Raiders suffer first loss of season, unable to find energy against Rams in QHS Tournament opener

QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer coach Mark Longo decided to give his players an opportunity to recharge Thursday, holding a meeting instead of a light practice after playing back-to-back days.

“Even at that meeting, I could tell they were tired,” he said.

Friday, little changed. The Raiders were outhustled and outplayed in a 3-0 loss to Ladue Horton Watkins in the opening game of the QHS Tournament at Flinn Stadium. 

“We had nothing today,” Longo said.

The Raiders (4-1) kept it close thanks to a pair of stellar defensive plays by Aubrey Sparrow on corner kicks. The Rams flighted the ball over the head of QND goalkeeper Aly Young with Sparrow using her body to clear the ball off the goalline. The wing defender used her foot to clear the second attempt.

“We’d be down 2-0 if not for Aubrey making those plays,” Longo said.

Roughly 10 minutes into the second half, the Rams broke the scoreless tie. They doubled their lead 40 seconds later and scored the final goal in the final 10 minutes.