MARYLAND HEIGHTS – John Burroughs coach Meridith Thorpe used the word “rattled.” Sophomore Kate Logsdon used the term “scared.”
The undefeated, top-seeded Bombers entered halftime trailing by two goals and searching for answers during their state semifinal matchup with Villa Duchesne on Thursday.
“At halftime, I looked at Kate (Logsdon) and said, ‘We gotta do something,’” sophomore Katy Chapman said.
Logsdon added, “We came out with everything we had.”
Logsdon scored twice, Chapman added two assists and the two combined to produce the game-winning goal with 3 minutes 17 seconds remaining as John Burroughs rallied to earn a thrilling 3-2 victory over Villa Duchesne at Sportport International in Maryland Heights.
John Burroughs (19-0-2) advanced to the state title game for the third time in the last four seasons and will play St. Joseph’s (15-4) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Sportport in Maryland Heights.
Villa Duchesne (15-5-2), the three-time defending state champion, devised the perfect plan to slow down the high-powered John Burroughs attack and junior Sarah Ding, who had scored four goals in each of her two previous playoff games.
The Saints took away the middle of the field where Ding and junior Emma Zhang like to operate and intercepted the 16-yard hits that often jumpstart the Burroughs offense.
“We always know that Villa will be very well-prepared and will have studied how we build our attack. We knew they would have a plan for us,” Thorpe said.
Midway through the second quarter, Villa Duchesne earned a penalty corner, and junior Katie Crump’s shot caromed off a Burroughs’ defender, flew over the head of goalkeeper Kate Grady and landed in the net.
Four minutes later, another Crump shot off a penalty corner was tipped in by freshman Lauren Pelikan, and Villa Duchesne led a stunned John Burroughs team 2-0 at halftime.
“I think you could tell, we got a lot a little scared for a second,” Logsdon said.
Early in the second half, the Bombers changed their point of attack and the momentum. Logsdon dribbled down the right side, avoided the sticks of defenders, tight-roped the baseline and snuck a shot past Villa goalie Grace Benac with 9:09 remaining in the third quarter.
“I had the thought for a second, ‘Should I take it to the middle,’ but they had really good coverage in the middle and my instinct was to stay to the outside,” Logsdon said. “I took it around to the strong side and it was open to take it, so I did.”
Chapman repeated the Logsdon method seven minutes later, air-dribbling past a defender, driving baseline and serving a pass into the circle that sophomore Reese Rafferty smacked out of mid-air and into the cage to tie the score at 2-2.
“We practice one-timers a lot, and it was instinct for me to have my stick ready, knees low,” Rafferty said. “Being able to execute it was a really good feeling.”
But the three-time defending champions were not ready to relinquish their title. Early in the fourth quarter, Villa Duchesne earned its fourth penalty corner and Crump’s blast from the stroke spot was denied by a brilliant sliding save from Grady.
Moments later, a soft centering pass from Crump drifted tantalizingly through the circle, unable to be attained by several Saints’ sticks.
But the speed and determination of John Burroughs continued to build, and led by Chapman and Logsdon, the Bombers’ generated the game-winning goal.
Chapman stole a pass in the offensive end, entered the circle on the right side and located Logsdon, who niftily deflected it past Benac with 3:17 to play.
“We’ve developed a sense where we know where we are. We work well together, and she can always get it in (to me) somehow. I just had my stick down and it went in,” Logsdon said.
For Thorpe, the game-winner being produced by the combination of Chapman and Logsdon was no surprise.
“The combination that is Katy Chapman and Kate Logsdon is pretty special. They are dear, dear friends and they read each other incredibly well,” Thorpe said. “They enjoy playing together and they just seem to be in sync with one another. They combine up that sideline so beautifully.”
The energy exerted by Villa Duchesne in the first half could not be duplicated in the second half, and the Saints’ remarkable run of six consecutive championship game appearances came to an end.
“It was going great. We were hustling and moving everywhere, but in the second half we got a little tired and started sitting back, and you can’t sit back against a good team like Burroughs,” Graft said.
She added, “They’re sad, but I told them that only one team gets to win at the end. We have been that team, and it’s somebody else’s turn. I’m proud of their efforts today and props to Burroughs, they’re a great team.”
And it took all the greatness that Burroughs could muster to oust the defending champs.
“I am so incredibly proud of this team’s resilience and their determination to just keep playing,” Thorpe said. “Against a good team like Villa, it would have been easy to just throw your hands up when we’re down two goals, but they didn’t. They just kept fighting.”
She added, “I’ve been around this sport for a very long time, as a player and a coach, and I said to the girls postgame, ‘This is one that is going to go down in history for me.’ I am just so proud of them.”