Roadblock at the Bank: Packers bid for a title comes to a halt in the Class A state semifinals
Published 9:52 pm Tuesday, October 30, 2018
- Austin keeper Casey Berg leans over teammate Elton Tolbert following the Packers’ semifinal loss in the Minnesota Class A Boys State Soccer Tournament Tuesday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Phåotos by Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
MINNEAPOLIS — The Packers ran into a roadblock for the second straight year in the Minnesota Class A State Boys Soccer Semifinals when they lost to The Blake School by a score of 3-1 in USBank Stadium Tuesday.
The Packers trailed 2-0 at halftime and they weren’t able to create a lot of scoring opportunities throughout the contest.
Austin will play in the third place game against Academy of Holy Angels in USBank Stadium at 10 a.m. this morning
Austin’s Caleb Simerson works to control the ball along the sidelines in the first half. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
While the Packers graduate a lot of talented players after this — including all-staters Kevin Ortiz and Victor Velazquez — the team showed its future against Blake as sophomore Henry Tolbert scored the team’s lone goal and sophomore Casey Berg made a pair of leaping saves.
“We changed our formation a little bit and we tried to get a few more looks, but we weren’t able to get any to go,” Austin head coach Jens Levisen said.
This is the third time the Packers have played in a state tournament in school history and it is the second straight year the Packers have played in the semifinals.
Austin took third place at state last season.
The Packers won their first Big Nine title in school history last season and they shared the Big Nine title with Rochester Mayo this season.
Read more here: Under Pressure: Packer boys struggle to find opportunities as they fall in the state semis 3-1 to The Blake School
