SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Madeline Squaglia, freshman Lacey Harmon and sophomore Penelope Cole each scored goals as St. Francis' Gold junior varsity squad shut out Ponderosa, 3-0, in a girls' prep soccer home opener at Cristo Rey High's Adamson Family Field Friday night.

The Troubadours improve to 2-0 for the year. JV Gold also becomes the first of the three SF squads to play on its home field in 2023-24, enjoying a rare occasion of not sharing a competition date with the varsity team.

Harmon also helped the defensive unit shut down the Bruins to just two shots, with only one on goal and none after the 22nd minute of the contest.

Squaglia broke open the contest in the eighth minute, as forward Holland Sperber played an assist from just inside the right flank. Then in the 30th, Sperber drew a hard foul on that right side, about 35 yards from the goal. Harmon was summoned to the handle the set piece, and promptly delivered a shot that beat the Pondo keeper for the game's second goal. 

Harmon nearly had two more goals in the first half, also on set plays. Her serve with 7:30 to go sailed inches above the crossbar, while an attempt nearly from the center circle short-hopped the keeper. 

Cole had the Troubies' third goal of the game in the 63rd. On a relatively ordinary throw-in along the left sideline, she tossed the ball to Audrey Deelstra, who immediately played it back to her. Cole then fired a shot from more than 30 yards out, finding the back of the net to even her own astonishment.

Overall, St. Francis outshot its guest by a 24-2 margin, with 13 attempts on goal. 

JV Gold returns to action in the nightcap of a home doubleheader against McClatchy on Tuesday. Game time is 6 p.m., following the varsity's 4 p.m. tilt. In the interim, St. Francis' JV Red hosts its home opener against Rio Americano on Monday, with a 3 p.m. start on the campus's grass field.