After falling behind, Hannibal girls soccer team scores next four goals to knock off Notre Dame

QUINCY — Makayla Patton’s goal for Quincy Notre Dame 11 minutes into Thursday night’s game at Advance Physical Therapy Field broke a scoreless tie.

It was like a slap in the face to the Hannibal girls soccer team.

“We didn’t have the first goal, but if anything, it made us just come back harder and score four more,” Aly Falconer said.

Hannibal, which beat Quincy Notre Dame 5-1 earlier this season, scored the next four goals in a 4-1 victory.

Despite constant offensive pressure by the Pirates (9-2), QND (7-3-1) maintained the lead for most of the first half. Sierra Thomas was a strong defender for the Raiders, holding the back line and constantly clearing out free kicks.

“Both teams were battling in the midfield, and I think (QND) was winning the midfield with their physicality,” Hannibal coach Eric Hill said.

Hannibal’s Malia Stolte, however, finally found a gap in the defense and broke through, sinking a clear shot into the back of the net to tie the score 1-1 with about 12 minutes left in the first half.

Barely two minutes later, Hannibal’s Kegan Greening sent in a corner kick that landed in front of the goal. Abbie Martin then poked the ball into the net, putting Hannibal ahead.

“We didn’t do real well on that corner kick,” QND coach Mark Thomas said. “We cleared the ball, but then we didn’t react. They reacted better (and) scored.”

“The second one seemed to happen right away,” Hill said. “It was good to see that response and see them stay after it.”

Hannibal continued to pressure the goal, with a few attempts batted away by QND keeper Tessa Porter. With just a minute left in the half, QND conceded an own goal when senior defender Meredith Eversman accidentally knocked a ball by Hannibal’s Lauren Munzlinger, extending the Pirates’ lead to 3-1.

QND pushed Hannibal back on the defensive, controlling the midfield to start the second half. However, Falconer put a shot on goal that slipped out of Porter’s hands and into the net for the game’s final goal.

“All I had to do was run up there and crash,” Falconer said. “We practice those a lot, just being there. You never know what’s going to happen with the ball.”

“You’ve got to give them credit,” Mark Thomas said. “They played well, and we didn’t do enough. We learn from it.”