ROSEVILLE, Calif. – The No. 2 seeded St. Francis water polo team lost to No. 1 Davis 14-5 on Saturday night at the Roseville Aquatic Center. The Troubadours earned a berth in the CIF Northern California regionals with the finals appearance and drew a No. 5 seed in the Division II bracket against Clovis West in the bracket announced by the CIF.
"We played well," said Head Coach Emily Whalen. "They communicated great and did everything I asked them to do. The score did not reflect it this time."
St. Francis (17-10) got two goals from senior Caroline Wilkins and junior Libby Slater and a solo tally by Zoe Sloat in the contest. Senior Alyssa Jacobsen, who signed with George Washington on Wednesday, added two assists and a steal.
The Blue Devils, who won their 16th section title, led 2-1 after the first period but broke out for five goals in the second to take control of the game. The two teams were even in the third with three goals each as Wilkins scored twice for the Troubies.
"Caroline is solid," said Head Coach Emily Whalen. "She is probably one of our most well-rounded players because she is fast. Her arms are so long she can get the ball in the goal in different angles. She changed our momentum."
Whalen was also complimentary of Slater and her impact.
"She's scrappy," said Whalen. "She went for all the balls that were loose and she had some really awesome shots."
St. Francis was not able to close the gap despite 10 saves from Claire McManus.
SF beat Oak Ridge (13-6) and Granite Bay (9-4) to reach the final. It was the third straight championship final appearance for the program and 16th in school history. SF and Davis have met in 15 of the last 16 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championships.
The Troubadours will travel to Fresno to take on Clovis West at 5 p.m. on Tuesday night. The two schools played in the St. Francis Scramble with the Golden Eagles winning 10-6. The winner will take on the Soquel/Clovis East winner in Thursday.
