Packers blank Waseca 3-0 in playoff opener

The No. 2 seed Austin boys soccer team dominated possession, but it had to settle for a 3-0 win when it eliminated No. 7 Waseca (2-12-2 overall) in a Section 1AA quarterfinal in Art Hass Stadium Monday.

The Packers (8-7-2 overall) out-shot the Bluejays 15-2, but Austin had some bad luck bounces off the post as it wasn’t able to break the game open.

Law Htoo scored on a breakaway for Austin just six minutes into the game and Taw Reh scored a few minutes later, but the Packers didn’t net their third goal until Anthony Thawson scored with 4:21 left in the game.

“We’re frustrated by the score, but we were able to get off a lot of shots,” Austin senior Fernando Hernandez said.

Mikael Nieto Cortez had two saves to score his fourth shutout of the season for Austin.

The Packers have been able to stay consistent this season, despite having a different mix of varsity players in and out of the lineup.

“We tell our younger guys to play the game they love like they always have, except it’s faster than JV,” Hernandez said.

Austin will now host either No. 3 Byron in a Section 1AA semifinal at 7 p.m. Thursday. The winner of that game will play in the Section 1AA championship in Byron at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Austin won at Byron 3-1 on Oct. 3, but the Packers know that they’ll get a tough effort from the Bears on Thursday.

“We can’t go in too confident,” said Reh. We can’t be cocky.”