The third installment of Field Hockey Phenoms, sponsored by Athletic Republic, includes players who heated up during the middle portion of their field hockey schedule. These players helped their teams turn around fortunes, continue excellent seasons or reach new levels of success.
Forwards
Vicky Derdoy, senior, Ladue
Collected her 150th varsity point in just her third season of varsity play. Derdoy scored five goals, including a pair of penalty strokes, and added five assists during the Rams’ three-game trip to Kansas City in which they went 3-0. Derdoy has committed to play field hockey at the University of Albany.
Dylan Breckenridge, senior, Cor Jesu
Scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Lindbergh and assisted the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Ursuline. Breckenridge, a captain, helped Cor Jesu snowball to four wins in six games by contributing two goals, an assist and a defensive save.
Anna Mowry, senior, Eureka
Scored two goals and added four assists to help Eureka defeat Edwardsville, Parkway South and Lindbergh. A three-year starter and two-time captain, Mowry has a career-high 13 points for the season and has helped the Wildcats earn a 7-4 overall record, with all four losses by a one-goal margin.
Kaitlyn Fenier, senior, Parkway South
The top goal scorer in Parkway South history, Fenier has scored at least one goal in her last eight games, and her 17 goals is tied for fourth in the St. Louis area. She has scored at least 10 goals in each of her four varsity seasons and has powered the Patriots to a 9-4 record, their best start since 2015.
Olivia Steffens, junior, Cor Jesu
Scored twice against conference foes Visitation and Notre Dame and quickly has become a breakout star. Playing in her first varsity season, Steffens leads Cor Jesu with six goals, and her ability to outwork defenders in the circle during mad scrambles has provided the Chargers a major offensive boost.
Midfielders
Hannah Ponciroli, sophomore, Villa Duchesne
Scored four goals and added four assists to power the Saints to a four-game winning streak to close the month of September. A speedster in the midfield, Ponciroli creates scoring opportunities out of seemingly nothing. She contributed at least one point in 10 of her first 12 games, including hat tricks against Kirkwood and Nerinx Hall and a four-goal explosion against Visitation.
Campbell Huffman, junior Edwardsville
Considered the “rock” of the Tigers’ midfield, Huffman’s poise, vision and ball distribution helped Edwardsville win four of its last five games. She contributed a crucial assist in a victory over Parkway Central and was vital in turning defense to offense in wins over Whitfield, Parkway South and Webster Groves.
Hannah Feather, senior, Edwardsville
There is nothing soft about Feather’s approach in the circle, as the senior captain scored goals in three consecutive games to power Edwardsville to its first three-game winning streak since 2023. She scored the game-winner against Parkway Central and amassed the first multi-point game of her career with a goal and two assists against Webster Groves.
Defense
Melia Saffold, sophomore, Ladue
A defensive save magician, Saffold proved that a goalie is not always the last line of defense by collecting three defensive saves against Villa Duchesne and another against MICDS. While her ability to deny goals created highlight-reel plays, her powerful clears created scoring chances during the Rams’ three-game winning streak in Kansas City.
Kate Schuermann, senior, Nerinx Hall
A center defender and flyer on defensive corners, Schuermann’s bravery and skill were on full display while facing high-powered competition. Her ability to reroute the corner opportunities of Villa Duchesne and St. Joseph’s helped in keeping those games close, and her excellent defense against Cor Jesu led the Markers to a 1-0 victory, their first win over the Chargers since 2019.
Goalie
Morgan Hollenberg, junior, Ursuline
Produced 20 saves while yielding only two goals in rivalry wins over Visitation, Nerinx Hall and Kirkwood. Brand new to the sport of field hockey, Hollenburg recorded 46 saves in a 5-0 loss to St. Joseph’s and is among the top-10 in the STL area in saves and save percentage. Her shutouts against Visitation and Kirkwood last week were the first two or her career.
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