SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis outshot Lincoln of Stockton by a 39-10 margin but a Miette Sessoms shot that caromed into the net off the right post provided the only score as the 11th-seeded Trojans upset the third-seeded Troubadours in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I girls' soccer quarterfinal contest at Cristo Rey High Wednesday night.
St. Francis ends its season with a 15-5-3 overall mark. Lincoln moves to 17-7 and advances to the section semifinal round.
The Troubies dominated possession for the entirety of the game, holding an 18-5 shooting advantage in the first half then firing another 21 attempts after the break. Thirteen of the shots missed high and another six were blocked by Lincoln defenders, with just 11 attampts on goal. Trojan sophomore Hailey McCormack came up with all 11 saves in her shutout victory.
Sessoms broke the scoreless tie in the 56th, firing crosscage off the right post for the game-winner. However, St. Francis stormed back with a flurry of opportunities down the stretch. Yasmine Azar delivered a corner kick to Brooke Castro that McCormack gloved in the 63rd minute. McCormack got just enough of another Castro shot to nudge the ball over the crossbar in the 65th, then Alex Davis' drive slammed off the crossbar after the ensuing corner kick.
Trojan defender Marivic Lek-Miro also came up with a key defensive play in the 80th, when Azar played a cross toward the goal mouth. The ball eluded McCormack but Lek-Miro cleared the ball before any Troubadour player could reach it. Lek-Miro left the game with an injury on that play but her teammates prevented any further SFHS attempts on frame during the extra time.
Meanwhile, St. Francis largely kept its guest out the attacking end of the field, surrendering just four shots on goal. Senior Rory Peters notched two saves in her first-half stint while junior Isabella De La Cruz had one save and the one allowed goal. Senior defender Caroline Murdoch also blocked a shot by forward Kaitlyn Garcia in the 11th minute to keep the scoreboard clean in the first half.
Wednesday's loss ended St. Francis' bid to repeat its 2020 section title and stopped the Troubies' quest for a third straight berth in the CIF NorCal regional.
