Coach Todd Lange wasn’t making any excuses for the Albert Lea High School girls’ soccer team.

If he had, however, he would have had a dandy.

A night earlier the Tigers faced Rochester Mayo in an emotional season-opening 1-1 tie, and they were caught a bit off guard by a tough Rochester Lourdes crew in a 3-0 loss Saturday morning at Hammer Field. All three of the Eagles’ goals came in the first 12 minutes of play.

&uot;I don’t want to make any excuses, but the girls were a little tired coming in after Friday night’s game against Mayo,&uot; said Lange. &uot;We were not ready for their skill level. We adjusted for it, but they were ready right off the bat.&uot;

And the Eagles have a strong team, returning many players from last year’s state tournament squad. They’re rated No. 9 in the state in Class A.

For the game, Lourdes outshot the Tigers 8-6.

Amy Ravenhorst played a strong game at midfield for the Tigers, according to Lange, who said Steph Overgaard was &uot;a rock&uot; on defense. JV players Jodi Hestness and Kelly Cook joined the varsity because of injuries and played well, said Lange.

The Tigers host Owatonna Tuesday at 7 p.m.