The Austin boys soccer team came on strong, but it was too late as it lost 2-1 in overtime to Mankato East in Art Hass Stadium Thursday.

Austin senior Sean Baker had a game-winning shot float about three feet over the net with three minutes left in regulation and Austin’s Matias Parada had a game-tying shot stopped by a diving save with 40 seconds left in the second overtime.

The Cougars (2-10-1 overall, 2-6-1 Big Nine) won the game when Ben Schwartz connected on a free kick in the first overtime, but it was East’s first goal that gave it momentum. The Cougars got on the board when a loose ball deflected off of one of their players’ mid-section and the ball bounced into the back corner of the net to put East up 1-0 early in the game.

“It was just unlucky the way that that fell. In terms of our response to it, we need to keep working on our composure,” Austin head coach Jens Levisen said. “We need to realize if something happens we’ve got to come back and continue to play with that level of intensity.”

The Packers (6-4-3 overall, 4-3-2 Big Nine) got on the board when Baker connected on a penalty kick with 34 minutes left in the second half.

Austin out-shot East 10-6 on the night, but it wasn’t able to connect on enough opportunities.

Levisen hopes Thursday’s loss gives the Packers motivation for Saturday’s game at Byron.

“Byron is a section opponent and we recognize going into Saturday that that’s a big one,” he said. “We’ll have to come out with that sense of urgency.”