MARYLAND HEIGHTS – Massive crowds, costumed student sections and Bea Butler netting the game-winning goal.
The Villa Duchesne junior, who scored in the final seconds of the Saints’ annual spirit game three weeks earlier, duplicated that feat at the Missouri field hockey state championship game on Saturday.
Butler’s goal early in the second half proved to be the game-winner as Villa Duchesne stopped high-powered MICDS 2-1 to win the Missouri State Field Hockey Tournament championship on Halloween at Sport Port in Maryland Heights.
Villa Duchesne (25-1) won its 16th state championship overall and fourth in the last six seasons. The Saints rebounded from a loss suffered in the state semifinals last year – only the second time they did not reach the state title game in the previous nine seasons.
“It meant so much to make it back to this game,” junior Hannah Ponciroli said. “We wished we could have redone that semifinal last year over and over again. Winning with this team one more time means so much to everyone.”
Butler, normally a midfielder who comes off the bench, began the second half at forward with the game tied 1-1. Quickly, a play developed that looked almost identical to the one on Oct. 3, when she scored the game-winner against St. Joseph’s with 7.6 seconds remaining.
Senior Trudy Redmond received the ball on the right side and sent a no-look, backhand pass through the circle, exactly where Butler was headed.
“As the play is developing, I saw Trudy get the ball on the baseline, and she always seems to find me there on the back post. I knew I had to be ready for the tip,” Butler said.
Butler calmly deflected Redmond’s pass into the net for just her third goal of the season – one in the season opener, one in the annual spirit game and one in the state championship.
“I’ve learned over the years that in these games, you get goals from people that you may not expect. A lot of that is because other teams are looking for the players they are expecting to score,” Villa Duchesne coach Kate Graft said.
Coming into the game, the team scoring in bunches was MICDS. Graft sat in the bleachers and watched MICDS score six goals in its semifinal win over John Burroughs, a team that allowed only 11 goals all season. Each highlight-reel goal increased in skill level and degree of difficulty and could have easily earned a spot on an ESPN SportsCenter Top-10 list.
As Graft watched the Rams’ semifinal performance Thursday, one thought kept entering her mind.
‘Wow. They’re phenomenal,’ Graft recalled.
Graft and assistant coach Steve Stoll met for four hours Friday to watch film of previous MICDS games, trying to develop a plan to contain a Rams’ team that appeared uncontainable.
“We had to figure out how to stop all the amazing powers they have and then capitalize when we had an opportunity,” Graft said.
Midway through the first quarter, it appeared the MICDS train could not be stopped. On the Rams’ second penalty corner opportunity, junior Lydia Brown’s shot produced a juicy rebound that junior Victoria Noble smacked into the cage to give MICDS a quick, 1-0 lead.
It was Noble’s area-leading, 37th goal of the season and ninth of the playoffs.
“They scored early and it definitely got us a little rattled, but I feel like when we get like that, our teammates and coaches calm us down and help us play our game,” Ponciroli said.
Villa Duchesne withstood the MICDS burst of momentum and found their footing. In the final minute of the first quarter, the Saints earned a penalty corner of their own and went to work.
Senior Lauren Pelikan, normally the inserter, was the recipient of a pass at the top of the circle. Her wicked shot was deftly tipped into the cage by senior Molly McLaughlin to tie the score at 1.
“I was proud of the girls’ resilience to not let it get away from us, because a game can get away from you,” Graft said. “We were able to step up and pressure, not sit back on our heels, counterattack and knock one in.”
Defensively, the Saints’ back line of Amy Smith, Laney Hunter and captain Lauren Hagan forced the talented offensive players of MICDS into hurried passes and off-target shots, and the game entered halftime in a 1-1 deadlock.
“Everyone is on the same page, flowing together. If Lauren (Hagan) covers the sideline, Laney or Amy goes to the middle. Everyone builds off each other,” said senior Lauren Pelikan, a defensive center midfielder. “I’m just so reliant on those three. It’s a nice feeling to have those steady people in the back.”
Taped on their sticks, Villa Duchesne players have the words, “Turn the light on.” It’s a reminder that, when an important play is needed, to be the one to make it happen. The Saints scored 120 goals coming into the final four, but the goals scored Thursday and Saturday came from players who scored five goals combined all season.
In the 1-0 semifinal win over Ladue two days earlier, senior Ella Clayton scored the game-winner, her third goal of the season. After McLaughlin scored her second goal of the season to tie the game Saturday, Butler untied it with just her third varsity goal.
“We’re so lucky to have good depth that can come in and capitalize,” Graft said.
After Butler’s goal gave Villa Duchesne the lead, MICDS pressed for the equalizer. Senior Ellemieke Ferguson attempted a falling, reverse shot similar to her unbelievable goal in the semifinals, but it sailed inches wide. A sneaky shot by Noble in the circle was waffleboarded away by the quick left arm of Villa goalie Mia Gassoff.
The Rams earned four penalty corners in the fourth quarter alone, each thwarted by the speed of Ponciroli and the steadiness of Pelikan, Hagan and McLaughlin.
“Mia is an amazing goalie, and we know if we step to the ball and don’t let anyone get in front of us, then we can just play our game,” Ponciroli said. “We definitely took advantage of our offensive corners and defensive corners.”
As the clock ticked away its final minutes, Pelikan and the Villa Duchesne defense prevented the ball to enter their circle by either dribble or pass.
“We were going to do everything in our power to keep it out of the goal. MICDS is such a good team and allowing a goal there would have made such a difference. An overtime could have gone either way, so those last few minutes, we knew this is it,” Pelikan said. “Defense wins championships and we proved that today.”
MICDS (18-4-1) returned to a state final after a five-year absence. The Rams were fueled this season by their own semifinal heartbreak – a loss last year to St. Joseph’s in which the Rams squandered a seemingly insurmountable lead during 1v1s.
“Our seniors were tremendous leaders. Since the day we lost in the semifinals last year they’ve been locked in. They wanted it for their team just as much as they wanted it for themselves,” MICDS coach Lynn Mittler said.
She added, “Our girls have three months together to play MICDS field hockey, and then they go off in their different directions. They honored the over-100-year tradition of field hockey at our school. All the women who played before would be just as proud of them as I am.”
Villa Duchesne, a team that considered itself underdogs throughout the season and especially during the state title game, reclaimed its spot atop the Missouri field hockey mountain with another stellar, championship performance.
“(The seniors) knew this was our last season, and we wanted to make it the best one. That was our slogan,” Pelikan said. “This is what can happen when you’re all on the same page, work your hardest every single day and leave it all out on the field.”
For a full photo gallery from the state championship game, click the link below:
https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2026-Season/Villa-Duchesne-vs-MICDS-State-Championship