By MATT SCHUCKMAN

Herald-Whig Sports Writer

The window of opportunity didn't stay open long.

Just 28 seconds in fact.

That's how quickly the Quincy Notre Dame girls soccer team needed to score at the start of the second half Thursday night against Troy to avoid practicing today.

Lady Raiders coach Mark Longo issued that challenge at halftime, hoping to capitalize on a quick start just as QND had in the first half when Alex Reis scored 28 seconds into the game to set the tone in a 4-0 victory.

"But about two minutes into the second half, I said, 'It looks like we're practicing tomorrow,'" Longo said.

Good thing he shut the window when he did.

It took QND (3-0-1) less than five minutes to score in the second half as Erin Thomas pounced on a rebound and hammered a shot into an open net for a 3-0 edge. Troy keeper Rebecca Prinsen saved a point-blank shot from Leigh McLaughlin, but she kicked the rebound straight to Thomas, who one-timed it in.

It was Thomas' second rebound goal in as many games and helped QND carry over the good vibrations from Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Quincy High School.

"That was the goal for today," Longo said. "I told them we had to carry the last 60 minutes (against QHS) into this game. Don't let up. Keep playing hard and keep doing what we're doing."

Scoring so quick helped do that.

On the opening possession, with a steady drizzle falling, QND played the ball up the right wing to Mercedee Esterlein in the corner. She turned and delivered a pass that skipped off the wet grass through the box to Reis for an open shot.

"Mercedee said if it wasn't wet out the ball doesn't get through," Longo said. "But it did get through and Alex planted the ball in the back of the net."

Reis knew the conditions could play a part.

"You can assume the ball is going to be a little bit more bouncy and a little bit trickier," Reis said. "So we just decided we needed to contain the ball better and keep the ball on the ground."

And they had to take advantage of their momentum.

"We need a little kick to start us at the beginning of the game," Reis said. "I think that was our kick, and we kept getting after it."

QND added its second goal with 15 minutes to play in the first half when a corner kick by Lauren Stuckman rattled around in the box before McLaughlin was able to poke it in just before getting knocked to the ground.

McLaughlin also had an assist on the game's final goal, sending Thomas on a one-on-one run with a clearing pass down the middle of the field.

"We played great," Reis said. "We carried the ball, we contained most of the game and I think we dominated at times."

That includes defensively. Troy (2-3) managed six shots total -- five on goal -- but never seriously threatened QND keeper Megan Rabe, who posted her second shutout. Troy forward Nicole Williams, who had three goals and four assists in the first four games, managed just one shot as wing defender Hannah Stroot blanketed her.

"Hannah did a great job," Longo said. "She got a lot of help double-teaming. That's a sign we're playing awfully well."

-- mschuckman@whig.com/221-3366