ROCHESTER &045; A slew of video cameras suggested that Tuesday’s girls’ soccer match at Mayo was a tie, but that’s not the way it will go down in the books.

Did a missed offsides call in the second overtime cost the Tigers the game?

Probably; not that it matters.

The game was a study in contrasts.

Mayo has a very direct style of play; kick the ball long and count on speed and physical size to make something happen.

The Tigers play an indirect style; circulate the ball then explode with a sudden burst of activity.

For 80 minutes of regulation, the two teams counter punched back and forth.

Mayo would send it down and Albert Lea would bring it back.

The Spartans put three times the shots on goal, but the Tiger defense wouldn’t let them convert.

At the end of regulation, two five minute overtimes were played.

With two minutes left before the tie, Albert Lea gambled and lost.

Several times in the game, keeper Kendra Olchefske went forward on set plays: direct kicks, corner kicks and throw-ins.

The frustration within the Spartans’ players and coaching staff at not being able to convert the open net was apparent to all.

Still fighting for the win, Olchefske went forward for the deep throw-in and was staring at mostly Mayo jerseys.

One of the Tigers got a handle on the throw-in and shot, directly into the Mayo keeper.

She drop kicked quickly to a midfielder who deep kicked it forward in the air.

A Mayo forward got a foot on it and a slow roller crossed the touch line for the goal.

The referee would not hear a captain’s protest that the forward was offside, so the goal stood.

The last two minutes were a flurry with the Spartans on their heels as the Tigers pressed their attack, but time ran out.

&uot;The team went to Mayo expecting a hard fought game and expecting to win,&uot; stated Rick Barnhill.

&uot;We could have bunkered in and settled for a tie, but Albert Lea doesn’t play for the tie.

Mayo is the first team to ever convert our aggressive keeper play into a score and we’ve used it to some degree against most of the teams we play, including top teams like Lourdes, Owatonna and Century.&uot;

The Spartans outshot the Tigers 17

to5 in regulation, but Albert Lea outshot them in overtime.

Time of possession in the attacking third of the field was almost dead even but the momentum in overtime was all Albert Lea’s.

The Tiger junior varsity and C-squad fared no better against Mayo, getting shut out 6-0 and 4-0, respectively.