MODESTO, Calif. – Junior center defender Abigail Benavidez scored team highs of two goals against Buhach Colony and six against Strathmore to lead St. Francis offensively on the first day of the 45th Western States girls' water polo tournament at Johansen High School Friday.
The Troubadours lost to the Thunder in the opener by an 11-5 final, then followed with a 13-2 victory against the Spartans in moving to 11-7 for the season.
St. Francis also saw goals from Miranda Ferguson, Ashlyn Brock and Reese Hughes against BC, shooting just 1-for-8 in the first half in trailing 6-1 at the halftime break. Benavidez, who also had three steals in the opener, hit two goals in the fourth. Junior goalkeeper Sophia Santsche-Chavez posted 12 saves against the 11 goals while adding two steals of her own.
Then in the nightcap, Benavidez poured in four goals in the first half to help the Troubies carry a 9-1 lead into the break, added a fifth tally in the third, then completed her double hat trick in the final frame. Brock, Ferguson and Addison Hutchcraft each chipped in two goals. Overall, SF shot 13-for-23 versus the Spartans in contrast to the 5-for-16 clip in the morning game.
Junior Piper Brostrom continued where she left off from Thursday's win over McClatchy with nine steals on the day: five against Buhach Colony, four against Strathmore. She also assisted on four of the 13 goals against the Spartans.
Buhach Colony, last year's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II runner-up, finished the day with 19-3 season record. Strathmore, a Central Coast Section quarterfinalist in 2022, moves to 12-10 after the loss to the Troubies.
St. Francis finished third in the Friday round robin, and will open Saturday's action at 8 a.m. at the Downey High site. The Troubies will take on the winner of the Friday's Turlock/Beyer game. An updated schedule will appear on GoTroubies.com later on Friday.
UPDATE: St. Francis will face Turlock at 8 a.m. to start the Gold bracket on Saturday, then will meet Redwood or Ponderosa at either noon or 1 p.m... Both Saturday games take place at Downey High.
