Penalty kick late in first half changes everything as QU men’s soccer team falls to Maryville

QUINCY — Deflating is the best way to describe it.

Having gone toe-to-toe with Maryville for 44 scoreless minutes Sunday afternoon, the Quincy University men’s soccer team was poised to go to the locker room with the satisfaction of a halftime draw and the belief anything was possible in the second half.

One sequence changed everything.

The Hawks committed a foul in the penalty area with 31 seconds left in the half, giving the Saints’ Mason Crew a penalty kick, which he converted for a 1-0 lead. Quincy never recovered, allowing two second-half goals in a 3-0 loss in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Legends Stadium.

Quincy has lost four of its last five games and sits 2-5-3 overall and 0-4-1 in the GLVC.

The first half was relatively even with both teams attempting four shots, but the Hawks were held without a shot in the second half and finished with only one shot on goal. The Saints (5-3-1, 4-0-1 GLVC) owned a 12-4 advantage in shots overall.