DAVIS, Calif. – Troubadour senior Zia Smith and junior Keira Miles each scored hat tricks while accounting for all seven of their team's seven draw controls, but an eight-meter goal in the final two minutes lifted Davis past St. Francis, 7-6, in the varsity nightcap of a Sierra Foothill League girls' lacrosse doubleheader at Ron & Mary Brown Stadium Monday night.
 
The Troubies slip to 8-3, both overall and in league. The Blue Devils also move to 8-3, with a 7-2 SFL record. The two teams entered the contest third and fifth, respectively, in MaxPreps' Sac-Joaquin Section rankings.

Unfortunately for St. Francis, the attack largely came down to literal inches, with eight Troubie shots hitting pipes rather than finding the back of the net. Smith scored two goals and Miles another as SF took an early 3-1 lead in the first half, only to have Davis answer with three straight to claim a 4-3 advantage at the break. 

Olivia Hamm assisted Miles inside the eight to tie the contest a second time just 33 seconds into the third quarter, only for Davis junior Olivia Ayson to complete her hat trick less than three minutes later, restoring the Blue Devil lead. Then in the 29th, Blue Devil senior Katie McMullen scooped up a loose ball inside the eight, then planted a quick shot to double her team's lead to two at 6-4. DSHS goalkeeper Sakinah Chantit protected that margin with saves against Miles and Sara Ellis on eight-meter chances later in the third.

St. Francis eventually tied the contest in the fourth, getting its fifth goal when Karly Okamoto assisted Z. Smith off the opening draw of the frame. The Troubies missed on three more shots but also blocked a shot on defense before Z. Smith connected with Miles with 5:25 remaining in regulation, equalizing at 6-6.

With just 1:58 remaining, Ayson drew an eight-meter foul then converted the ensuing free position for her fourth goal, boosting the Blue Devils to the lead once more. Then senior defender Olivia Koehler scooped up a key ground ball with 1:29 left, allowing Davis to control possession the rest of the way. The Blue Devils nearly turned the ball over, but McMullen chased down the errant pass near her team's bench, keeping the host in its critical scoring area until time expired. 

Keeping the ball for almost the entirety of the final five minutes after the Miles equalizer was hardly an automatic, as St. Francis logged 11 total steals – including two apiece by Jade Abalateo, Skye Smith and Miles.

The varsity game followed a 10-3 loss for the Troubadour junior varsity. Lucia Shepard made her return from injury with two goals while Taylor Crotsley added the third goal and tallied her team's lone assist. Evelyn McNearney and Natalia Zitelli led the defense with three caused turnovers each. But the command performance belonged to goalkeeper Angela Miles, who finished with an astounding 20 saves against the 10 goals scored. 

The Troubies' visit to Davis was originally slated for March 25 but moved back by almost two weeks due to scheduling conflicts. St. Francis turns around in less than 24 hours to host Whitney on Tuesday. Game times are 5:30 (JV) and 7:15 p.m. (varsity) at Mather Sports Complex.