SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Senior goalkeeper Rory Peters collected four saves while junior midfielders Jaycee DeFazio and Ella Crisologo each managed shots on goal in the second half, but St. Francis fell to Pleasant Grove, 1-0, in Delta League varsity girls' soccer action at Cristo Rey High Wednesday night.
Then in the nightcap, junior forward Becca Weil scored a hat trick to lead the Troubies junior varsity Gold to a 5-0 win over the Eagles.
The SFHS varsity slips to 8-3-2 overall and suffers their first league loss, moving to 2-1. Meanwhile, JV Gold remains unbeaten at 10-0-2 for the year.
Peters had a pair of stops in the sixth minute of Wednesday's opener, then another in the 20th on a Eagle set piece. She added another save with 11 minutes remaining in regulation when PG junior Halah Elbeshity got past the SF defense and fired on frame. Peters made a sliding stop to direct the ball beyond the post.
The Eagles scored the game's lone goal in the 53rd minute. Senior midfielder Katelyn Bessemer eluded the Troubies' back line, advanced along the right side of the penalty box, then sent her shot crosscage into the low left corner for the score.
St. Francis had opportunities to crack the seal on the PG goal throughout the game, including a flurry early in the second half. Micaela Romo fired shots from about 15 yards out in the 48th and 49th, but missed high each time. Then on a free kick in the 50th, she served the ball to DeFazio in front of the goal mouth, only to have Eagle keeper Ashley Black there to stop the attempt. Crisologo also unleashed a strong attempt soon after the PG goal but her ball went dead center to Black.
In the nightcap, Jianna Reyes assisted Maggie Koerwitz in the 15th minute then Weil in the 24th to boost the Troubies to a 2-0 halftime lead. Weil made it 3-0 on her second goal, launching a ball from approximately 25 yards out in the first minute after the break. She nearly completed her hat trick two minutes later but her attempt just slipped over the crossbar. Instead, Weil netted her third goal on a well-centered corner pass from Estella Bacsafra in the 69th.
St. Francis fired a flurry of shots in the 77th, with Emily Hartman getting the fourth outback into the net to set the final tally at 5-0.
Both varsity and JV Gold teams return to Cristo Rey on Thursday to host Franklin for another Delta League doubleheader. Varsity kicks off at 4 p.m., JV Gold at 6.
