ELK GROVE, Calif. -- Junior forward Jaycee DeFazio scored two goals within a span of 65 seconds to lead the St. Francis varsity to a 4-0 win then Yasmin Azar and Becca Weil each notched a goal and assist in the junior varsity Gold's 5-0 shutout in the nightcap in a Delta League girls' soccer doubleheader at Cristo Rey High Thursday night.
The varsity contest between the Troubies and Thundering Herd were pivotal in the league standings. SFHS entered with a 6-2-1 overall record for 19 total points, while Elk Grove entered at 5-2-3 for 18 points. Thus, St. Francis stays atop the Delta standings at 7-2-1 (22 points) as part of a 12-4-2 overall mark.
Meanwhile, JV Gold improves to 12-1-2 for the year.
Neither team could get on the board in the varsity opener, thanks to the efforts of the respective goalkeepers. DeFazio, Mika Shinoda and Micaela Romo each put hard shots on frame, only to be halted by the Herd keeper. Meanwhile, Trouble senior Rory Peters stopped a Brianna Helgar shot in the 30th minute, then won a challenge against Helgar on a 1-v-1 chance five minutes later.
Peters finished with three saves in the first half, then Isabella De La Cruz matched that total in her second-half relief stint.
St. Francis finally broke up the scoreless battle in the 56th minute, when Malia McGrail sent a ball to the feet of Shinoda directly in front of the goal box. Romo then made it 2-0 in the 64th, putting back a rebound off of Shinoda's initial blast on goal.
DeFazio then answered with back-to-back goals in the 69th and 70th. Sofia Flores sent a ball to Romo, who fired from 10 yards out, only to be denied by the Elk Grove keeper. However, DeFazio recovered the ball and sent it into the goal mouth for the Troubies' third score. Then DeFazio gained possession on the ensuing restart and ran untouched to the cage to complete her brace.
The JV Gold win contrasted with the varsity shutout in that the younger Troubies crafted an early lead, then protected it for the remainder. Maggie Koerwitz sent a ball upfield to Azar just 1:57 into the contest to draw first blood. Azar then delivered a corner kick to Weil about six minutes later to double the margin to 2-0. Brooke Harmon assisted Caitlin Hafenstein to extend the lead to 3-0 in the 11th minute.
St. Francis added two more goals in the second half: Weil assisted Alex Karlshoej in the 47th minute and Summer Silvestri centered a ball to Tacori Abril for the game's fifth goal in the 65th.
The three Trouble soccer teams return to action on Friday afternoon for a tripleheader held at Cristo Rey: JV Red hosts Rocklin High at 2 p.m., then JV Gold and varsity hosts Christian Brothers for the Holy Cup rivalry games at 4 and 6:30 p.m. The varsity contest also serves as a Senior Night farewell for 12 graduating players.
NOTE: Spectator capacity will be highly limited for Friday's home set… Players on each team will be permitted just two tickets per person, while the SFHS seniors are permitted up to four family members to be placed on a pass list… The tickets and gate list requests have already been issued… More details are available at https://gotroubies.com/sports/wsoc/2021-22/releases/20220121lhqnr1.
