SAVAGE — No matter how big the stage is, the Austin boys soccer team continues to show it is unflappable.

After winning the first Big Nine title in school history and advancing to the Minnesota Class A State Tournament for the first time since 2009, the Packers notched their first ever state tournament win in school history when they beat Bemidji 3-2 in overtime in Prior Lake High School Tuesday.

The Packers (18-0-2 overall) won the game when Lonyjera Okal blasted a 27-yard free kick off the hands of Bemidji keeper Jedidiah Bitter for the golden goal in overtime. Bitter, a sophomore, entered the game for the Lumberjacks (16-3-2 overall) when senior Adam Laakso was injured early on in the contest.

Okal has scored a lot of goals this season for Austin, including one that tied the game early in the second half, but none were sweeter than his game-winner on Tuesday.

“I was so happy to see that one go in,” Okal said. “It went straight and I thought he was going to get it, but the power was too much and it bounced off him. That was my best goal of the year.”

Austin had taken a 2-1 lead early in the second half when Mooday Wah knocked in a header. Austin had trailed 1-0 at halftime, despite outshooting Bemidji 8-4 in the opening frame, but Wah said the team never felt any panic.

“We were down 1-0, but we knew we weren’t going to lose the game. We had all of the possession, our passes were there and everyone was hungry for the ball,” Wah said. “The adrenaline was kicking in [in the second half] and we were all heated and pumped to get back out and finish the game. We just had to be cool and play our game and do us. The results will come.”

Austin had a little trouble getting into its offense in the first half as the team was missing junior midfielder Kevin Ortiz, who was serving a one-game suspension for getting two yellow cards in the Section 1A title game. Wah initially played in Ortiz’s role, but Austin head coach Jens Levisen turned to junior defender Victor Velazquez to play midfield in the second half.

“[Mooday] did fine, but that’s not where he’s passionate about playing and you could see he wasn’t quite his normal self,” Levisen said. “We wanted to control the midfield and we put Vic up there. Vic’s a solid player and he can play pretty much wherever I put him. It was a huge team effort and it was guys being flexible.”

Velazquez wasn’t sure if he was going to be playing midfield on Tuesday, but he was ready when Levisen called on him.

“I adjusted really well to it,” Velazquez said. “I felt like I did pretty well, but I started to tire towards the end because I’m not used to that position.”

Bemidji forced the overtime period when John Chadwick scored off a free kick with 7:11 left in regulation and the Lumberjacks jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Ben Hess scored with 14:35 left in the first half.

Austin finished with 18 shots on goal and Josh Brehmer had four saves.

The win over Bemidji was Austin’s fifth win of the season that came by just one goal.

Ortiz will return to the lineup for the Packers when they take on St. Thomas Academy in a Minnesota Class A state semifinal game in USBank Stadium Monday at 2 p.m.