QUINCY — The Quincy High School Jacks (4-0) went undefeated in their second week of competition. They defeated Brewster 2-0 on Thursday and Othello 1-0 on Saturday. Head Coach Jesse Villalobos is pleased with his team’s recent success.  

“We've been able to reflect on what we've been doing in practice as far as positioning and possession and creating chances,” Villalobos said.  

On Thursday, the Brewster Bears came to town, but the Jacks were prepared. They controlled the ball throughout most of the game and limited Brewster’s efforts to attack. Both teams went scoreless in the first half, though he feels they need to work on defensive scheming, he said they saw how dominant they could be.  

“I believe the girls saw early that we were the most dominant team, and they were able to put that pressure and not let Brewster get settled on the ball, and we're able to win it back pretty quickly,” he said.  

At halftime, Villalobos said he challenged his players to be more aggressive on the attack and find more opportunities to score. That’s exactly what they did. In the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Jacks scored twice to take a 2-0 lead over Brewster.  

“They were able to come out in the first 10 minutes, netted a goal, and then the game opened up a little bit. We were to find another one, and we kept having chances, but we just didn't put them away,” he said.  

The Jacks defense would hold Brewster scoreless for the remainder of the game to secure their third win of the season. Villalobos said over the course of the game Brewster was only able to take a shot at the net twice. Villalobos praised his backline for their contributions to the Jacks’ success.  

“I think our back line has been really solid. They've been together for the most (amount of time) and they're showing they're starting to join in the attack, and they're able to keep the ball, and we're able to play out of the back, as opposed to last year,” Villalobos said.  

On Saturday, the Jacks hosted the Huskies at home. Villalobos said this game brought more physicality, which presented its own challenges.  

“They’ve got some good players (who are) physical, strong, fast, and I think it's been the same story the last couple of games (where) we're able to dominate the game, and (keep) the ball. I feel like we moved the ball better than them, and we created a few more chances. It was just unfortunate we didn't put more on the scoreboard,” Villalobos said.  

Both teams presented challenging defenses, but the Jacks were able to break through in the second half and score the only goal of the game. They would hold off the Huskies to secure a 1-0 win.  

Moving forward, Villalobos said he is hoping to continue working on creating more chances to score. He wants to see them capitalize on more of those opportunities they have throughout the games, he said that starts with building anticipation.  

“We're just going to make that a priority in our practices and try to hopefully help our girls to anticipate the ball. There are a lot of opportunities where our girls are getting the ball and the opposite post is wide open, but nobody wants to make the run, so build up anticipation, knowing to be there in case the ball gets through, and then obviously put a little pressure and let them try to finish with pressure,” he said.  

The Jacks prepare to face off against Wenatchee on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. Villalobos said they know it’s a strong program with a history of postseason success. Despite a 5-1 loss last year, he said he saw promise in his team and feels confident in their ability to compete with them this year.  

“I think we're on the right path,” Villalobos said. “We're heading in the right direction, and we're going to try to put our best foot forward every match, and get better and hopefully we make a deeper postseason run than we did last year.” 

BOX SCORES: 

Thursday: 

QNCY: 0-2: 2
BRHS: 0-0: 0  

Saturday: 

QNCY: 0-1: 1
OTHL: 0-0: 0 

    The Jacks huddle together before their match against Brewster on Thursday. Head Coach Jesse Villalobos said the team is starting to show its chemistry and do a good job of controlling the ball.
  

    The Jacks huddle together before their match against Brewster on Thursday. Head Coach Jesse Villalobos said the team is starting to show its chemistry and do a good job of controlling the ball.
  

    The Jacks’ Chloe Compton chases after the ball after Brewster lost possession of it on Thursday. Head Coach Jesse Villalobos said he challenged his players at halftime to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
  

    Chloe Compton (6) and Lizbeth Diaz (5) apply defensive pressure on a Brewster player during their match on Thursday.
  

    Jacks goalkeeper Aylen Garcia kicks the ball back into play after preventing a score from Brewster on Thursday. The Jacks only allowed Brewster to get two shot attempts all game.
  

    Lizbeth Diaz (5) pursues a Brewster player during their match on Thursday. Head Coach Jesse Villalobos said his players showed their dominance on defense and did not allow Brewster to get comfortable with the ball.