LODI, Calif. – Sophomore Emma Dietrich scored two goals and assisted three others but 11th-seeded St. Francis could not keep pace with sixth-seeded Lodi, falling by a 14-9 final in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II girls' water polo tournament Tuesday.

The Troubadours close their season with an 8-21 overall record. The Flames improve to 12-11 and move on to face No. 3 seed Rio Americano in the quarterfinal round on Thursday.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sasha Michon tallied 11 saves for SF. Freshman Gia Navarrete, sophomore Audrey Ellis and senior Sara Ellis joined Dietrich as three other SF players with braces, with Frannie Wells matching Dietrich's total of three assists.

Navarrete scored on a long bomb with 1:31 left in the first quarter then assisted Savannah Hamilton on a goal some 41 seconds later to keep SF to a 2-2 tie with its hosts. However, the Flames netted two quick goals in the final 34 seconds of that frame. The second came on a Margaret Graham steal and counterattack, in which she drew the second exclusion against Navarrete.

The power play began an overall trend in a game in which the Troubies battled four trouble down the stretch while giving up six 6-on-5 goals plus a five-meter penalty. S. Ellis scored two twice in the second quarter, both of which pulled SF to within a one-goal deficit. Her bar-in lob at the 4:22 mark made it 5-4, while her second shot glanced off the goalkeeper's hands to pull the Troubies to within a 6-5 gap a minute later. Still, the elder Ellis sister drew her second exclusion early in the third.

St. Francis still managed to stay within striking range into the third quarter. Freshman Rachel Bennett added to Lodi's 7-5 halftime edge with a goal to start the third, but Maya Wenceslao later brought the Troubies back to a two-goal hole. She drew an exclusion with a Lodi player interfered with her free throw, then scored the 6-on-5 on a Dietrich assist with 3:34 left.

Unfortunately for SF, Mikayla Haddad answered by converting her own power play on the next restart, beginning an 3-0 overall run for the Flames. Lodi senior Kaydence Bradford drew a five-meter foul, with teammate Harlan Woodard hitting the penalty shot, then Bradford and Haddad combined on another power play to boost the Flames' lead to 11-6.

Audrey Ellis turned a Dietrich pass into her own 6-on-5 goal to close the third quarter, but by this point, Wenceslao had fouled out of the game, further depleting St. Francis' personnel.

Navarrete and A. Ellis each scored in the fourth quarter but Graham matched their output in that same span to help Lodi stay in front by at least four goals for the rest of the way.

Dietrich's two goals also raised her total to 32, moving her ahead of center Kendal Douglas for the final team lead. She also finishes with 28 assists for 60 total points, also Troubie highs for 2025.