QUINCY, Ill. – On a frigid Halloween night at Jack Mackenzie Field, the Quincy University men's soccer team dropped a tough 2–1 decision to Maryville in a tightly contested matchup with major GLVC playoff implications. The loss extends the Hawks' skid against the Saints to eight straight, despite a gritty, back-and-forth performance.

The first half featured even play and plenty of action on both ends, as the teams traded early looks. Maryville broke the scoreless tie in the 26th minute after a series of quick passes opened up space outside the box, leading to a well-placed strike that gave the Saints a 1–0 lead. Quincy kept pressing and created several strong opportunities of its own, including dangerous shots from Carlos Moreno Henao and Leo Cann, but trailed 1–0 at the break despite matching the Saints in both shots and tempo.

The Hawks came out firing to start the second half and found the equalizer in the 58th minute. Sophomore Ismael Allimadi netted his first career goal with a perfectly struck shot from outside the box that was placed into the upper-left corner — a goal the Maryville keeper had no chance to stop. The play was set up by Moreno Henao, who recorded his third assist of the season and extended his GLVC lead in points to 19.

The match remained a back-and-forth battle down the stretch, with both teams pressing for the go-ahead goal. Quincy's defense, anchored by Jake Ellis and Paal Vistnes, held strong through much of the half, but in the 84th minute, Maryville struck again. A low, skipping shot from just outside the box found its way under the arms of goalkeeper Jake Offerman and into the lower-left corner, breaking the deadlock and proving to be the decisive tally in a hard-fought contest.

Statistically, the two teams were nearly identical, each finishing with 11 total shots, while Maryville held a 4–1 advantage in corner kicks. Offerman recorded three saves in goal, and head coach Mike Carpenter leaned heavily on his starters. Moreno Henao, Chapman, Vistnes, Ellis, and Allimadi all played the full 90 minutes, while only four players came off the bench, combining for just 99 minutes of total action.

The Hawks now sit in the eighth and final GLVC Tournament spot with 19 points heading into the regular season finale. They will host McKendree University on Sunday, November 2nd, at 2:30 PM, following the women's match. The Bearcats (8-2-3 GLVC, 27 points) are third in the conference and enter on a four-match winning streak. Quincy will look to snap a three-game skid against McKendree and clinch its first postseason berth since the 2020–21 COVID season, when the Hawks qualified as the No. 3 seed.

Also in the playoff picture, Missouri–St. Louis sits just behind Quincy with 17 points after a draw with Truman State and will play at William Jewell on Sunday.

Sunday will also mark Senior Day for the Hawks, as they honor Jake Ellis, Lewis Chapman, Paal Vistnes, Carlos Moreno Henao, Alvaro Heredia Garcia, Sebastian Courdy, and Fetra Randrianasolo prior to kickoff.