SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Yasmin Azar scored her first hat trick of the season to lead St. Francis to a 5-1 win over Franklin in the varsity opener of a pivotal Delta League girls' soccer doubleheader at Cristo Rey's Adamson Family Sports Complex Friday night.
The Troubadours improve to 13-3-2 overall and 6-1-1 in league play. The Wildcats, who led the league standings heading into Friday's slate, move to 10-2-2 and 6-2-0. The contest also flips the two schools in the race for the Delta League title: Davis takes over first place with 20 points (6-0-2) after nipping Cosumnes Oaks, 1-0. St. Francis is now in second with 19 points, while Franklin dips to third by holding at 18.
Azar, who committed to play for Coastal Carolina in November, scored in the third, 19th and 68th minutes for her first hat trick since the 7-0 against Cosumnes Oaks almost exactly one year ago. Elizabeth Barger netted a goal in the 16th while Maggie Koerwitz had another in the 64th.
Azar's first goal, on a pass from Mia Barsotti just beyond the 18, represented the first offensive opportunity for either team. It also largely placed early momentum with the Troubies, who had seven of the first eight shots in the contest. Barger had three progressively stronger attempts to head in a goal on long Jada Dwyre throws, finally finding paydirt in the 16th. Then Azar completed her brace when she cracked a shot from about 25 yards out that glanced off the bottom of the crossbar and in. She nearly had an identical goal in the 24th, but her attempt caught too much of the bar and bounced back out for the Franklin keeper to corral.
Still down by the 3-0 deficit, Franklin largely dominated possession for a 10-minute span, but could not place a shot on frame. High-scoring senior Senai Rogers (13 goals) had perhaps the best look getting her team on the board, but defender Estella Bacsafra marked her so closely that Rogers' attempt sailed far left of the mark.
Rogers managed another shot early in the second half but it was Isabella Ramos who got the Wildcats on the board when she successfully redirected a cross from the right side in the 45th. This appeared to energize Franklin, last year's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion, as the two teams engaged in a physical battle for the next 15 minutes. Both defenses protected their respective cages, with Koerwitz, Bacsafra, Giada Pagano and Brooke Harmon leading the way on the SF side.
Then SF exploded for back-to-back goals to send the game out of reach. Caitlin Hafenstein lofted a corner kick to Koerwitz, who hit her second goal in as many weeks. Minutes later, Azar completed her hat trick to bump the Troubie lead to four. This deflated the Wildcats, who failed to earn any further scoring opportunities across the last 14 minutes.
Friday's 5-1 win avenges St. Francis' 3-1 setback at Franklin on the road back on December 15. The Troubies have gone 8-0-2 since that loss. In contrast, SF's JV Gold squad finally suffered its first defeat, falling by a 3-1 final in the nightcap against the Wildcats. Freshman defender Charlotte Lippi managed the lone goal, firing in from midfield in the second half. Unfortunately, three other SF shots hit the crossbar in a game where the Troubies held a commanding shooting margin, according to head coach Alex Hoang.
Meanwhile in Roseville, the program's frosh-soph JV Red squad played to a 2-2 draw with West Park. SF took the initial lead, with Ava Winberry assisting Liv Vasques-Martin in the eighth minute. The Panthers equalized in the 51st then took a 2-1 lead in the 58th. Some 42 seconds later, freshman Gianna Barnes fired in the equalizer to salvage the tie.
St. Francis' JV Gold is now 14-1-2 for the year, while JV Red moves to 5-10-1 overall.
Varsity and JV Gold host Cosumnes Oaks for continued Delta League action Wednesday at 4 and 6 p.m., respectively. JV Red originally had a game that night at Folsom, but the contest was canceled earlier in the season. The youngest Troubies will instead host West Park for a 5 p.m. home tilt at CRHSS.
