Hannibal boys soccer team grinds out one-goal victory over QHS

QUINCY — Eric Hill doesn’t mind the pressure and stress of a one-goal game.

“It’s something that gets us prepared for where we need to be come postseason time and the type of game we’re going to be in,” the Hannibal boys soccer coach said. “That’s kind of a dogfight.”

Friday night, the Pirates proved they have the grit to win a game like that.

Karson Westhoff’s goal in the 22nd minute gave Hannibal the lead and the defense withstood Quincy High School’s second-half pressure to preserve a 1-0 victory at Flinn Stadium.

“I thought we moved the ball around really well,” Hill said. “I thought that we were looking for each other. We strung some passes together. We didn’t get anything spectacular, but we stayed composed on the ball.”

It’s how the first goal came to be. The Pirates’ Drew Porter flicked a ball into a dangerous spot, and Bodie Rollins corralled it before sending a perfect pass to Westhoff, who finished the goal with 18:33 remaining in the first half.

Quincy generated a handful of scoring chances over the final 58 minutes, but prime opportunities to score escaped the Blue Devils, who were playing for the third time in four days.

“We didn’t have as many opportunities as we would have liked,” said QHS coach Ron Bridal, whose team is now 11-7-1 and 5-1-1 in its last seven games. “It’s two pieces. One, we didn’t create as many opportunities as we needed to, and two, the opportunities we were presented we didn’t execute. When you don’t execute, you don’t win.”

The Pirates’ execution continues to improve as the postseason draws near. Hannibal is 13-4 overall and has won six consecutive games.

“Right now, with this team, that’s what we’re doing. We’re progressing,” Hill said. “If we can keep this trend going, we’re going to be in a great spot for the postseason.”