FRONTENAC – While the Visitation defensive corner unit grabbed their masks, goalie Lauren Jane Masson briefly lifted hers. She gazed inside the goal and took a few deep breaths.
“Before any corner, I try to center my mind. ‘Just watch the ball, LJ. Watch the ball into your pads.’ That’s all I am thinking about,’” Masson said.
Masson made an outstanding blocker save in the final minute and Hayden Duffy scored twice as Visitation defeated Marquette 2-1 in a battle of top 10 teams Monday at Schultz Field on the campus of Visitation Academy.
Visitation (11-6), which has won six of its last seven games, earned an 11th win of the season for the first time since 2022.
Marquette (14-7), which entered the game on an 11-game winning streak, tied the game at 1 early in the fourth quarter on a beautiful corner play. A slick pass from sophomore captain Sydney Rosen was deftly tipped into the goal by inserter Sydney Rosenstein.
The goal was the reward for an outstanding second half played by the Mustangs after Visitation had taken control of the game in the second quarter.
“We made some changes. We put faster players up top. Sometimes the name of the game is ‘hit the ball and hope,’ and we hit it up and let our fast players run. We had more freedom in that attacking 25,” Marquette coach Nina Walters said.
Marquette earned another penalty corner in the fourth quarter that was thwarted by a quick kick from Masson and a calm clear from Grace Inserra, setting up a spectacular, game-winning run from Duffy.
After accepting a long pass at midfield, Duffy tapped the ball past one defender, weaved around another and sprinted into the circle.
“I looked at the goal, saw the goalie in the middle, and thought to tap it right corner,” Duffy said. “I’m really glad I trusted my gut.”
Duffy also trusted her gut in the second quarter after Inserra intercepted a pass at midfield, serpentined through defenders and sent a pass her way. This time, Duffy received it and in one motion, blasted it far corner to open the scoring.
Duffy, a sophomore, scored four goals last season, often deferring to then-senior and current Saint Louis University freshman Evie Harris to provide the offense.
“This year, I knew I had to step up and score as much as I can, and assist, too,” said Duffy, who ranks sixth in the St. Louis area with 17 goals while adding five assists.
Duffy’s second goal came with 3:31 remaining in the game and put Visitation ahead 2-1, but Marquette showed why it had won 11 consecutive games by mounting a furious charge.
The result was a penalty corner opportunity that required the sharpest save of the game by Masson on a rocket from Marquette’s 16-goal scorer Sydney Rosen.
“I watched it all the way,” Masson said. “I’ve learned, ‘If you lose sight of the ball, it’s going in.’”
Masson, a junior, began playing the sport in kindergarten as a field player, but after a fourth-grade practice that focused heavily on conditioning, she decided to play goalie instead.
“I looked over and saw the older goalies in their pads playing goalie soccer and having so much fun. They were laughing, joking, wrestling. I thought, ‘I do not like all this running and these sit-ups. I’d rather be doing that,” Masson said.
Masson has been masterful since becoming the Visitation goalie, accumulating over 500 career saves. As a freshman, she produced a 33-save performance against John Burroughs, the first of five games she has made 30-plus saves in her career. Her 40-save effort against MICDS last season set a Visitation single-game record.
“Those games can be humbling, but they also show me that I can do it if I just trust myself,” Masson said. “Against teams that have so many great players, your mental strength has to show through. You have to know that you can do it.”
Shot-stopping is only part of Masson’s contributions at the front of the cage. She is often heard directing traffic, anticipating plays and encouraging teammates.
“LJ tells me who to mark and where to look, even if the ball is not near the goal. ‘This girl is on your left.’ She’s just very communicative,” said Inserra, a senior captain.
And she does it as politely as a goalie can. At one point Monday, she asked a teammate during the heat of competition, “Can you please drop some?”
“Sometimes, I worry I’m being too intense,” Masson said. “They know I’m not screaming at them. I’m helping them and we’re working as a team.”
And the team aspect is what has helped both Marquette and Visitation put together outstanding regular seasons as they hope for deep postseason runs.
“We just have really good chemistry this year. They hype each other up and they have fun playing together,” Walters said.
Inserra said, “We’ve grown so much. We’re such a close team, we’re truly like a family.”
For a photo gallery from this game, click on the link below:
https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2026-Season/Marquette-vs-Visitation-10-12-26