SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Yasmin Azar scored her second brace of the season while defender Giada Pagano's long serve set up Caitlin Hafenstein for a chip-in on the game's first goal, as St. Francis blanked Pleasant Grove, 3-0, to open Delta League girls' soccer action at Cristo Rey's Adamson Family Sports Complex Wednesday night.
The Troubies improve to 5-2 for the season and kick of the league slate with a 1-0 mark.
The SF-PG varsity game was the first in a tripleheader that included the annual soccer "Booster-Q" barbecue plus a collection of toys for the Stanford Settlement's Operation Cratchit benefit. The drive, part of the school's overall Advent Giving program, gathers toys, games and other items geared for children 15 and under who face financial hardship.
St. Francis allowed just one shot in each half in the varsity opener, allowing goalkeeper Angelina Delaini to record her first career shutout on the varsity squad. Hafenstein broke up the scoreless tie in the 25th when Pagano launched a free kick from more than 35 yards out along the left edge of the field. PG keeper Vivian Wheeler stopped that initial attempt, but the speedy Hafenstein took advantage of the serve's hang time to come up with the finish.
The Troubies continued to pepper the Eagle goal with 15 shots in the second half, including seven on goal. Azar scored her goals in the second half to extend the lead. A lead pass from Miley Blough set up the Coastal Carolina commit to double the lead to 2-0 in the 62nd minute. Then in the 76th, after Piper Sherburne's initial attempt was halted by the PG keeper, Azar swooped in for putback.
Wednesday marked Azar's fourth multi-goal game in her two seasons on varsity. She netted two goals against McClatchy earlier this season, posted a brace against Mountain House in last year's Sac-Joaquin Section playoff opener, and recorded a hat trick against Cosumnes Oaks on January 16 last season.
Following the varsity win was a relative shocker for JV Gold, which had outscored 28-1 in seven straight wins to start the season. Holland Sperber and Olivia Hamm got the Troubies out to a 2-0 lead with their respective goals in the 21st and 30th minutes, but PG managed to get one back shortly before halftime.
Madeline Squaglia assisted Norah White for another goal less than three minutes into the second half to extend the SF lead. However, the Eagles twice found the back of the net on two long set pieces, including one after time had expired, to salvage a 3-3 draw. The tie ended a 16-game league winning streak for St. Francis, a stretch that dated back to a 1-0 loss to Franklin on January 13, 2021.
Marissa Ow and Lacey Harmon had the assists on the Sperber and Hamm goals, respectively.
To take part in the Booster-Q and toy drive, St. Francis JV Red hosted Folsom's frosh-soph team in the nightcap, with freshman Momina Niazi scoring a hat trick as part of a 6-0 overall shutout. Niazi put the Troubies on the board with a putback in the eighth, fired in a blast from the left side for the team's third goal in the 50th, then completed her hat trick with a bar-down shot from roughly that same spot to extend the lead to 5-0 in the 72nd. She also assisted Liv Vasques-Martin immediately before her own hat trick goal.
Ava Larkin managed the Troubies' second goal in the 28th, thanks to a dime from Gianna Barnes. Then defender Trinity Ito made it 6-0 on a long free kick in the 78th. Rose Buffleben and Kaitlen Takeuchi combined for the shutout, with Takeuchi making the stop on the only Bulldog attempt in the contest.
St. Francis varsity and JV Gold continue league play in a road doubleheader at Franklin on Friday. Meanwhile, JV opens play in the two-day Cougar Classic tourney. The youngest Troubies face Berkeley on Friday night, then will take on Monte Vista and host Carondelet on Saturday.
