Blue Devils bolt out of gate with 10-goal outburst to wallop Rocks in season opener

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — One of the managers for the Quincy High School girls soccer team warned Blue Devils coach Travis Dinkheller when he watches the video footage of Tuesday night’s season opener he might hear a noticeable gasp or comment about the first goal.

It happened so quickly, it took everyone by surprise.

Off an assist from senior forward Taylor Routh, Quincy senior midfielder Bri Lannerd ripped a low liner inside the far post roughly 20 seconds into the game, propelling the Blue Devils to a 10-1 whitewashing of Rock Island at Almquist Field.

Officially, the goal is recorded as being scored in the first minute of play, but Dinkheller believes it is one of the quickest goals scored in program history.

“Everybody was like, ‘Wow,’” Dinkheller said. “It hit hard enough inside the net that it knocked the goalkeeper’s water bottle over that was just outside the net. I didn’t even know it went in at first. I thought it went wide and hit the water bottle, but it was just the opposite.”

The Blue Devils didn’t allow such a quick goal to be a shock to their system. They maintained the attack, netting six goals in the first 16 minutes.

It settled Dinkheller’s first-game jitters nicely.

“I know we have some really good pieces, but you go into that first game wondering if we have them in the right position and the right combinations,” Dinkheller said. “There are a lot of factors that go into those nerves on the first game. … The girls played very unselfishly. I was really pleased with how they shared the ball and played together.”

In fact, the Blue Devils were so proficient offensively they saw a new Illinois High School Association rule enacted. When a team leads by as many as nine goals in the second half, the game is automatically stopped.

Quincy hit that mark after Avery Morrison scored in the second half.

“There were a lot of good things,” Dinkheller said. “We’re starting to figure some things out, starting to figure out some combinations and see good play from everybody. We got everybody the opportunity to run a little bit.”

Lannerd finished with four goals and two assists, while senior midfielder Rian Moore had two goals and two assists. Routh had two goals and three assists, while Kirsten Kramer added a goal and an assist.

The Blue Devils will play their home opener at 7 p.m. Friday at Flinn Stadium against Hannibal in the QHS tournament.