MERCED, Calif. – Seniors LK Holliday and Gauri Mathrakott each scored two goals but El Capitan converted all three of its 6-on-5 chances in the third quarter to halt St. Francis, 8-7, in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II water polo tournament Thursday.
The Troubadours, seeded fifth in the tourney, finish their season at 11-11.
St. Francis led 2-0 in the first quarter and 3-2 at the halftime break, with goalie Sophia Santsche-Chavez tallying three steals and three saves in the first half. Ashlyn Brock broke up the scoreless tie at the 4:22 mark in the first quarter, taking an assist from Piper Brostrom and hitting the water polo equivalent of a fadeaway shot. Then Mathrakott assisted Ava Stimson at two meters to double the lead to 2-0.
Gaucho senior Faith Miller ended her team's scoreless drought on a second-chance lob three minutes into the second quarter, then Ellie Metcalf hit the equalizer on a counterattack with 2:53 to go. However, St. Francis regained the lead when Miranda Ferguson scored from deep in the 4/5 spot at the 1:47 mark. Santsche-Chavez came up with a save against Abby Fernandez and Mathrakott intercepted a pass into set down the stretch to keep El Cap off the board. Fernandez scored what appeared to be the Gauchos' third goal in the final minute, but she crossed over the two-meter line, disqualifying the attempt.
Holliday opened the third quarter with a key steal at two meters and later buried a shot from six meters out, but El Cap made the most of three power play chances in that frame. Freshman Ellie Metcalf netted a skip shot that hopped over Santsche-Chavez at the 4:31 mark, tying the game at 3-3. Holliday's goal made it 4-3 just nine second later, but freshman Brooklyn Ramsey assisted Fernandez and Miller on consecutive player-up opportunities at 3:54 and 3:23, giving the Gauchos their first lead of 5-4. Ramsey logged a third assist with 1:50 remaining, sending the ball to Fernandez for a tap-in, extending the margin to 6-4.
Still, Holliday delivered from long range yet again with 1:20 left in the third, this time on a SF power play. Santsche-Chavez came through with a key save against Fernandez in the waning seconds of the third.
El Cap stretched its lead back to two goals to start the fourth, with Kiryn Wicker firing from the perimeter. Facing a 7-5 deficit, St. Francis had numerous near misses on its next four trips down. Brostrom and Stimson each fired shots that appeared to bar in, but neither fully entered the cage for scores. Ferguson ran down a steal in the Gaucho backcourt for another Troubie scoring opportunity, but Stimson's rocket caromed off the crossbar.
St. Francis finally ended its scoreless stretch with goals at 2:25 and 1:48 in the final quarter, both by Mathrakott. She first collected an assist from Holliday on a 6-on-5, and hit from beyond the five-meter marker. Then Mathrakott eluded a defender at two meters and finished on the left side of the cage, tying the contest at 7-7.
With 1:29 left to go in the fourth, El Capitan drew yet another 6-on-5 opportunity, This time, Wicker came up with the heroics, converting an assist from sophomore Mekayla Hemphill five ticks after the exclusion.
Santsche-Chavez halted a Ramsey attempt with under a minute remaining, prompting the Gauchos to call a timeout with the hopes of doubling its lead. However, Holliday drew an offensive foul, giving St. Francis a chance to huddle up and draw up a play for the equalizer. Brostrom looked for an entry pass to Stimson at set but was turned back. Instead, she fed to Brock, who attempted a lob from the four position. El Cap senior Caitlin Battles-Edwards was there for her ninth and final block of the game. The Gauchos killed the final six seconds to seal the win.
Thursday's game served as the career finale for seniors Holliday, Mathrakott and Stimson. Oddly, Mathrakott and Stimson each finished their careers with 99 varsity goals between them, although no stats are available for the abbreviated 2020-21 season – making it highly likely that each player eclipsed the century mark at SF.
