SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Freshman midfielder Penelope Cole scored from more than 25 yards out in the 56th minute to help St. Francis' Red junior varsity squad salvage a 1-1 draw against Rocklin in girls' prep soccer action at Cristo Rey High Wednesday afternoon.
The Troubadours close out their calendar year and head into the holidays with a 4-2-2 record.
Facing a 1-0 deficit, Cole had fired two shots earlier in the second half before collecting a pass from Ava Larkin on the right side, near her own bench. She lofted a ball over the top, across the goal mouth, off the opposite post and into the net for the equalizer.
Cole's goal erased what had been a strong start for the Thunder, which managed an 8-2 advantage in shots and 3-0 edge in corner kicks during the first 27 minutes of play. In just the sixth minute, Ashlyn Bist sent her corner kick to Lindsay Salvatierra who sent in her team's first attempt into the SF cage for the go-ahead. Troubie goalkeeper Gabriela Briscoe posted six saves in the next 20 minutes to hold Rocklin to that one early score, while Mia Nelson and Audrey Deelstra fired attempts on frame for SF. Still, the Thunder held on to its 1-0 lead at the break.
Four minutes after Cole tied up the contest at 1-1, Briscoe made her biggest save of the game. With Rocklin holding a numbers advantage in the box, she stuffed a shot at point-blank range to protect the tie. Briscoe later halted a shot by Lucia Ferrer for the Thunder's last attempt on goal. Nelson and Deelstra also had looks on the Troubies' attacking end, but both attempts missed just left of frame.
St. Francis' JV Red returns to action in road games at Inderkum (Jan. 5) and Rocklin (Jan. 6) to start the new year. The Troubie varsity and JV Gold squads play next on that Wednesday, hosting Cosumnes Oaks for continued Delta League action. Their game times are 4 and 6 p.m., respectively.
