LADUE – On the side of their field hockey sticks, Villa Duchesne players tape the words, “Turn the light on.”
It’s a reminder that, when an important play is needed, not to look for someone else to make it.
“If a room is dark, you don’t ask someone to turn the light on, you turn it on yourself,” senior Trudy Redmond said. “We’re trying to be the one that starts the play, to be the one that goes, to be the leader.”
Trailing on the scoreboard for the first time this season, Redmond turned the light on and senior Lauren Pelikan shut it off as Villa Duchesne defeated MICDS 4-2 in an early season, powerhouse battle of top teams Friday at Thomas Field on the campus of MICDS.
Villa Duchesne (9-0), winner of six of the last nine state championships, was not regarded as the championship favorite coming into the season. That distinction went to MICDS, a team that earned the No. 1 overall seed last season and returned seven starters who are committed to play at Division 1 universities.
“We hear that they’re the team to beat, and we love being the underdog,” Redmond said. “It makes us want to play our game even more, it makes us want to play great team hockey.”
Redmond and Pelikan exemplified that team mentality from the start. On a quick restart, Pelikan delivered a fast-paced ball into the circle that Redmond deflected goalward. The ball changed direction and sailed into the corner of the cage to give Villa Duchesne a 1-0 lead just 2 minutes 33 seconds into the game.
“Lauren sent in an incredible ball, and I was just trying to get it on goal,” said Redmond, a Georgetown commit.
But MICDS (4-2) quickly displayed its excellence.
A wicked reverse shot by Victoria Noble and a sneaky shot on the run by Mia Pacifico were both turned away by stellar, right pad saves from Villa Duchesne goalie Mia Gassoff, and the intense MICDS pressure continued.
A long pass by Pacifico landed on the stick of Noble, who calmly deposited it into the net to tie the game at 1. Less than three minutes later, MICDS capitalized on its first penalty corner opportunity when Mallory Jerlecki pounced on a loose rebound to give the Rams a 2-1 lead after one quarter.
“They went up a goal really early, and I was thrilled with how we kept our heads up and responded,” MICDS coach Lynn Mittler said.
Led by junior Hannah Ponciroli and Redmond, Villa Duchesne flipped the switch in the second quarter. Ponciroli earned a penalty corner, then fired a shot that required an outstanding block by MICDS defender Samantha O’Neil. Soon after, Redmond intercepted a pass in the offensive zone and went one-on-one with another Rams’ defender.
“I saw (the defender) getting low, so I popped it over her stick,” Redmond said. “Then, I saw the goalie leaning towards the corner, so I aimed it past her right foot.”
Redmond’s incredible individual effort knotted the game 2-2 at halftime, but MICDS opened the second half with waves upon waves of pressure.
Three consecutive interceptions by MICDS senior Katherine Schott led to a pair of penalty corners as the Rams’ tilted the field in their favor. A rocket by Noble was knocked away by the left pad of Gassoff, who was credited with seven saves, most on high-quality scoring chances.
“The start of the third quarter was fantastic. I think we had possession for the first seven or eight minutes, and we needed to convert our opportunities,” Mittler said. “The longer Villa kept us at bay, the more that gave them the belief that they were going to finish it off.”
The Saints somehow survived the third quarter without surrendering a goal, then aimed to put the game to bed by executing their bread-and-butter, the penalty corner.
On the second corner opportunity of the fourth quarter, Pelikan delivered the insert to Ponciroli, then raced to the near post and tipped in Ponciroli’s perfect pass to give Villa Duchesne a 3-2 lead.
“We practice it, but honestly, it just comes naturally,” said Pelikan, a Michigan State commit. “We’ve had a really good connection ever since (Ponciroli) was a freshman and I was a sophomore, and we just keep developing it.”
Villa Duchesne earned another penalty corner midway through the fourth quarter. This time Pelikan was the receiver of the insert rather than the deliverer. She settled the pass, then fired the ball towards the goal for Molly McLaughlin to tip in, as the Saints opened up the first two-goal cushion of the game, 4-2, with 6:31 remaining.
There was no sitting back and preserving a lead in the final minutes as Villa continued to execute its press and prevent MICDS from advancing the ball into the circle.
The Saints’ victory avenged last season’s 4-3 overtime loss to MICDS that snapped a seven-game winning streak by Villa Duchesne over the Rams. It also flickered the opinion of many in the St. Louis field hockey community that MICDS is the clear and obvious top team in the region.
“Everyone in St. Louis likes to predict that, but we don’t have that mentality that we’re the team to beat,” Mittler said. “There are a lot of really good teams in this town, and our team is not taking anything for granted, but St. Louis does love to crown a champion before we play the season.”
As for Villa Duchesne, which defeated its first eight opponents by a combined score of 42-0, the sizzling competition and electric atmosphere provided a perfect opportunity to shine.
“We were glad to have this really good challenge. It was hard to come back when they got those two (goals), but we adapted, played our game, stepped in front, and all-out hustled,” Redmond said.
Pelikan added, “We’re grateful for the win, but we have to keep practicing every single day. The work is not done.”
For a photo gallery from this game, click the link below:
https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2026-Season/Villa-Duchesne-vs-MICDS-9-11-26