SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Annika Rose celebrated her 16th birthday with an assist and a goal in St. Francis JV Red's 3-1 win over Rio Americano in girls' frosh-soph soccer action Monday afternoon.
The youngest Troubadour squad stays unbeaten, improving to 3-0 in its home opener.
All three SF team captains accounted for the scoring. Sophomore Evelyn McNearney found the top shelf from just beyond the penalty box in the 10th minute, freshman Gianna Barnes caromed a shot off the opposite post from the left side in the 39th, then Rose delivered the insurance goal in the 79th minute to close out the second half. Rose also assisted Barnes' goal in those final minutes before halftime.
Freshies Kaitlen Takeuchi and Rose Buffleben platooned at goalkeeper, posting save totals of four and seven, respectively. Only a Rio penalty shot five minutes into the second half prevented a combined shutout for the Troubie keepers. Piper Miller drew a foul on the right side of the box, then converted her own PK to halve the SF lead to 2-1.
The Raiders threatened multiple times to equalize, with Layla Bierwirth, Rylee Miller and Zoe Younger each firing multiple shots on frame in the second half. But Buffleben came up with save after save, while Momina Niazi, Trinity Ito and Gabby Federico provided additional backfield support.
Finally, after a Bierwirth free kick narrowly missed tying the game in the 78th, Rose and Ava Larkin found themselves charging through the attacking third of the field on a pass from Gianna Erdmann. Larkin played the ball past defender Stella Szura to Rose, who sent her shot cross-cage from just inside the 18-yard mark.
The activity for the St. Francis goalkeepers marks a contrast from the Troubies' previous win, in which they allowed no shots in a shutout at Will C. Wood five days prior.
The varsity and JV Gold squads return to action on Tuesday for a doubleheader against McClatchy, then all three SF squads take part in the two-day Raider Cup Classic at River City on Friday and Saturday.
