WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis' varsity and JV Gold squads combined for three shutout victories on Day 2 of the Raider Cup girls' soccer tournament at River City High Friday. Sophomore Brynn Baker netted two goals in varsity's 8-0 win over Chico in the main stadium, while freshman Cali Chambers combined for two goals and three assists in Gold's 3-0 and 12-0 shutouts of Pioneer and Chico, respectively.
The Troubadours' top squad improves to 4-1 for the year, with all four wins coming by a clean sheet. JV Gold moves to 3-1-1 overall. Friday's action was the second overall day of the Raider Cup tourney, but the first for the JV competition.
Baker was the lone SF player with multiple goals, although somewhat by accident. The Troubies opted to shut down its offense in the second half to prevent running up the score, but a Lily Hall cross into the box forced the Panther goalkeeper to collide with her own defender in the 51st minute. Baker found herself all alone with the ball at her feet, and tapped in the shot for the game's seventh goal.
Hall, Marissa Ow, Miley Blough, Monet Zauner and Holland Sperber each finished with one goal and one assist, helping forge a 6-0 halftime lead. Sophomore Tallas Schaedler had SF's eighth and final goal, sending in a shot from some 10 yards beyond the penalty box in the 61st minute.
Earlier in the day, Gold won its tourney opener against Pioneer following a closely contested first half. Anna George put SF on the board on a long five in the 24th minute, then Chambers assisted Bridget Beard late in the second half to double the lead. Chambers scored a goal of her own minutes later, collecting a George pass by way of Sophia Kennedy-Contreras.
Kennedy-Contreras then assisted three more goals against Chico: firing the preceding shot on George's put-back in the second minute, passing up to Chambers in the eighth, then serving a corner kick to Elizabeth McNearney in the 10th. Kennedy-Contreras also had a goal of her own, thanks to a Paityn Lowery dime in the 33rd.
Lowery had two goals in the first half against the Panthers, including a header of a Sloane Street pass in the final seconds before halftime. Mariko Palmieri converted two assists from George in the first half against the Panthers, while Andrea Silva netted back-to-back goals in the 37th and 51st.
Both teams open Saturday's play against Bella Vista: varsity at 9:45 a.m. with JV Gold taking on the Broncos just 10 minutes later. Gold looks to claim its third straight Raider Cup victory.
UPDATE: St. Francis JV Red lost to California, 3-1, on the first day of play at Carondelet's Macaulay Cougar Classic. Freshman Victoria Tateishi scored for the Troubies in the 41st minute, but the Grizzlies converted set pieces on either side of the halftime break for their overall output.
