LADUE – Lafayette senior captain Ellie Letourneau woke up Saturday morning and sent a group text to her field hockey teammates prior to the Lancers’ second-round playoff game against Kirkwood.
“I texted, ‘Everything you worked for comes down to today. Give it everything you have,’” Letourneau recalled.
Sophomore Emily Williams and freshman Reese Kenkel scored and a stifling Lancers’ defense finished the job as the young Lancers upset Kirkwood 2-1 Saturday morning at John Burroughs School.
Lafayette (15-5), the No. 10 seed, advanced to face No. 2 John Burroughs (21-1) in a State Field Hockey Tournament quarterfinal at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday at Sport Port in Maryland Heights.
Williams began the Sweet 16 matchup against No. 7 Kirkwood with a coast-to-coast maneuver that has become her signature. Accepting the ball behind the center line, Williams weaved between defenders, eliminating one after another, before rocketing a reverse shot into the cage to give Lafayette an early 1-0 lead.
She executed the same sprint during the Lancers’ first round win over United, once again racing faster with the ball on her stick than the chasing defenders could run without the ball.
“Whenever I’m going, I just think, ‘Goal.’ I see (defenders) and I just have to get around them,” Williams said. “Then I feel the hype, and it makes me go faster and faster.”
Williams, who scored only two goals as freshman last year, knocked in her 28th of the season.
“I’ve gotten to know the team a lot better, and it’s made me love (playing) more,” Williams said. “I know if I mess up, they have my back. The reassurance of the team just makes me want to go.”
Reese Kenkel, the lone freshman on the Lafayette team, pounced on a loose ball in the circle, spun and launched a shot into the corner of the cage to give the Lancers a 2-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Lafayette entered the fourth quarter with a seemingly comfortable advantage, but Kirkwood was not ready for its season to end. Junior Hadley Krewet made several journeys into the circle and narrowly missed scoring twice.
The Pioneers (7-10) were rewarded for their constant pressure with a penalty corner, and Avery Musselman scored off a feed from Bella Mosley with 9:52 remaining. Kirkwood was undefeated when scoring a goal this season, including a 2-1 victory over Lafayette on Sept. 12, and momentum was clearly on their side.
But outstanding block tackles by Lafayette junior Zoe Olsen and sophomore Morgan McLane along with a pair of saves by sophomore goalkeeper Nadia Grice prevented Kirkwood from finding the equalizer.
As the clock struck zero, Lafayette players mobbed Grice and an impromptu dogpile ensued.
“It was amazing. It felt like all our hard work was rewarded,” Williams said.
Coming off a 6-12 record last season, the Lancers were sitting at 6-4 after a loss to Westminster on Sept. 24. Since then, the Lancers have won nine of their last 10 games while averaging 4.9 goals during that stretch. Letourneau, who helped guide a team with eight sophomores and a freshman to a state quarterfinal, was moved to tears during the postgame celebration.
“Throughout the year, we’ve really put our trust in each other,” Letourneau said. “We play for each other.”
For a photo gallery from this game: click on this link:
https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2025-Season/Lafayette-vs-Kirkwood-10-25-25
State Field Hockey Tournament quarterfinal matchups:
Tuesday, Oct. 28 at Sport Port:
No. 1 MICDS vs No. 8 Ursuline at 2 p.m.
No. 2 John Burroughs vs. No. 10 Lafayette at 3:45 p.m.
No. 3 Villa Duchesne vs. No. 6 Summit at 5:30 p.m.
No. 4 St. Joseph’s vs. No. 5 Ladue at 7:15 p.m.
For Field Hockey photo galleries, go to:
https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2025-Season