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Quinn Meehan relishes this time of year.

Posting a goal less than three minutes into Tuesday evening's Class 3A West quarterfinal boys soccer contest with eighth-seeded Quince Orchard High, the Tuscarora senior midfielder set the tone early as Titans began their state title defense by cruising to a 5-1 victory at Linganore High. No. 1 Tuscarora will host the winner of Seneca Valley-Watkins Mill at home on Thursday evening.

"When it starts getting chilly out and you put the jackets on, it's time to go," Meehan said.

The Titans spread the wealth against the visiting Cougars, producing a season-high five goals coming from five different players. Along with Meehan, Michael Greene, Ritchie Reyes, Wayne Craig and Justin Yates scored. Sophomore midfielder Christian Yarros dished out a pair of assists.

"I think we have 22 [players] and there are 17 kids who are angry they didn't get [a goal]," said Tuscarora head coach Martin Stiteler. "Everybody wants a piece."

Meehan, a captain, deposited a loose, bouncing ball into the goal from 20 yards out for a 1-0 lead at 37:08. He played like a leader throughout the contest, heading a pair of potentially dangerous balls, one from a corner, one from throw in, safely out of the Titans' box during the first half. Already ahead 4-0, he stepped in front of a Cougars' shot late in the second.

Tuscarora never gave an inch and put the game away. Leading 3-0 at the half, the Titans continued to pour it on after the break with Craig striking at 34:20 and Yates just over two minutes later.

Twelve days had passed since the Titans last took the field. They exhibited little, if any, signs of rust.

"We're just taking it one game at a time," Meehan said. "We don't care who were playing. We just want to play and we want to win."

Facing certain elimination late, Quince Orchard (3-9-1) continued to work the ball in search of a score. After three corner kicks in less than a two-minute span, senior forward Fombod Chunga uncorked a missile from 35-yards out into the upper left corner of the net with less than 90 seconds to go.

"They were good tonight, can't take anything away from them," Cougars' head coach Jim McEvoy said about the Titans.

"We had 11 seniors. A lot of them were on the field at the end. It was good. You don't like the result, but they kept fighting. Tuscarora is one of the better teams in the area, if not the state. There is nothing for us to hang our heads about."

The game was played on Linganore's synthetic turf field in order to help better preserve the Titans' home field.