NAPA, Calif. – St. Francis varsity water polo split its Friday slate of the Julian Szmidt Memorial Tournament, falling 9-5 to Granite Bay in the opener, then blanking Dixon, 12-0, in the nightcap. The Szmidt tourney, named for a long-time aquatics coaching legend from the Napa community, runs for two days at Napa Valley College.
The Troubadours move to 9-8 for the season. They will face Northgate, which also split its Friday schedule against St. Mary's and Vintage. That game is set for 10:45 a.m. at NVC's Pool 1, with the Troubies' tourney finale against either Christian Brothers or the winner of Friday's Lodi-Ripon matchup.
Senior Ava Stimson notched her fourth double hat trick of the year against Dixon, scoring three goals in the first quarter, one in the second and two in the third. She also had three steals and assist. Junior Reese Hughes added two goals, with Abigail Benavidez, Miranda Ferguson and Maren Foster each netting one.
Ferguson added two assists, matching senior L.K. Holliday, who also piled up six steals in the game. The victory over the Rams marked the second shutout win of the year, along with the 14-0 game against El Camino back on October 1.
Stimson also posted a hat trick in Friday morning's setback against Granite Bay, adding two steals and two assists along the way. Goalkeeper Sophia Santsche-Chavez tallied 10 saves. St. Francis trailed by just a single goal (4-3) at the halftime break, but was held scoreless in the third while the Grizzlies pulled ahead to a 6-3 margin. Gauri Mathrakott and Piper Brostrom also scored goals for the Troubies in defeat.
A total of 18 teams competed in this year's Szmidt Memorial tourney, with Clovis East, Granite Bay, St. Mary's and Las Lomas going undefeated in the Gold Bracket. Rodriguez and McClatchy each won both of its games in the Burgundy Bracket. Two wins on Saturday would give St. Francis a fifth-place finish in the tourney.
