SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis soccer team tied nationally ranked Davis 0-0 in a matchup of the top two teams in the Delta League Friday afternoon at the Adamson Family Sports Complex.
"I am really pleased," said Head Coach Maryclaire Robinson. "I think we are in a good place. The field is small and Davis with or without Maya Doms is efficient and they high press. It was a little sloppy but we managed and created some chances. We are moving forward and it was another league opportunity in which we got some points."
Davis entered with a 14-0-0 record and had won 18 consecutive regular season games. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 1 in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com and No. 9 by MaxPreps. It was the first tie for the Blue Devils since the Troubadours forced a 0-0 tie at home last season.
"We are feeling really good," said Urkov. "It is always a fun game against Davis. They push us and we play our best. They gave us a good game. It was really heartening to see everyone show out in the rain. We are feeling pretty good going into the last week of the regular season and the playoffs."
Urkov, who was celebrating her 18th birthday, had the best chance of the night for St. Francis, striking a bullet towards the Blue Devil goal late in the first half.
"It was one of our best chances," said Robinson. "They pressed us so it was hard to get a handle on our touches. We won the ball in the midfield and played it in. It skipped off one of their defenders and it got us in behind. Then Elise does what she does. She is fast and if she gets a hold it a quarter inch lower it would have changed things. What a great shot! The keeper made a great save and A.J. (Tanner) almost got it. The game changes pretty quick."
Tanner had two shots in the game and helped the team hold off a team that had out-scored opponents 65-4 on the season. SF managed one of the four goals in a 3-1 loss at Davis earlier this season.
"Offensively we got better at communicating and we started keeping the ball in their half," said Tanner. "Defensively we were tracking our backs and marks. We transitioned together and played together."
The teams played in a hard, consistent rain for the better part of the game but it was best attended game of the season.
"I am exceedingly impressed that we had so many St. Francis supporters beyond parents," said Robinson. "It is miserable out here. It is cold and rainy and yet we created an environment. We had people on the sidelines giving us shouts. It was fantastic. To speak to Troubie Nation on a day we should be inside watching a movie, they came out. I am really proud to be part of the St. Francis Nation. It was an excellent testament to who we are as a group."
St. Francis has three games left in the regular season with their Senior game on Monday against Pleasant Grove before a road game at Franklin on Wednesday. They play their regular season finale on Thursday against Cosumnes Oaks at Cristo Rey.
"Our confidence is really high and we have been training really hard in practice," said Urkov. "It showed in the game today that everyone came to work. It is all effort from here. Whether or not we can pull it out will play out."
