SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior center Ava Stimson scored five goals while senior utility Gauri Mathrakott added four in each end of a Saturday doubleheader, as St. Francis varsity swept Day 2 of Granite Bay's Grizzly Classic girls' water polo tournament. The Troubadours beat Del Campo, 12-2, in the early-morning tilt; then blanked El Camino by a 14-0 final in Saturday's afternoon matchup.
St. Francis evens its overall record to 6-6. Additionally, the 14-0 win marked the program's first shutout victory in more than five years, the last being a 21-0 drubbing of Franklin on September 12, 2017.
The Troubies scored three unanswered to start the day, with Stimson collecting an assist from Mathrakott at set at the 3:09 mark, then hitting a rebound/putback combination at 1:43. Stimson then assisted Ashlyn Brock on a counterattack goal that began with Miranda Ferguson's steal.
Stimson completed her hat trick against the Cougars midway through the third quarter in typical fashion: at two meters, on an assist from Mathrakott. She then scored goals No. 4 and 5 to start the fourth, both on feeds from Brock. Mathrakott's had two goals down the stretch of the fourth to finish with four total. Her second came against a DC swarm with 2:29 in the second: Ferguson found her down low, the Cougar defense dropped on her, yet Mathrakott beat the doubleteam to increase the Troubie lead to 6-2.
Goalie Sophia Santsche-Chavez posted seven saves and three steals in Saturday's opener with Del Campo, then tallied five blocks in the nightcap against El Camino.
Besides the five goals from Stimson and the four from Mathrakott, Abigail Benavidez tallied two goals to go with three assists against the Eagles. Both of her scores came from Stimson assists (among the team-leading four in the game). St. Francis largely shut down its offense after amassing an 11-0 lead through three quarters, although Mathrakott managed an assist to Stimson and a goal early in the fourth. However, the Troubies provided opportunities for reserve Reese Hughes, who splits her game days between the JV and varsity teams. With 0:23 remaining, Hughes completed a counterattack for her first varsity goal.
The St. Francis varsity team finally hosts its home opener and first Delta League game, taking on Franklin on Tuesday. Game time is 5 p.m. at Jesuit Pool. With Franklin only fielding a varsity squad, the Troubie jayvees return to action the following weekend for Vintage High's Crusher Classic.
