MARYLAND HEIGHTS – Sarah Ding spent her summer practicing her shot.
The John Burroughs junior already excelled as a playmaking midfielder, but with three of the Bombers top scorers having graduated, Ding sought to add another dimension to her game.
“I practiced shots all summer, fast and through,” Ding said.
Ding scored two goals and added two assists, all which originated from one of her wicked shots, as John Burroughs defeated St. Joseph’s 4-0 to win the Midwest Field Hockey Tournament state championship Saturday at Sportport International.
John Burroughs (20-0-2), which finished its undefeated season on a 19-game winning streak, won its 10th state title and first since 2010.
Ding began her phenomenal performance four minutes into the game when she received a pass from sophomore Katy Chapman, dribbled across the circle and unleashed a heavy reverse shot.
St. Joseph’s goalie Paige Jackson made an excellent left pad save, but the rebound was knocked down by sophomore Kate Logsdon, who gathered the loose ball and tucked it into the cage to give John Burroughs an early lead.
“It was an open shot, I reversed it and Kate got the final touch. I’m so happy we scored first. It set the tone for our game,” said Ding, who is verbally committed to play field hockey at the University of Pennsylvania.
The early surge continued for the Bombers. Junior Emma Zhang sent Logsdon ahead on a breakaway, but Jackson raced to the top of the circle and dove full-extension to tip the ball with her goal stick before Logsdon could get off a shot.
St. Joseph’s (15-5) weathered the Bombers’ first quarter barrage, and in the final minutes, junior Anna Spalitto generated two dangerous scoring chances for the Angels, including a shot from inside the circle that scooted just wide.
The Angels earned the first penalty corner early in the second quarter and quickly peppered John Burroughs senior goalie Kate Grady with shots.
Grady first denied a heavy blast by Maddie Croghan, then kicked aside a sneaky shot by Jo Carollo and finally made an acrobatic, highlight-reel save to deny senior Meredith Dunn to preserve the Bombers’ lead.
“After I made the splits and then the stick save, I thought, ‘OK, that was pretty tight,’” said Grady, who made eight saves, many of the spectacular variety.
In the final minute before halftime, Ding found space to unleash her reverse shot once again and pulverized it into the cage to give John Burroughs a 2-0 lead.
“Sarah and I spoke at length after the (semifinal) game about that fine line between when to distribute and when to go yourself, and I thought she played that beautifully today,” John Burroughs coach Meridith Thorpe said.
St. Joseph’s continued to mount offensive pressure after halftime, earning four penalty corners in the third quarter alone, but each one was thwarted by a Bombers’ defensive corner unit led by Ding, junior Sabrina Small and sophomores Lilly Tourville and Sophie Buchowski.
“We knew we needed to get the ball out, and we all had the hunger, the intensity and the trust in each other to get it out,” Buchowski said.
For large swathes of the second and third quarter, St. Joseph’s had the better of the scoring chances, but the Angels could not solve Grady and the Bombers’ defense.
“They’re a very skilled team. We had our opportunities, we just couldn’t find the back of the net,” St. Joseph’s coach Claire Aubel said. “It didn’t work in our favor today, but I’m super-proud of our girls.”
Midway through the third quarter, Ding entered the circle again, got a step on her defender and deposited her devastating reverse shot into the back of the cage to open a 3-0 lead.
Ding, who scored nine goals last season, notched her 34th and 35th goal of the year on the biggest stage.
“It’s surreal. I’ve put in a lot of work and it paid off today,” Ding said.
In the fourth quarter, Ding capped off her brilliant performance by rocketing a straight-on shot that Logsdon redirected into the cage during a penalty corner.
“It means so much. This is for all the players who came before us, our coaches, our parents and our teammates. We all put in so much work for this, and it’s so sweet for our dream to come true,” Ding said.
Thorpe, who is in her 15th season as John Burroughs coach and also played for the Bombers, felt an enormous sense of pride as she watched the celebration unfold.
“There’s a great sense of relief because I wanted them to have this moment so badly,” Thorpe said. “You wish for your team to be able to put their best product out there on this day, and they did that.”
Additional Notes:
End-of-Season awards were announced prior to the championship game:
Janet Esrock Coach of the Year Award – Andrew Neil, Summit
Mike Winkelmann Spirit of the Game Award – Lutheran South
Steve Boonshaft – Veteran Umpire of the Year
Allie Weaver – Rookie Umpire of the Year