EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Santsche-Chavez posted 13 saves with five steals in her varsity debut in net, while senior Ava Stimson led offensively with four goals, as St. Francis defeated Oak Ridge by a 10-6 final in a season-opening girls' prep water polo game at El Dorado Hills Community Center Tuesday night.
The Troubadours' junior varsity then lost the nightcap by a 13-7 final.
Oddly, the varsity victory represented a rematch of the Troubadours' 2021 season finale, which came at the hands of the Trojans in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs last November 2. It also marked the debut for head coach Alex Hoang, who took over the SF helm on an interim basis shortly before the start of preseason tryouts.
Gauri Mathrakott added a hat trick, Ashlyn Brock scored two more, while Piper Brostrom notched her first varsity goal to account for the balance of the Troubie scoring.
St. Francis stormed to a 5-1 lead in the contest. Mathrakott scored twice and assisted Stimson on a third, then Brostrom scored off a right-side outlet during a 4-0 run to finish the first quarter. Mathrakott completed her hat trick 90 seconds into the second frame, firing in a shot from five meters out.
However, ORHS battled back with five unanswered of its own: two in the second frame to close the halftime gap to 5-3, then on perimeter bombs from Clara Ganry-Mangematin and Emma Voorhies at 6:38 and 5:46 in the third. Santsche-Chavez shut down the Trojans for three straight saves, including one on a power play and another on a 1-v-1 opportunity through the middle stretch of that third.
Meanwhile, Mathrakott assisted Stimson on a 6-on-5 conversion with 2:38 to go in the third. This began a 4-0 stretch by the Troubies well into the fourth quarter. Stimson scored on a sweep shot thanks to an LK Holliday assist with 1:55 left in the third, then Brock and Mathrakott teamed up for a quick-quick power play just 37 ticks later.
Brock fired in her second goal unassisted from the 1 spot midway through the fourth to make it 9-5 for St. Francis. Meanwhile, Santsche-Chavez continued to roll: a steal stifled an Oak Ridge counterattack to open the fourth, while her 12th and 13th saves also came on Trojan fast breaks.
St. Francis scored its 10th goal with 0:24 left in the contest: Brostrom drew an exclusion, then assisted Stimson for the player-up goal.
Following the varsity win, the Troubie junior varsity surrendered seven unanswered goals through the first nine minutes of play before staying a brief comeback to a 9-4 deficit. Havana Sperber, who joined the team earlier in the day, scored three of her team-high four goals in that second frame. Her younger sister, freshman Holland Sperber, made her water polo debut as a goalie and logged 10 saves.
The Troubie JV return to action at the first of two JV-only tourneys hosted by McClatchy on Saturday. Then both JV and varsity reunite for a road doubleahder at Granite Bay on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
