ELK GROVE, Calif. – No. 2 Seed Franklin scored twice in the first half and added a third goal to defeat No. 5 seed St. Francis 3-0 in the final of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs Saturday.

“The ride was fantastic,” said Head Coach Maryclaire Robinson. “That is the concern when you have such a big win in the semis against such a tough opponent to try to keep it together. We had some hurdles. We were a little thin in the back not to take anything away from Franklin. It was not our day.”

The Troubadours (19-3-2) were playing in their second consecutive section final and trying to win the title for the 14th time in school history.

Franklin scored in the 11th minute on a penalty kick and added a second goal before the break. The Wildcats scored again in the second half as the Troubadours tried to get back in the game.

“In the second half, we tried to collect ourselves and had a little better showing,” said Robinson. “We had a great playoff run.”

St. Francis returned 19 players from their section championship team and boasted 16 seniors that played their final game for the school on Saturday.

“We had a really successful season so that is what I am looking at not so much the loss,” said senior Catie Brown. “Franklin played really good today and we definitely did not play our best game. But looking back we had a really great season. It is how you grow.”

The game was the third between the Delta League rivals this season. Franklin won the league with a 12-2 record and St. Francis was third overall at 10-2-2 as the teams split two regular season meetings. The teams have a playoff history with Franklin eliminating St. Francis with a second-round loss in 2012 and semifinal loss in 2013.

The Troubies beat No. 1 seed and the overall No. 1-ranked team in the state, Davis, on 1-0 on Wednesday on a goal by Rachel Schaefer in the semifinals.

“We accomplished a lot in getting here,” said Schaefer. “We are going home with our heads high.”