DANVILLE, Calif. – Sophomore Janae DeFazio provided the equalizer and senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Hendrickson kept El Camino Real out of the goal to finish the Tri-Valley Classic with a 1-1 tie against El Camino Real at Sycamore Valley Park.

“The last two games – Foothill and El Camino Real – were fantastic opponents,” said Head Coach Maryclaire Robinson. “These last two games were a great test for us. It was team defense, we battled and we had to play faster. There is no doubt in my mind we are better this evening than this morning when we got here.”

St. Francis fell behind early 1-0 on a goal by Conquistador Aubrey Cabrera but played tight defense as the temperature dropped after the sun went down. DeFazio scored in the second half off a Marli Berry assist and the Troubadours had several late chances that almost won the game.

“It was a really good tie because I know we deserved it,” said Hendrickson. “We worked so hard. Coming out of the loss this morning, it was a good note to end on.”

Hendrickson recorded 11 saves in the contest against El Camino Real (6-2-3). Overall, the Troubies went 2-1-1 in the tournament including a 2-0 loss vs. Foothill and wins over Freedom (1-0) and Ponderosa (1-0).

“It is a lot of games in a short amount of time,” said Robinson. “I am very pleased. We defended hard, we transitioned and we created some really clever chances. Come league, we are better prepared for league. It was great to be tested and see how people reacted. As a team, it was phenomenal.”

Berry and Savannah Tijerino-Santos also scored goals in the tournament for St. Francis.

“It was a really fun tournament,” said Hendrickson. “We started learning how to work together. It threw us into learning how each other played. We are playing together for St. Francis and playing as a team. We have to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and this tournament really helped u do that.”

Delta League play starts on Tuesday at Grant with the varsity playing at 3:30 and JV Red playing at 5:00. St. Francis (4-2-2) has its league home opener on Thursday against Pleasant Grove.

“I am really excited for games to start counting,” said Hendrickson. “Everybody gets so much more hyped in league. It is going to be a fun time.”