Victory in WB6 opener is progress Blue Devils want to see, but they know more is needed

QUINCY — The Quincy High School boys soccer team is playing a game of progression.

The rules are quite simple. Improve with every practice.

“When you practice, you get a little better each time,” senior defender Nolan Dede said.

By doing that, the Blue Devils believe they will hoist a trophy or plaque — maybe multiple ones — by season’s end. Tuesday night, they took the first step toward the first available title. 

Evan Sohn and Trace Routh scored five minutes apart in the first half and QHS held off a pesky Rock Island Alleman crew for a 2-1 victory at Flinn Stadium in the Western Big 6 Conference opener. After losing twice in the Quincy Recycle/Quincy Notre Dame Tournament last weekend, the Blue Devils saw their first victory of the season as progress.

“We saw some areas where we certainly need to improve, but you have to walk away happy that you got the first conference win at home,” QHS coach Ron Bridal said.

Still, it came with some angst.

Ahead 2-0 at halftime, the Blue Devils applied pressure early in the half that never netted a goal. In the final 10 minutes of regulation, the Pioneers increased their pressure and scored on Carter Dieterich’s header off a corner kick with 1 minute, 17 seconds to play.

Despite being on their heels, the Blue Devils were able to grind out the final 60 seconds to preserve the victory, but it became clear where improvements have to be made. 

“Protecting the ball,” Dede said. “Staying calm on the ball is a big one. Sometimes we just panic and we try to get rid of the ball as quick as we can. If we are calm, we can possess the ball and wait for the opportunity to come to us to score.”

That’s how Quincy’s two goals developed.

Off a corner kick Alleman was unable to clear, QHS’s Logan Epping settled the loose ball and played it back to Sohn near the top of the penalty area. Sohn hit a left-footed shot through traffic and into the far side of the net for a 1-0 lead with 13:23 remaining in the half.

Less than five minutes later, on a ball played from the left sideline to the right, QHS senior defender Biruk Rosen carried it forward and fed Routh cutting into the box. Routh spun on his defender into space and drilled a shot inside the near post, spotting it under the crossbar out of the reach of Alleman goalkeeper Alex Torres.

“I liked how Biruk trusted me to get the ball up and finish it,” Routh said.

It was the first goal of the season for the sophomore.

“Amazing,” Routh said. “It felt great.”

And it showed progress.

“We have definitely improved the first three games,” Routh said. “We learned we have to play through the middle and switch fields a little bit better. We have to be quicker.”

The Blue Devils need to stay connected better, too.

“We talked before the game and we talked again at halftime that we have to do a better job connecting with our midfield,” Bridal said. “It’s not just a midfield issue, but it is an issue we have to address that is a combination of different groups of players. Our backs need to be able to connect with our midfielders, and our midfielders have to be more protective of the ball.

“Until we start to believe the ball is more precious than we currently do, we’re going to have difficulty with possession.”

The Blue Devils agree.

“Really, we need to possess the ball better,” Dede said. “It would have really helped in this game. I felt like we lost the ball at times, and it’s something we’re going to have to work on in practices following this game.”

If practice leads to progress, the Blue Devils can stay on course for a WB6 crown.

The first step in that direction is done.

“It always feels good to win that first game and get off to a good start in conference play,” Dede said.