Blue Devils make two-goal lead last in winning first leg of crosstown series with Raiders

QUINCY — Eight days without a game was one of the reasons why the Quincy High School girls players conceded they struggled to get in a groove in the first half Friday night.

Hope Lenz pinpointed the other issue.

“There’s obviously a lot of emotion that goes into this game,” the senior defender said.

That translates to intensity and sometimes frantic play. But the Blue Devils were able to use Rian Moore’s first-half goal as a calming agent, withstood Quincy Notre Dame’s attack and earned a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the crosstown series at Advance Physical Therapy Field.

“It really solidifies our strength and structure moving forward,” QHS senior goalkeeper Taylor Fohey said. “People are like, ‘Oooh, QND, big crosstown rivalry game.’ We’re playing against some of our closest friends we’ve grown up with forever.

“Just to be out here and be able to play against such a high level of competition, it’s really important for us to be ready for any postseason atmosphere.”

Making strides now will pay off in the end.

“We’re just having a hard time scoring, which sometimes happens,” said QND coach Mark Thomas, whose team was coming off a 2-0 loss to Hannibal but played with more physicality and pace. “I can’t fault their effort. I was really happy with the first half other than being down 1-0.”

Credit Rian Moore for that.

With a little more than five minutes remaining in the first half, the QHS senior midfielder lofted a ball from about 30 yards out on the right wing that took a high bounce in the box and carried over QND goalkeeper Addison Van Hecke for a goal and the 1-0 lead.

“It gave us a lot of confidence,” QHS senior forward Taylor Routh said. “Even though we weren’t playing like we wanted to, it made us push harder and work harder.”

Routh added the Blue Devils’ second goal 10 minutes into the second half, burying a shot from the right wing as she hammered a low shot inside the far post.

“When I turned and I saw the open shot, I took it,” Routh said. “When it went in, I was very thankful.”

It forced the Raiders to press after that.

“That changes our formation,” Thomas said. “When you’re down a goal, then down two goals, you’re constantly chasing the game, which you don’t want to do. Give Quincy High credit for that. We created enough. We just didn’t finish enough.”

It wasn’t without trying

Raiders junior forward Makyala Patton forced Fohey to make six second-half saves, including a sequence when Fohey stymied Patton on three consecutive shots. The Raiders also hit the crossbar once.

“I said it to the girls tonight — good teams find a way to win,” QHS coach Travis Dinkheller said. “I don’t think we played anywhere near what we were capable of, but I think the hype of the game and the energy of that game sometimes just kind of takes hold.

“QND is a good team and they threw some different things at us. Our defense was a bend-but-don’t-break kind of thing. A lot of things to be pleased with, a lot of things to work on.”

The victory enables the Blue Devils to work on those things with energy, not regret.

“So many times, it’s like, ‘Oh, QND always wins,’” Lenz said. “For us to come here and win, it shows who we are and what we’ve been working on. We don’t work just for this game. We played it like it’s the next game on the schedule.”