SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Miranda Ferguson scored two goals and assisted Abigail Benavidez on another, but St. Francis surrendered eight unanswered goals to start a 16-5 loss to Granite Bay in Sierra Foothill League girls' water polo action at Jesuit High Wednesday night.

The Troubadours slip to 4-3 for the year and even their league record to 1-1. The Grizzlies are now 3-0 in SFL play, having won 15 straight conference games dating back to the 2022 season.

Ferguson assisted Benavidez on a 6-on-5 chance with 43 seconds left in the first half, then Benavidez returned the favor less than a minute into the third frame.

St. Francis later scored back-to-back goals in the fourth to reduce the deficit to 14-4. After Addison Hutchcraft's initial shot missed bar-out, Piper Brostrom collected the rebound near the right side of the cage, and promptly deposited the ball into the net with 5:19 to go. Then a minute later, Ferguson netted her second goal on another Troubie power play. Finally, goalkeeper Sophia Santsche-Chavez fired in a goal from mid-tank at the game buzzer to bring the final score to 16-5.

GB junior Lucy Nihart led her team with seven goals: three on even strength from set, two on five-meter penalty shots, one on a steal and counterattack and one on a quick-quick 6-on-5 opportunity.

The Troubie jayvees also lost to the Grizzlies, trailing by a 12-1 margin at halftime en route to a 19-2 overall loss. Freshman Isabella Leyva scored both SF goals, each time on 6-on-5 chances. She turned a Savannah Hamilton feed into a two-meter score at the 1:26 mark in the first quarter, then she buried a perimeter shot thanks to an Ava Jack pass with 3:16 left in the fourth.

Wednesday's doubleheader represented the first St. Francis home game in exactly two weeks, and the last until September 30. Both teams return to action for an SFL road matchup at Whitney on Monday. JV plays at 4 p.m., with varsity following at 5 p.m.