Boys soccer: Packers rally past KoMets in Section 1A quarterfinals
Published 9:53 pm Thursday, October 15, 2015
Austin’s Tucker Nelson puts a shot on goal during the first half against Kasson-Mantorville in their Section 1A quarterfinal match-up Thursday night. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin boys soccer team had a pair of seniors step up as they kept their season alive in a 4-1 win over No. 6 seeded Kasson-Mantorville in a Section 1A quarterfinal in Art Hass Stadium Thursday.
Austin’s Ochan Ochogi races Kasson-Mantorville’s Ross Wagener during the first half of their Section 1A quarterfinal game Friday night at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The No. 3 seeded Packers (9-5-4 overall) will now play in the Section 1A semifinals at Northfield 7 p.m. Monday.
Austin senior Alex Evenson scored the game-tying and go-ahead goals for the Packers and senior Ochan Ochogi scored the clinching goal and he came up with a pinpoint crossing pass to Matias Parada, who slammed home Austin’s fourth goal of the night for good measure.
Evenson’s game-tying came on a breakaway with 25:47 left in the first half and he scored his second goal off a free kick by Ryan Kempen and re-direct by Parada with 32:09 left in the game.
“I was at the right place at the right time. It was an easy tap in,” Evenson said of his second goal. “I knew if we lost, we were done. I didn’t want to lose. I wanted to keep going and I knew we were better than this team.”
As the KoMets started to make their late push, Ochogi took over the game by getting loose for a breakaway goal to put Austin up 3-1 with 10:28 left in the game and just one minute later he was making a big pass to Parada for the last goal of the night.
Ochogi said the Packers’ attitude changed after KM’s Kollin Johnson scored from 20 yards out just six minutes into the game.
“When they scored the first goal, we weren’t focusing. We just had to focus and play our game,” Ochogi said. “We started passing well and then we started finishing. We iced the game right there. We knew we could win, we just had to play our game.”
Austin’s Ryan Kempen goes for a header above Kasson-Mantorville’s Ross Wagener in the first half of their quarterfinal match-up in the Section 1A tournament at Art Hass Stadium. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Levisen was pleased to see Ochogi rise to the occasion when the Packers needed to finish with authority.
“He’s been that captain throughout the season,” Levisen said. “It was nice to see him acting in that role tonight. Being that vocal leader, but also being the leader with the ball at his feet. He was trying to make opportunities, trying to make runs and leading the team. It was a very solid effort by Ochan tonight.”
After the KoMets (8-8-2 overall) scored the first goal of the night, they were content to sit back and play defense. Even after the Packers tied the game at 1-1, KM forced Austin to stay patient on offense by sitting back.
Levisen said his team is familiar with playing against that type of defense and that showed on Thursday.
“In the section tournament you’re going to play teams that pack it in,” he said. “Sometimes even before they score that first goal, they’re going to pack it in. The guys worked the ball different ways with quicker plays, they didn’t slow down and they kept after it.”
Austin out-shot KM 22-4 in the win.
The Packers will see a familiar opponent when they play at Northfield (9-7-2 overall) Monday. The Packers and Raiders played to a 1-1 tie Sept. 17.
“We’re going to go up there hungry. I think we left the field with that tie with some guys thinking we could’ve given more,” Levisen said.