GRANITE BAY, Calif. – St. Francis held an overall 25-9 shooting advantage but surrendered a goal in the 47th minute in falling to Granite Bay, 1-0, in the varsity matchup of a Sierra Foothill League girls' soccer doubleheader Tuesday night.
The Troubadours dip to 9-5-4 for the season with a 3-4-2 league mark. The Grizzlies snapped a scoreless streak of three games, and are now 4-6-1 overall with a 3-5-1 record in SFL play.
St. Francis controlled possession early in the contest, with senior Jada Dwyre providing the majority of the early Troubie opportunities. Her blast in the 17th minute was halted only by a diving save by GB goalkeeper Iulani Jaimes. Then two minutes later, she drew a foul just above the penalty box, but Miley Blough's free kick drifted to the right of the target.
The Grizzlies then spent almost 20 full minutes on their attacking side, with Troubie keeper Mia Rabinovitz notching three saves until SF finally breached the midfield in the 38th. Estella Bacsafra unleashed two shots while Dwyre had another attempt sail high, but both teams went to the break in a scoreless tie.
Then in the 47th minute, GB senior Kathryn Gray unsealed the St. Francis cage by fielding a loose ball in the box, then turning and firing the go-ahead goal into the net.
The Troubies threatened to equalize throughout the second half, including three runs from Dwyre in the 61st through 64th minutes. In fact, she had SF's final attempt on goal in the 80th, resulting in a corner kick. But Granite Bay cleared out the threat mere seconds before the final whistle.
The SF-GB matchup has the unusual distinction of pitting twin sisters against each other: junior Marissa Ow plays midfield for the Troubies, while Ellie Ow is a goalkeeper for the Grizzlies who posted a save against her sister to start the second half.
The SF varsity loss was bookended by wins by the two junior varsity squads. JV Red won a wild 3-2 thriller against the Grizzly frosh-soph, with Elizabeth McNearney, Paityn Lowery and Livi Daugherty each netting goals. JV Gold finished the night with a 2-1 victory, as Tallas Schaedler assisted Emma Kryski and Brynn Baker on goals in each half.
JV Red got on the board exactly one minute after the opening pass, with Lowery getting near the restraining line of the lacrosse marking – more than 40 yards away from the goal. McNearney launched a shot from that distance, boosting the Troubies to an initial 1-0 start. McNearney then returned the favor in the 24th, providing the outlet for Lowery's successful run to the cage.
However, Granite Bay got a goal back in the 28th on a cross-cage blast from the right side. The Grizzlies dodged a bullet in the 53rd when Sofia Tan and Lowery each had shots stopped at the goal mouth. In the 67th, Granite Bay scored its second goal to knot up the game at 2-2. Finally, with 7:10 remaining, Daugherty fired a long shot from the right flank that found its target for the go-ahead. Daugherty subsequently came up with a game-saving blocked shot in the 78th, and cleared the ball into her team's attacking end in the final seconds to further preserve the victory.
JV Red improved to 7-7-2 overall and 4-5-1 in SFL play with that win.
In the nightcap, JV Gold dominated possession for most of the first half, but two spectacular saves by the GB goalkeeper limited the Troubies to a single goal: Kryski's second-chance conversion in the fifth minute. The Grizzlies then outshot their guests by a 5-1 margin to begin the second half, but SF managed to double its lead when Schaedler's corner kick found Baker near the right post for the contest's second goal. Granite Bay got back a goal on its corner kick in the 69th minute, and sophomore goalkeeper Gianna Flesoras posted a key save on a header in the 79th as Gold extended its undefeated streak to 17 games.
All three SF soccer squads return home to Cristo Rey's Adamson Family Sports Complex on Thursday for continued SFL play. JV Gold opens at 3:30, followed by varsity at 5:30, with JV Red finishing the night with a 7:15 tilt against the Wildcats.
