ROCKLIN, Calif. – Senior goalkeeper Sophia Santsche-Chavez tallied 13 saves, an assist and a steal while Abigail Benavidez and Miranda Ferguson each scored hat tricks as St. Francis held host Whitney scoreless for more than 20 consecutive minutes in posting a 9-3 win during Sierra Foothill League varsity girls' water polo action Monday afternoon.

The Troubadours improve to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in league play, with both SFL wins coming on the road.

Benavidez had four goals total plus the assist on Ferguson's second goal of the contest. Addison Hutchcraft also scored on an Emma Dietrich assist early in the second, breaking a 2-2 tie and igniting what grew into a run of seven unanswered.

Senior Piper Brostrom scored a goal midway through the first, but also drew both five-meter fouls that resulted in Benavidez penalty goals. In all, she finished with two steals and four drawn exclusions. On one such power play in the final minute of the third, her shot was field blocked, but Benavidez was already positioned low in front of the goal to collect the easy rebound and putback.

Overall, St. Francis held a 2-0 lead, with Ferguson netting a goal just 1:03 into the contest on a second-chance opportunity. Brostrom hit her goal from two meters to double the lead, only to have freshman Roxie Jahn and junior Sophia Jahn hit back-to-back for the Wildcats. The 2-2 tie held up into the second quarter, then Santsche-Chavez's stop against Roxie Jahn to start the frame set the stage for Dietrich to find Hutchcraft on the go-ahead at 5:49 in the second.

Brostrom drew the first five-meter exclusion on a Santsche-Chavez outlet, allowing Benavidez to convert the penalty for a 4-2 lead. The Troubie goaltender totaled four saves in the second quarter and five in the third, as SF continued to add to its lead: Frannie Wells pass to Benavidez at 6:09, Ferguson's two-meter goal from Benavidez at 5:24, and Ferguson's counterattack after a Santsche-Chavez block against Whitney's Natalia Benavidez under the two-minute mark. The Benavidez rebound on a 6-on-5 chance made it 8-2 for the Troubies.

Santsche Chavez two more saves in the finale while pouncing on a loose ball from set, while Brostrom drew another five-meter foul to send Benavidez to the line. That conversion brought the score to 9-2 for a total run of seven straight goals. Whitney finally ended its offensive drought with 2:47 to go. Allie Rosario's corner throw made its way to Roxie Jahn at set, and the Wildcat freshie found the back of the net. In all, SF had held its host to a span of 20:26 without a goal.

St. Francis' varsity win followed a 20-2 junior varsity loss in the opener of an overall SFL quadrupleheader. Whitney led 10-0 at halftime and grew that margin to 16 unanswered before Ava Jack turned a Savannah Hamilton pass into the first Troubie goal with six seconds left in the third. Sophomore Della Smith added the second SF tally with 1:51 remaining in the contest, courtesy of a Kendal Douglas assist.

Both varsity and JV return to action on Wednesday at Del Oro. Varsity plays at 6 p.m. with JV scheduled for 7 p.m. following the Jesuit doubleheader with the Golden Eagles.