While Aberdeen Central did not lose on Tuesday evening, the Golden Eagles had multiple opportunities to secure a victory that slipped through their fingers.

Central ended up finishing in a 1-1 draw against Watertown during an Eastern South Dakota Conference boys’ soccer contest at Brownell Activities Complex.

“That’s what happens when you don’t put a team away. We had how many chances in the first 20 minutes of the game? We don’t score any of them and the result of that is you kind of leave it 50-50,” said Central coach Lance Mohr. “That’s what I told them at halftime. I told them to go out and finish the game. We had 2-3 great chances in the first 10 minutes. We don’t finish the game and they get one. That’s what happens when you leave the door open.”

Not only that, but the Golden Eagles had a golden opportunity on a penalty kick in the final minute of the game. However, Tyler Bain’s attempt hit the top of the cross bar and bounded away.

“We had an opportunity to snatch that win, but that happens,” Mohr said. “Tyler’s a good player. He’ll take the next one for us. He knows where to put it. He hit a good shot, it was just a little high.”

Bryson Burgard scored in the opening half to give the Golden Eagles a solid start, but the squad wasn’t able to build on that early momentum.

“I feel like we just have to capitalize on our chances,” said Central senior Isaac Vander Weyst.

Instead, it was Watertown that kept pressuring the Golden Eagles until eventually breaking through on a picture-perfect goal, threatening on one side of the net before firing a pass to the other side for a wide open shot.

“It was an excellent play by them to get into that space,” Mohr said, “and they did and they buried it.”

Central was still able to keep their pre-season goals in tact of not losing at home and winning the ESD.

“We think about it some,” Vander Weyst said of those goals, “but not too much to where it bothers us during games.”

Mohr thinks that last week’s setback to Sioux Falls Lincoln was still weighing on the players’ minds entering the Watertown contest.

“It’s kind of drug out from last game, too. That was a big emotional loss for us,” Mohr said. “I thought we came out with the right intention today, but it kind of just wore on us. We started lunging and getting out of character a little bit in the second half.”

Central has a huge ESD game at Yankton on Saturday. The contest has major implications for the conference and for seeding in the upcoming playoffs.

Vander Weyst said the team has to come in with the right mindset.

“I think just having the right mentality,” Vander Weyst said. “I think that our mentality might have been a little weaker today … we just have to come in with fire.”

Mohr said the Golden Eagles will be ready to go for the key matchup.

“It’s just a tough game.” Mohr said. “We’ll be ready for that challenge, watch some film, get better after this, and go from there.”

Watertown 0 1 – 1

Aberdeen Central 1 0 – 1

First Half: 1, AC, Bryson Burgard, 32nd minute.

Second Half: 2, W, Carson Schlacht (Roger Carranza), 71st minute.

Goalies: Watertown, Owen Muller (6 saves); Aberdeen Central, Koltin Swearingen (5 saves).Shots on Goal: Watertown 6; Aberdeen Central 7.