SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Yasmin Azar and junior Maggie Koerwitz each scored goals as St. Francis played Davis to a 2-2- draw in the varsity opener of a Delta League girls' soccer tripleheader at Cristo Rey High's Adamson Family Sports Complex Friday night.
The Troubadours move to 11-3-2 for the season and remain in a tight three-way battle for the Delta League crown. Franklin rolled past Sheldon on Friday to take over first place at 5-1, or 15 points in the standings. The Blue Devils are now 4-0-2 for 14 points, while St. Francis' league record of 4-1-1 represents 13 points.
Barely a minute after Davis opened the scoring with a converted corner kick, Azar equalized with a free kick from approximately 40 yards along the left side. Her blast sailed over the head of goalkeeper Sky Avalos but just under the crossbar, resetting the board to 1-1 in the 16th minute. That score remained unchanged into halftime.
St. Francis then claimed the lead in the 44th, thanks to another set piece. This time it was senior Mia Barsotti, who retrieved the ball after a corner kick. She fired a shot through a seam in the Davis defense that keeper Aubrey McLin halted. However, the ball caromed directly toward Koerwitz, who finished the putback.
The Troubies protected that lead for more than 30 minutes, with senior goalkeeper Angelina Delaini and senior defender Brooke Harmon coming up with key stops in front of the SF cage. Harmon's play came in the 58th after Davis drew Delaini toward the right side. Blue Devil senior Grace Fabionar got loose and seemed to have a look at an open net before Harmon swooped in to prevent the shot.
Delaini later came up with one of her three saves against DSHS junior Miya Alamares in the 70th, but Alamares ended up salvaging the draw for her team when she connected in the 75th minute. Fabionar and Madison Lujan had additional attempts but their shots missed the mark. The Blue Devils also dodged a couple of bullets in staying with the one-goal margin before Alamares' goal: Elizabeth Barger's header slammed into the crossbar in the 54th, while McLin came up with a big save against Sofia Rabinovitz three minutes later.
In fact, moments before Davis tied up the game, Barsotti appeared to have a second assist in the making. She eluded a defender along the left flank and sent a cross to Rabinovitz near the right post. Unfortunately for SF, the ensuing cross-cage shot caught just enough of the left post to bar out into the goal box.
The varsity game led off a rare tripleheader in Delta League play as Davis is the only member school with a frosh team, despite also being the only school without ninth graders. JV Gold followed the varsity draw with a 3-0 shutout of the Blue Devils, with freshman Nas Serwanga scoring two goals, then sophomore Madeline Squaglia adding a third.
Serwanga's first goal broke up the scoreless tie in the 33rd minute. Freshman defender Lacey Harmon sent a long serve into Davis territory but well above the penalty box. Serwanga ended up getting a look from some 30 yards out, and launching a shot into the net.
St. Francis continued to threaten early in the second, finally adding to its lead in the 71st. Junior Kate Stallings began the possession with her drive toward the right corner. Her negative ball eventually found its way to Serwanga, who turned and fired to complete her brace from just above the box. The Troubies then made it 3-0 in the 75th with Squaglia, Norah White and Holland Sperber collaborating on the score.
Sophomore Gabriela Briscoe and Kaitlen Takeuchi combined for the shutout for Gold. Takeuchi, on loan from JV Red, actually got the start before exiting in the 27th. Briscoe guarded the cage for the remaining 63 minutes, facing just two shots and only one on goal in that span.
JV Red finished the evening with a 6-1 loss to the Blue Devils. Oddly, the Troubies jumped out on their guests in quite literally the minimal amount of time: Liv Vasques-Martin assisted Ava Larkin on a goal about 10 seconds in. Unfortunately for SF, Davis dominated the remainder of the contest, scoring three unanswered to take a 3-1 halftime lead. Freshman Imogen Barsotti assisted on a goal then scored one of her own midway through the second to extend the margin to 5-1, then Davis added another in transition with about 10 minutes left.
JV Red managed to threaten in the final stretch, with Vasques-Martin firing two shots and Evelyn McNearney and Mallory Lincoln putting attempts on frame.
St. Francis varsity and JV Gold complete the first half of the league season at Pleasant Grove on Wednesday. JV Red will return to action two days later for a 5 p.m. tilt at West Park. Friday's action marks the first of just two home tripleheaders on the 2023-24 season. The second will be Saturday, January 27, then JV Red hosts River City before the older two teams take on Christian Brothers for the "Holy Cup" rivalry matchup.
