Strong second half gives Jacks fifth-straight win

QUINCY – Even with blustery conditions on the field, the Jackrabbits rallied in the second half for a 3-1 win over Cascade (Leavenworth) on Thursday night in Quincy.

The Jackrabbits were down 1-0 after the first half, but goals by freshman Erick Zepeda, senior Isaac Lopez and junior Alexander Murillo powered Quincy to its fifth-straight win.

“I think it’s just going to be that type of season where the second half is our part of the game,” Quincy Head Coach Francisco Tafoya said. “The wind was probably a factor in the first half where we just couldn’t break into their side of the field, a lot of it was played on ours.”

Cascade scored first and took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute of Thursday’s game, while the Jackrabbits had some struggles adapting to the windy weather. That changed in the second half.

“It’s one of those things where your initial hit on the ball looks like it’s going to be nice, and then a nice gust of wind brings it right back to you,” Tafoya said. “It’s tough, it’s frustrating, but it’s something you’ve got to play with. Rain, wind, snow – it’s just how soccer’s played.”

Zepeda’s goal came seven minutes into the second half to tie the contest at one. Lopez scored his goal in the 64th minute to give Quincy its first lead of the game.

Zepeda’s shot on goal landed about 10 feet in front of the keeper and bounced over him for the score. Lopez’s shot hit the keeper’s hands and fell back into the net.

“I just saw a bunch of the opposing team pushing back, and I had to counter on that,” Lopez said. “I saw the goal – our first goal came off a goalie’s mistake – and I shot it, hoped for the best, and it went in.”

“I don’t know if it was the wind or what it was, but thankfully it went in,” Lopez said.

Tafoya said one of the messages at halftime was to start testing the Kodiak goalkeeper.

“That’s something that we told the boys at halftime, what we need to start testing this keeper,” Tafoya said. “It was clear that he wasn’t going to be very secure with his hands, and it showed.”

Murillo added his goal in the 70th minute to add some insurance to the Jackrabbit win, which moved the team to 6-1 on the season.

“It’s always great to start on the right foot,” Lopez said. “Like the coaches say, ‘Keep working, keep working.’ Thankfully, that’s what we’ve been doing. Our practices are never easy, we’re always constantly working on how to better ourselves. Thankfully, the results are coming with it.”

Quincy returns to the field on April 11 for a road match against Cashmere starting at 6 p.m.

“We’re a team where we like to fight and we won’t give up until the final whistle,” Lopez said. “That’s played a big part in why we have the record that we do.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Box Score

Quincy 0-3 3

Cascade 1-0 1