Sixth sense: Keck’s game-winning goal, lockdown defensive effort carry QND girls soccer team to sixth state championship

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Annie Eaton’s tear-filled eyes and ear-to-ear smile told the same story.

Her elation over helping the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team win the Class 1A state championship Saturday night was all-encompassing.

“It’s every emotion you can think of,” Eaton said while standing in the courtyard outside North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium with the family members of the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer players sharing hugs and taking pictures following the 1-0 victory over Richmond-Burton. 

“There’s so much excitement. I’m just so proud of our entire team. We’ve worked so freaking hard this entire season. I think we deserve this so much. Every single person on this team has brought us to this point. And it’s just amazing.”

The freshman forward helped the Raiders get over the finish line.

Scoreless for nearly 78 minutes, QND earned a throw-in along the right sideline that Eaton collected before turning toward the middle of the field. She spotted junior midfielder Avery Keck moving up to join the attack and delivered a picture-perfect pass which Keck met in stride.

“I knew it was going to go in right when I passed it,” Eaton said.

Keck, who was unmarked, took one touch to push the ball to her left and drilled a left-footed shot into the upper left part of the net with 2 minutes, 8 seconds to play.

“I would easily say that’s the biggest goal of my career,” Keck said.

It came off a one-of-a-kind assist.

“It was perfect. Perfect,” Keck said. “I saw an opportunity and I took it. I never shoot with my left foot, and I shot it with my left foot. Once it hit the back of the net, I was kind of like, ‘How did that just go in?’ At the same moment, I’m just so happy.”

The celebration and the elation simmered down quickly. The Raiders still had to play two minutes of defense.

“You try to get your team to the point that on the field they are thinking like you,” QND coach Mark Longo after the Raiders won the sixth title in program history. “As soon as the goal went in and they celebrated, as they were running back, they are looking at me going, ‘4-4-2.’

“It took us a second to get the people in where we wanted them, but the girls knew we needed to shift into that defensive mode. That’s kind of special to see that happen.”

Just as they have all postseason, the Raiders snuffed out the final two minutes.

This was the 10th consecutive shutout for QND’s defense, setting a school record for consecutive gooseggs and tying for the 18th longest streak in IHSA history. It also allowed the Raiders to finish the postseason without allowing a goal.

“That’s a record no one can ever take away from these girls,” Longo said.

The Raiders limited the Rockets to four shots on goal, one day after allowing Normal U-High just two shots on goal in the semifinals.

“It comes down to working together,” junior sweeper Eva Dickerman said. “It takes all of us in the back, not just one person. Every time we play our game, it works.”

It allowed the offense, which was absent leading scorer Lia Quintero, time to adjust.

Quintero suffered a knee injury midway through the second half of the semifinal victory and spent Saturday on crutches, while also delivering a heart-felt pregame speech at Longo’s urging. She reminded her teammates the whole team deserved this.

The Raiders kept that in mind even as the scoreless minutes mounted.

There even were a few moments where the Raiders found themselves asking when a goal would come.

“I think that went through my mind right after I shot my shot,” said freshman midfielder Sage Stratton, whose shot from 44 yards out with 11 minutes to play hit the crossbar on the football goalposts. “I was like, ‘How much harder do I have to try to get this?’ We kept battling and kept going. This team never gives up.”

It made the Eaton-to-Keck connection possible.

“We were all a little bit worried it was going to go to overtime, which we never want,” Eaton said. “So we kept working hard to make something happen. It finally did.”

Elation took hold for a fleeting moment.

“I celebrated for about five seconds,” Stratton said. “But I knew we had to finish this out, and then we’d have time to celebrate after.”

An hour after the game ended, the Raiders were still experiencing the gamut of emotions.

“Oh my gosh, we are,” Dickerman said. “Every emotion you could possibly think of, I’m feeling right now.”

It meant tears, smiles and joy for everyone.

“All emotions,” Keck said. “It’s just so amazing. I’m so happy for my team.”