SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior Carmel Stralen scored 42 seconds into the game to help St. Francis post a 4-2 win over No. 13 seed Armijo in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

“It was very exciting,” said Stralen, a 5-5 midfielder from Sacramento. “It was good to start off strong so we had the momentum to do well for the rest of the game.”

The goal by Stralen was her first of the season and got the Troubadours off to a great start in the contest. The Troubadours would go ahead 2-0 on a goal by junior Dulaney Phillips about 25 minutes into the half. Junior Anna Gregg assisted on the goal, finishing with four points with a goal and two assists.

“Anna dribbled to the top of the box and she cut it back to where I was running and I scored from the top of the 18 to the low right corner,” said Phillips, who found the net for the first time this season. “It felt pretty good. It was exciting.”

The game remained 2-0 into halftime before St. Francis scored again to push the lead to 3-0 when Alex Vergara found the back of the net.

Armijo then got on the scoreboard with the first of two goals by senior Monique Evans. Gregg answered back for the Troubadours to extend the lead back to 3 at 4-1. Evans scored again later in the half but the Eagles never got any closer in the contest.

“There was definitely tension (in the second half),” said Stralen. “We were so driven to win, it really helped us to pull through with the victory.”

Mia Arostegui and Catie Brown combined for six saves in goal.

“It feels good to know we get to keep playing together as a team and keep the season going,” said Stralen.

St. Francis improved to 18-3-5 on the season, advancing to the second round for the ninth consecutive season. They will host Enochs on Thursday, a 7-1 winner over Merced in the opening round. The Eagles are the No. 5 seed and enter the game with a 17-1 overall record. The game will start at 3:30 p.m.

“It was great to have the support of everyone and be on our home turf,” said Phillips, who hails from Sacramento. “It was a nice win. We have to keep like we are playing and make sure we are strong on defense, get back to our man and take lots of shots.”

Tickets for the event are $6 for adults, $4 for students (K-12) and children age five and under are free.

The Troubadours have won 12 section titles in school history with the last title coming in 2010. They reached the semifinals last season before losing to Franklin.

The semifinals are scheduled for May 14 with the finals on May 17.

A – Evans (2). SF – Stralen, Phillips, Vergara, Gregg.

Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Scores

No. 1 Granite Bay 7, West 0

No. 2 Franklin 2, No. 15 Pitman 0

No. 3 Oak Ridge 0, No. 14 Lincoln 0

No. 4 St. Francis 4, No. 13 Armijo 2

No. 5 Enochs 7, Merced 1

No. 6 Turlock at No. 11 Lodi

No. 7 Pleasant Grove at No. 10 Kennedy 0

N0. 8 McClatchy 2, No. 9 Davis Senior 1