A remarkable season came to an end for the Albert Lea High School boys’ soccer team Saturday.

Monday, October 18, 1999

A remarkable season came to an end for the Albert Lea High School boys’ soccer team Saturday.

Seeded third in Section 1A, the Big Nine-Champion Tigers knew second-seeded Winona Cotter would present a challenge. But they didn’t anticipate a strong wind.

Cotter’s field is also larger than Albert Lea has become accustomed to playing on. With the wind and field hampering Albert Lea’s attack, the Tigers lost 1-0 to end their season at 11-5-3 overall.

&uot;We came out of the game feeling we played well, but we weren’t fortunate enough to win,&uot; said Albert Lea coach Jim Haun, adding the subsection semifinals is the farthest the team has advanced in post season play.

Outshooting Cotter 26-8 in the game, Haun added, &uot;We felt like we didn’t lose, but we didn’t win. It didn’t happen for us this time.&uot;

Scoring often this year with corner kicks and throw-ins, Haun said the wind and field took this away from Albert Lea.

&uot;We weren’t as affective with our corner kicks and throw-ins as we have been,&uot; the coach said. &uot;It was a combination of factors.&uot;

But he said the Tigers played well and set the game pace early, missing a number of close scoring opportunities.

Albert Lea outshot Cotter 13-7 in the first half. The team’s defense only faltered once when Cotter scored with five and a half minutes remaining in the first half.

With the wind advantage in the second half, Haun said the team still felt it could easily win. But Cotter’s goalie and defense thwarted numerous attacks; Albert Lea outshot Cotter 13-1 in the second.

&uot;Our guys played a very strong second half,&uot; Haun said. &uot;Their goalies played well. Their defense played well. This was a very evenly matched game.&uot;

While the loss was disappointing, this was a season of firsts for the Tigers, winning the Big Nine and advancing to the subsection semifinals. They were 10-1-3 in the Big Nine.

&uot;The highlight of the year was winning the Big Nine,&uot; Haun said. &uot;We had a tremendous group of seniors. They will be difficult to replace.&uot;