Quintero records hat trick in second game back from injury, Raiders whitewash another opponent

RIVERTON, Ill. — Welcome back, Gearshift.

Lia Quintero, the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team’s senior forward who has said her gameday hairstyle resembles a gearshift, is showing no signs of being slowed by the knee injury she suffered in the final minutes of last season’s Class 1A state semifinal victory.

After scoring twice in Monday’s season-opening victory at Hillsboro, Quintero netted her first hat trick of the season Wednesday night in a 10-0 victory over Riverton.

Quintero missed both the fall tennis season and the basketball season while recovering from knee surgery. She was finally cleared by doctors Monday for full contact and agreed to ease back into action with incremental minutes, starting with 10 minutes on the field and the next 10 minutes off.

Her first 10 minutes Wednesday were quite something.

The Raiders snared the lead just 27 seconds into the match as Makayla Patton intercepted a pass at midfield, danced through the defense and finished for a 1-0 lead. Quintero proceeded to score three times in the next eight minutes.

Here first goal came less than two minutes into the game as she scored off an Anna Keck assist. Avery Keck set up Quintero’s second goal, and she finished the hat trick by finishing a pass from Lauryn Peters.

Sage Stratton scored an unassisted goal in the ninth minute and Grayson Pritts added an unassisted goal in the 20th minute. The lead reached 7-0 before halftime as Liesel Vincent scored her first varsity goal off an assist from Addie Flesch in the 31st minute.

Ellie Barnes and Flesch each scored their first career goals in the second half as the Raiders outshot the Hawks 24-1.

QND (2-0) completes a three-game road swing to open the season by traveling to Jefferson City (Mo.) Helias on Saturday for an 11 a.m. start.