It took three simple words to rally Cretin-Derham Hall to a home victory on Monday night, erasing a five-goal halftime deficit in the process.

“We had three words for today…energy, encourage, execute,” Raiders’ coach Andrew Lecker said after his team exploded for nine goals in the second half to edge Suburban East Conference rival Roseville 13-12 at Wingerd Field. 

The Raiders (7-2, 5-1) may have forgotten the “Three E’s” in the first half, though, as Cretin-Derham Hall started the game with a plodding attack and allowed Roseville to go on runs of four and five unanswered goals.

Lecker said that poor shot selection on offense was to blame for the Raiders’ defensive breakdowns, which led to his team being down 9-4 at the break.

Junior midfielder Bree Osborne scored three goals in the win and said that Cretin-Derham Hall began the second half with a renewed commitment to sharing the ball.

“We all got back on the same page and played as a team instead of individually,” Osborne said. 

Osborne added that the “Three E’s” helped the Raiders refocus and shrug off the first half’s problems. 

“It helps us especially in this kind of game when we were getting down,” Osborne said. 

Lecker’s rapport with this group of Raiders is palpable on the sidelines, as he's worked with several of the players since third or fourth grade.

Sophomore attacker Maya Quigley led Cretin-Derham Hall with four goals in Monday’s win, and said that being coached by Lecker for an extended period of time has only strengthened her trust in his praise and critiques. 

“I appreciate (Lecker) a lot more as a coach after knowing him for awhile,” Quigley said.

Quigley is the Raiders’ leading scorer this season with 33 goals and 40 points after Monday’s game. 

If the drama of a come-from-behind win wasn’t enough, Monday was also Cretin-Derham Hall’s Senior Night, which posed a starting lineup question for Lecker: play his regulars in an important league game or go the traditional route and let his seniors take the field first?

“Letting those seniors start on Senior Night was important to them,” Lecker said, noting that he has three seniors and a whopping 14 underclassmen on his roster. 

Lecker said that at this level, he’s more concerned with his players’ experience than what their record says. 

“It’s not always about winning and losing, it’s about the memories.” 

Sophomore attacker Maya Quigley scored four goals to lead Cretin-Derham Hall in a 13-12 comeback victory at home over Roseville in Suburban East Conference action on Monday night at Wingerd Field. 

Midfielders Bree Osborne and Elise Hitchcock each added three goals apiece to help the Raiders (7-2, 5-1) score nine times in the second half to erase a five-goal deficit and maintain second place in the league standings. 

Junior forward Ciara Colvard led Roseville (7-4, 4-3) with a game-high five goals. Emma Youngblom scored three and Ellie Peine added two goals for the Raiders. 

Spotlight Game Coverage