QUINCY — The Quincy Jackrabbits (8-0) battled in a tight game against the Othello Huskies (2-3) Thursday evening. Jacks' senior Jazmine Sanchez secured victory for Quincy in the final minutes of overtime with a kick to the back of the net, ending the game 1-0. 

"I feel really good," said Sanchez. "Honestly, I didn't expect that, but it's a really good feeling." 

From kickoff, the Jacks and the Huskies were competitive with both teams' defenses sending the ball the other way. This strong defensive showing forced the players to utilize the entire field. 

The Huskies came close with a few shots on goal in the first half, but Jacks goalkeeper Aylen Garcia held strong. Quincy applied their own amount of pressure on Othello's side of the field, but neither team scored before halftime. 

"(Garcia) did fantastic back there and just defended her goal like she does normally," said Jacks Head Coach Javier Diaz. "I'm just so happy that she's confident back there and doing all that stuff." 

The intensity didn't slow down as they returned from break with both ends of the field once again proving their defensive prowess. The game went to overtime after another scoreless half. 

The first five-minute half of overtime saw the immovable Huskies battle with the unstoppable Jacks for another scoreless period.  

The second five-minute half of overtime seemed to foreshadow penalty kicks, but in the last minute of the game Sanchez from the Jacks got an opportunity to kick the ball back into play from the 30-yard line. The senior sent the ball flying just over Othello's goalkeeper JoJo Hernandez-Guevara for a game winning goal. 

"It was like, 'This is my chance, if I make this it's over, we win. We want this to be over, let's get the win,'" said Sanchez. 

Diaz and his players expected Othello to be a challenge coming into Thursday, he said. Their game plan as they went into the matchup was to just focus on their mental strength. 

"It's just always been a tough matchup because they play club, they've known each other for years and some of them are really good friends," he said. "We knew they were going to come in and it was as expected, and it went until the very last second of golden goal." 

Thursday's game was a great learning opportunity for Quincy as they had to change their play style after the first half where they struggled with passing and getting touches. The Jacks coach said he wanted the girls to focus on playing simple rather than getting in their heads. 

"(Othello) did a great job putting pressure on us and closing those lanes," he said. "I just told the ladies to make them uncomfortable because they look comfortable. They're a great team and I was glad we were able to get this outcome." 

For Sanchez, this game showed that every matchup is going to be a fight, and if they want to continue winning, they'll have to play for each other, she said. Heading deeper into league play, she wants the team – herself included – to find their weaknesses and grow to become even stronger as a unit. 

"We need to fight for each other no matter what," she said. 

Coming off a loss, Huskies Head Coach Victor Quiroz said he was proud of the way they battled on the road Thursday. 

"We possessed the ball well, I think we out-possessed them, but at the end of the day, you don't win by possession, you win by goals," said Quiroz. "They had a good shot and it went in, but my girls played amazing today." 

He said the Huskies entered the matchup against the undefeated Jacks with belief in themselves and their abilities, which ultimately translated to the field. Even without this victory he feels their mindset remains strong and there were a lot of positives to take out of the game. 

One of the highlights from the Huskies came from their defensive back line, which included players like juniors Kate Mollotte, Autumn Weyns, sophomore Elizabeth Garcia-Herrera and their goalkeeper Hernandez-Guevara.  

"They're playing a lot of balls over the top and our defenders are recovering and shifting," said Quiroz. "They did a really good job on that as well as communicating." 

Quiroz wants Othello to tighten up on where they've been successful and work on their attacking and finishing going forward, he said. 

"If we really zone in on that, we will be dangerous," said the Huskies coach. 

Diaz said the competition is going to be intense for the remainder of the season as the Jacks continue to face more league opponents.  

With the team still undefeated as of Thursday, he said this puts a target on their backs as the team to beat. Moving forward in the season, he wants the players to remain confident in their abilities, but he wants the team to continue putting in their full effort at practice and in games while avoiding any overconfidence. 

"I'm all for them, I have three daughters myself and so what I want is just for them to be out there, have fun and clear minds," said Diaz. "I told them that I don't normally read and I read a book the other day and there was a quote that said a positive mindset can be a deterrent sometimes because it's too positive and then you don't want to be negative, but then a neutral mindset, that's where you want to live because that helps you to be clear, to see what needs to be done." 

The Jacks played at home again Saturday against AC Davis. Quincy will head on the road for their next game against Ellensburg Tuesday at 4 p.m. 

The Huskies return home to play Selah Tuesday at 6 p.m.  

BOX SCORE 

OTHL: 0-0-0: 0 

QNCY: 0-0-1: 1 

    Jacks sophomore Brielle Baughman and Huskies junior Kate Mollotte compete for possession of the ball along the sideline.
  

    Aylen Garcia, a senior for Quincy, catches the ball to stop an attempt by Othello Thursday evening.
  

    Othello junior Autumn Weyns runs with possession of the ball as she works to keep it away from her Quincy opponents.
  

    Allanah Longwill, a freshman from the Jacks, kicks the ball with her teammate Jazmine Sanchez, a junior, keeping her eye on the ball.
  

    Huskies sophomore Abbie Sorenson gains possession of the ball during Thursday's road game.