Raiders taking ‘lot of positive steps’ as three-goal victory over Pirates indicates

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Mark Longo is confident the best is yet to come for Quincy Notre Dame’s girls soccer team.

“We’re still a long way from where we need to be, but we’ll be OK,” said Longo, now in his 33rd season as Raiders coach.

Longo had just watched QND down Hannibal 5-2, erupting for three second-half goals while shutting out the Pirates over the final 44½  minutes on a brisk Wednesday afternoon at the Veterans Field complex.

Senior forward Lia Quintero scored three goals for Notre Dame, with sophomore teammate Makayla Patton adding a pair. A suffocating effort on defense in the second half was icing on the cake for the Raiders, who raised their record to 7-2-1.

“The kids are still figuring out their roles, but I’ve seen a lot of positive steps,” Longo said.

Patton felt there was a specific reason for the Raiders’ second-half dominance.

“I think we were more aggressive and focused on defense in the second half,” she said.

Quintero likes the direction QND, which won the Class 1A state championship a year ago, is headed in the second half of the season.

“I think we’re probably at about 75 to 80 percent (of our potential) right now,” Quintero said. “We’ll be ready (for the postseason).”

Count Hannibal coach Eric Hill as one of QND’s admirers.

“Notre Dame is just so physical,” he said. “They’re aggressive and athletic, and those are all areas we need to improve on.”

Hannibal saw its three-match win streak end with the loss to the Raiders. Hannibal (5-4) had outscored its three previous opponents by a combined total of 16-3.

“We’re a work in progress,” Hill said. “We have a lot of inexperienced players. We also had some lapses that hurt us.”

Hannibal scored the first goal of the game when Gracie Martin found the net at the 25:10 mark of the first half. The Pirates, playing with the wind at their backs the first 40 minutes, kept QND off the scoreboard until 21:29 when Patton notched her first goal on a breakaway. QND took the lead at 16:50 when Quintero buried a shot in the left side of the net from about 20 yards out.

Hannibal forged a 2-2 tie late in the first half when Ashley Davis scored.

QND then dominated the closing 40 minutes, making the most of having the wind at its collective back.

“The wind was a big deal,” Longo said.

What proved to be the game-winner was supplied by Patton on another breakaway just two minutes into the second half. Quintero added her second and third scores, respectively, at 28:32 and 17:30. 

Notre Dame and Hannibal are both in action again Thursday. QND plays host to Alton Marquette (5-1) at 4:30 p.m. at Advance Physical Therapy Field, while Hannibal visits Fulton (0-5) for a 5 p.m. kickoff.