ROCKLIN, Calif. – Senior goalkeeper Sophia Santsche-Chavez tallied 17 saves while Abigail Benavidez and Miranda Ferguson each performed hat tricks, leading St. Francis to an 8-7 win over Rocklin in Sierra Foothill League girls' varsity water polo action Wednesday night.

The Troubadours improve to 4-2 for the season and open their first SFL season at 1-0.

Benavidez shot 3-for-4 for the contest with a team-leading six steals and two drawn exclusions. Ferguson also hit 3 of 4 offensively while assisting on another score. Addison Hutchcraft chipped in two goals and a field block, Frannie Wells posted two assists, helping SF craft a 7-2 lead at halftime.

Santsche-Chavez also notched two steals and an assist of her own. She came up with seven stops in the third quarter alone, as the Thunder crept back into the contest. Rocklin continued with three unanswered in the fourth while St. Francis struggled to 0-for-7 shooting, but the Troubies held on win their first away game of the young season.

This is the first meeting between the two teams since SF prevailed by an 11-4 final in the 2022 Grizzly Classic.

St. Francis junior varsity lost the nightcap of the overall quadrupleheader by a final of 12-7.

The Troubie varsity returns to action in a week with a 6 p.m. home game (at Jesuit High) against Granite Bay on September 18. The jayvees play the 7 p.m. game that night, but first take part in GB's Grizzly JV Jamboree on Friday and Saturday.