RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — Senior Bella McCullough tallied seven saves against just three goals while senior Zahra Smith and sophomore Brynley Hodge each performed hat tricks, leading St. Francis to a 12-3 win over perennial area power Granite Bay in non-league girls' varsity lacrosse Monday night at Mather Sports Complex. The Troubadours' win represents the first in the series against the Grizzlies in almost exactly nine years.
St. Francis improves to 4-1 for the year.
Smith also had an assist, seven draw controls and two caused turnovers in the contest. Karly Okamoto, Elizabeth Barger and Abby Alvernaz added another two goals apiece, with Barger controlling another four draws to largely keep the Troubies in their attacking third. Defenders Lauren Baleria and Abby Gillum also notched two steals each in protection of McCullough.
St. Francis surrendered the game's first goal when GB's Kaylee Kittle drove the left side just four minutes and 28 seconds into the contest. However, Smith's domination on the draw sparked a run of six unanswered Troubie goals from the third to 13th minutes. The Delaware State-bound midfielder scored the equalizer on a drive with 22:17 to go, then converted an assist from Alvernaz at the 17:22 mark. She completed her hat trick in the 13th minute, immediately following Barger's successful eight-meter conversion, collecting the draw and taking the ball straight to the house to boost the SFHS lead to 5-1.
Hodge had a pair of first-half scores and McCullough stopped a pair of eight-meter shots in the first half to give the Troubies a 7-2 advantage heading into the break. Jane Patterson scored six minutes into in the second for the Grizzlies' third goal, but that marked the last time GB found the back of the net. Alvernaz scored on a quick stick from Hodge a minute later, then Okomoto drove the right side of the fan at 21:14. Hodge completed her hat trick when she collected a pass from Smith before firing through the GB goalkeeper's five hole., extending the lead to 10-3 with 14:20 left. Alvernaz made it 11-3 on an eight-meter chance with 4:26 to go, then Okamoto hit the top shelf on her left-side drive in the 46th overall minute of the game.
Meanwhile, McCullough picked up two more saves while Gillum, Smith and Baleria came up with key steals inside their own critical scoring area, further stifling Granite Bay's attack.
"I was honestly working on a lot of blocking in on that ball and focusing on what I could control as the goalie," said McCullough. "So getting on that position and watching where I am, so I can easily track it, see it and get to it, really helped me."
The last time St. Francis defeated Granite Bay was almost precisely nine years prior: a 10-8 Troubie win on March 19, 2013.
Monday's varsity win followed a tough loss for the SFHS junior varsity, which fell by a 21-2 final against GB's experienced jayvee crew. Zia Smith (no relation to Zahra) scored both goals: converting an eight-meter after a hard foul seven minutes into the contest, then another on Chloe Garcia's dime precisely 25 game minutes later. Matea Avery, a freshman on the varsity team, lent her stick and ball-handling skills to the JV crew.
St. Francis returns to action on Wednesday for the "Holy Sticks" rivalry game at Christian Brothers. First draw is 5:30 for JV, 7 p.m. for varsity.
NOTE: McCullough, a commit to William Penn University, will miss the Troubies' next home game (vs. Roseville on Friday)… She landed a tryout with Team Mexico, or La Federación Mexicana de Lacrosse… McCullough will vie for a spot on one of 30 teams that will compete at the 2022 Women's World Lacrosse Championship at Towson, Maryland this July.
