DAVIS, Calif. – Senior goalkeeper Bella McCullough totaled 12 saves while senior midfielder Abby Alvernaz notched her second hat trick of the season, but St. Francis ultimately shot just 7-for-20 in falling by a 9-7 final to Vista Del Lago in the third-place game of the Sierra Foothill/Delta League tournament, held Davis' Ron & Mary Brown Stadium Thursday night.
The Troubadours move to 14-5 overall while the Eagles improve to 11-5 for the year. The two programs were the No. 2 seeds out of the Delta and Sierra Foothill Leagues, respectively. St. Francis lost to top-seeded Oak Ridge after Vista fell to Davis in the first-round contests two days prior.
Alvernaz scored on a 30-yard scamper up the left sideline in the 12th minute to tie the game at 2-2 for her first goal. She hit her second with 7:12 to go in the first, again as an equalizer (3-3), this time taking a pass from Karly Okamoto, then scurrying past a Vista defender to score. She completed her hat trick two minutes into the second half on an eight-meter opportunity, and soon followed by assisting Elizabeth Barger for a goal with 21:05 left.
Senior midfielder Zahra Smith had the remaining two goals while leading the way with eight draw controls, five of which came after a 5-3 halftime deficit.
McCullough had nine saves in that first half to keep her team within striking range, but ran into hard luck on the first play after halftime. Eagle freshman Shaye Aland fired a shot that caromed off the crossbar and bounced straight up above the circle. By the time McCullough could spot it and corral a ground ball, the topspin allowed the sphere to lurch into the SF net. Siri Robinson scored off the ensuing draw to extend the Vista lead to 7-3 just a minute later.
The play off the draw also helped the Eagles take that lead, as they won nine of the first 12 in the contest. Smith then claimed five DCs from the 28th through 47th minutes to help the Troubies close the gap to two on two occasions. Vista goalkeeper Abbi Fink came up with three second-half saves while Aland and Robinson netted consecutive scores midway through the frame to maintain their team's lead.
Alvernaz also had three caused turnovers to supplement her team-leading offense, while Camdyn Zucker was a bright spot on both ends, collecting a game-high five ground balls.
The Delta-SFL tourney serves as a de facto area championship, but both leagues feed into the neighboring North Coast Section in girls' lacrosse. St. Francis will learn of its playoff fate when the CIF-NCS rolls out its brackets on Sunday.
