GRANITE BAY, Calif. – Junior Anna Gregg scored with just over three minutes left to help fourth-seeded St. Francis post a 1-0 victory over top seed Granite Bay Tuesday afternoon. The Troubadours will meet the winner of the matchup between No. 2 Franklin and No. 3 Oak Ridge Saturday at a site and time to be announced.

“We got it to her where she needed to be and she did what she does best and found the back of the net,” said Head Coach Rosella Kelly. “She is solid on net.”

Gregg scored her 27th goal of the season. Sophomore Reagan Jobe lofted a pass over Gregg’s shoulders, putting in her great position to gather and find the left corner of the goal to beat goalie Destiny Butcher.

“They were shutting me down the whole game,” said Gregg. “I just needed to convert that one opportunity. I am glad I converted. It rolled across my body and I just shot for the corner. It was the greatest feeling.”

For Jobe, it was her first assist of the season and it could not have come at a better time.

“We had been trying to chip it over because the girl marking Anna was pretty tall,” said Jobe. “Anna is usually good about pushing herself around. We tried to keep high pressure throughout the whole game to win those balls so we can distribute those up to Anna.”

Both teams had chances in the first half but the game remained scoreless after the first 40 minutes. Junior goalie Catie Brown had four saves for St. Francis in the first half, keeping the Grizzlies off the scoreboard,

“It was pretty stressful,” said Brown. “Our back line was pretty solid with a couple opportunities for the other team. I tried to keep calm, focusing on the game and the ball to make those saves.”

“Happiness, relief and exhausted,” said Kelly describing her feelings after the game. “I felt like they out-played us in the first half. Their strength is winning the balls in the air and it is our weakness. We made some adjustments and talked about it before the game and at half. The girls stepped up and I felt we dominated in the second half.”

Gregg, who was limited to four shots, had two great chances in the second half but was denied both time by the Granite Bay goalie, a team club teammate of Gregg’s.

“She (Destiny Butcher) is a great goalie,” said Gregg. “She makes those saves all the time so I was not surprised.”

St. Francis (20-3-5) advances to the section finals for the first time since 2011, seeking their first title since 2010. The Troubadours have won 12 section titles in school history.

“It feels amazing because this is where we ended last year,” said Brown of the St. Francis loss to Franklin last year in the semis. “It was bittersweet because they went on to win the whole thing.”

Franklin and Oak Ridge play on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

“It feels amazing,” said Jobe. “It is one of the greatest accomplishments. I am really happy for every one and glad we got here as a team.”

Allie Carmickle added eight saves in goal in the decisive second half.

SF – Gregg.