GRANITE BAY, Calif. – Senior Ashlyn Brock scored six total goals, including a game-high five in a 10-5 win over Woodcreek, as St. Francis split its Friday schedule at the sixth-annual Grizzly Classic girls' water polo tournament, hosted by Granite Bay.

The Troubadours followed the victory against Creek with a 13-4 loss to Sanger in a rematch of last weekend's setback at the Woodcreek Invitational. St. Francis' action took place at two sites: the afternoon opener at Rio Americano High School, then the nightcap at host GB.

The Troubies move to 5-4 for the season.

Brock figured significantly in almost every goal against the Wildcats. She put SF on the board after Abigail Benavidez stole the ball in Creek's backcourt, then finished back-to-back counterattacks on outlet passes from Benavidez and goalie Sophia Santsche-Chavez for the team's third and fourth goals later in the first. Brock then drew a five-meter foul, for which Benavidez hit the penalty shot for the Troubies' fifth goal.

On another counterattack in the second, Brock found Piper Brostrom on a weakside feed with 3:32 to go. St. Francis held on to that 6-3 lead at the break. Brock's fourth goal came on yet another transition opportunity in the final minute of the third. She made it five goals by burying a perimeter shot with less than three minutes left, converting an assist from Lydia Vlahos.

Santsche-Chavez, who had nine goals against the Wildcats, also scored a goal in unusual fashion for a goalkeeper, thanks to a relatively recent rule change. With a 7-4 lead and a half-minute remaining in the third quarter, Santsche-Chavez elected to walk the ball up to approximately the five-meter mark in the attacking end, then knocked down the goal. Prior to 2020, NFHS, NCAA and FINA rules only allowed a goalie to shoot from beyond midtank.

In contrast to the hot start against Woodcreek, St. Francis fell into an early hole in its nightcap loss to Sanger. The Apaches crafted a 3-0 lead while the Troubies struggled to 0-for-6 shooting during the first four minutes of the contest. Havana Sperber finally ended the scoreless drought when she scored bar-in with 3:02 left in the first. Brock then brought the Troubies to within a 4-2 deficit when she took a long outlet from Santsche-Chavez, then got her shot to crawl into the cage by the left post with seven ticks left.

Sanger pulled ahead to an 8-3 halftime lead, with St. Francis' lone second-quarter goal coming off a fortunate break: Benavidez drew an exclusion on a rebounded shot, then Reese Hughes assisted Miranda Ferguson on the ensuing power play with 3:16 to go.

Unfortunately, the Apaches answered on the next trip down. The Troubies defended against all 20 seconds of 6-on-5, only for Sanger to score from the right wing – the toughest spot for a right-handed shooter – just as the SF defense returned to even strength. This was the first goal of a 5-0 total run that lasted well into the fourth. Benavidez drew a five-meter foul and hit her own penalty shot with 2:19 left in the contest, wrapping up what ultimately added up to a 5-for-30 shooting night.

St. Francis finished up action at the Grizzly Classic at Rio Americano on Saturday. The Troubies take on Inderkum at 8 a.m. then wrap up the weekend against Ponderosa at 11 a.m.