Pair of second-half goals lift Blue Devils to another road victory

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Travis Dinkheller said so long to his players.

“I told them I’ll see you Monday,” he said.

Following Thursday night’s 2-1 victory over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin — the Quincy High School girls soccer team’s fifth game in seven days — the Blue Devils coach wanted his players to get rest, get healed and get ready because more challenges await.

So they get the Easter weekend off and will use Monday’s practice to prepare for their third consecutive Tuesday road trip to a Western Big 6 Conference opponent as they head to United Township.

“At halftime, I told them, ‘I know you’re tired, you look mentally and physically tired, but stay the course,” Dinkheller said. “They responded and played hard.”

The Blue Devils (4-1-1) trailed 1-0 at halftime

“Our conversation at halftime truly was about bringing energy and working through adversity,” Dinkheller said. “We had some mental lapses in the first half, so the big conversation was about staying focused, staying the course, doing the little things right and talking about what it’s going to take to get to the next level.”

Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Quincy senior midfielder Rian Moore tied the game as she buried a restart from about 30 yards out. Then, with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Moore dropped another restart into the box, which Avery Morrison won and beat the SHG goalkeeper 1-on-1 for the game-winning goal.