MENLO, Calif. – The St. Francis lacrosse team continued its early season momentum with a 12-9 win over Menlo-Atherton on Saturday to complete the two-game overnight trip to the Bay Area.

“We knew coming in we were going to be tired,” said Head Coach Julia Southard. “Our leadership group is an incredible force on our team and they knew what they needed to do to get the job done. Our seniors carried us on a tough day.”

St. Francis fell behind early 4-1 in the first half but rallied to score seven unanswered goals.

“It came down to belief,” said Southard. “This team really believes in each other and themselves. It is a unique characteristic so early in the season. They truly believed they could get the job done and that is all it took.”

St. Francis (3-0) led at the half 9-4 but slowly saw its lead disappear in the second half as the Bears closed to 9-8.

“It was close,” said junior Rachel Wick, who scored three goals. “We really pulled together as a family. We came together and really connected. It brings our confidence up.”

Sophomore Jade Borg and Sarah Westover each led the team with four goals and Grace Passantino added a score.

“It feels awesome,” said Jade Borg, who had a team-best four goals in the contest. “We were a family. The passes were doing through to each other. We got the win for our family.”

The win improved the team to 3-0 on the season and was the second win of the weekend. The Troubies beat St. Francis Mountain View on Tuesday.

 “It was amazing,” said Wick. “I loved learning new things about people and coming together more as a team. The chemistry is there.”

St. Francis returns home to host Cardinal Newman on Tuesday at 5 and 6:30 p.m. at Mather Sports Complex.

St. Francis 12, Menlo-Atherton 9

SF – Borg 4, Westover 4, Wick 3, Passantino 1.