. The Winhawks defeated the Tigers 28-20.

Albert Lea coach Kevin Armbrust said the Tigers got off to a slow start in the first half. The halftime score was 14-7.

“Our guys played hard, but we’ve got to fix some mental mistakes,” he said.

Armbrust mentioned the Tigers began with low energy and didn’t take advantage of opportunities. He said false starts and other penalties led to third-and-long situations.

On the bright side, Armbrust noted the team’s improvement on defense but said the defenders still need to do better to close holes.

“It was essentially a two-play game,” he said.

And he said the Tigers’ offense eventually opened up the pass game, which allowed the team to open up the run game. He said more aggressive passing will be a tool he, as coach, can use going into coming games.

Next, Albert Lea (0-4 overall, 0-4 Big Nine Conference) will play at 7 p.m. Friday at Rochester Century (3-1 overall, 3-1 Big Nine Conference). The Panthers are coming off a 31-12 home win against Rochester John Marshall.