RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – Freshman Karly Okamoto posted four goals and three assists for a game-high seven points, while senior co-captain Zahra Smith added another five goals, as St. Francis snared a 17-6 win over Rio Americano in a pivotal Delta League girls' lacrosse matchup at Mather Sports Complex. 

 

The varsity win followed an equally dominant 17-3 win by the Troubadour junior varsity, with Olivia Hamm leading the way for the third straight game with six goals and five assists.

 

St. Francis varsity improves to 9-3 overall, while the JV moves to 8-3. More importantly, the Troubies go to 6-1 in Delta League play, moving into second place in the standings behind only undefeated Davis.

 

Okamoto and Smith had just two of four hat tricks for St. Francis, as senior Lauren Wieser and sophomore Brynley Hodge also had three goals each. Camdyn Zucker chipped in a goal and an assist, while the Troubies also earned an own goal when a return pass to the crease eluded the Rio goalkeeper in the 38th minute.

 

St. Francis also largely dominated the draw, with Okamoto (6), Smith (6) and Abby Alvernaz (3) controlling 15 of the 25 total restarts. Smith had another four ground balls and a total of three caused turnovers in the midfield.

 

The Troubadours also honored their seniors prior to the game even though a full month remains in the season. Friday marked the penultimate home game but many players will be unavailable for such a ceremony during Tuesday's home finale due to the Kairos retreat. St. Francis recognized Alvernaz, Smith, Wieser, Lauren Baleria, Johanna Stevenson, Ruby Stevenson, Claire Westberg and Bella McCullough during pregame festivities.

 

St. Francis wasted no time building an early lead, with Smith scoring on a steal and drive in just the third minute, then Hodge converting a crease roll a mere 21 seconds later. McCullough tallied two of her six total saves in that early going, then Okamoto's spectacular feed to Wieser expanded the lead to 3-0 at the 18:40 mark.

 

Rio's Ella DallEra put her team on the board after the ensuing draw, but St. Francis answered with four straight during the next four minutes of play, including back-to-back finishes from Wieser at 14:49 and 13:37 on the clock. The Troubies led 11-4 at the half, with Okamoto leading with two goals and three assists at that point. Johanna Stevenson nearly tallied an assist at the buzzer when she collected a ground ball, then ran coast-to-coast to the SF attacking third. But her pass to Wieser cutting through the eight came just as time expired.

 

Okamoto completed her hat trick just 2:35 into the second half, scoring on a quick stick thanks to a Hodge pass. She made it four goals when Zucker drew an eight-meter foul but opted to pass rather than taking the free-position shot. Smith also hit a pair of eight-meter tallies after the break as St. Francis sealed the win.

 

In the JV opener, Hamm's 11 total points completed an outstanding week: she had seven goals and four assists in the 12-3 win over Del Oro on Monday, then followed with a career-high eight goals against Davis on Wednesday. Zia Smith added another five goals with two dimes, while her twin sister, Zoe Smith, added a goal and assist.

 

St. Francis also saw goals from Olivia Alvernaz (2), Chloe Garcia (1), Sofia Rabinovitz (1) and Chloe Tanner (1), while Sofia Rainbolt held down the fort at goalkeeper with her four saves.

 

The two Troubie squads host their final regular-season home game on Tuesday against Christian Brothers. This night is the second "Holy Sticks" rivalry game between the two programs, and features the annual Booster-Q event. Game times are 5:30 p.m. for JV, 7 o'cock for the varsity.