MARYLAND HEIGHTS – Lylah Kaminski wanted to set the tone as the leadoff participant in the 1v1 penalty shootout.
After four quarters and two overtimes could not determine a winner between St. Joseph’s and MICDS, the Missouri State Field Hockey Tournament semifinal reached the 1v1 stage, and the Angels’ senior captain started it off.
She made a great, pull-around move and was about to score when she tripped over the extended right pad of the goalie, fell to the turf and watched the ball skid out of bounds.
“Going into it, I had a plan, and the plan didn’t go as expected,” said Kaminski, a Louisville commit, “I was frustrated, but I just had to shake it off and trust my team at that point.”
After five shooters, the score was still tied, and Kaminski stood in the same spot with a chance to send St. Joseph’s to the championship game.
“When my teammates pulled through and I had that second chance, I thought, ‘Ok, this is redemption. This is my shot,’ and I gave it everything I had,” Kaminski said.
Kaminski scored the game-winning goal in the sixth round of 1v1s, and goalie Mary Malloy made four consecutive saves as St. Joseph’s defeated MICDS 3-2 (3-2 in 1v1s) to win the opening state semifinal Thursday at Sport Port.
It was the start of a magnificent showcase of St. Louis field hockey that concluded with another overtime thriller won by John Burroughs over Villa Duchesne in the second semifinal.
St. Joseph’s (16-2) will face John Burroughs (22-1) in the Missouri State Field Hockey championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sport Port.
“As seniors, we’re thrilled that me made it to the end. It will be our last game (Saturday) no matter what,” St. Joseph’s senior captain KK Dooley said.
The pressure reached a crescendo for St. Joseph’s in the fifth and final round of 1v1s. The Angels’ trailed 2-1 in the penalty shootout and needed Dooley to score to extend the game. While practicing 1v1s the previous day, Dooley asked coach Claire Aubel to remove her from the penalty shootout lineup after a failed attempt.
“I missed and I said, “Don’t put me in. Don’t put me in’ and stormed to the back of the line. I was frustrated but not super-serious. Then when she put me in, I was like, ‘Ok, here we go.”
Dooley used much of her eight allotted seconds to weave left, then return right to slip a shot past MICDS goalie Amelia Mackin to tie the score. MICDS had the final attempt of the fifth round, and Boston College commit Ellemieke Ferguson had the game on her stick.
Ferguson took a shot that glanced off the right pad of St. Joseph’s goalie Mary Malloy, who was several steps out of her cage. The ball bounced towards the goal line and was inches from crossing it when Malloy dove headfirst and swept it away with a fully extended stick.
“When I made the first save and I saw it coming off my pads, I just knew I wasn’t going to let it cross the line,” Malloy said. “I wasn’t going to make one save and then let it trickle in. I just knew I needed to finish it and keep it out.”
Malloy made four consecutive saves in the 1v1 session after the first two MICDS shooters scored. Her excellence set the stage for Kaminski to find redemption in the sixth round.
“I think it’s a lot of pressure on me and the player I’m going up against,” Malloy said. “I just tell myself to stay composed and follow the ball.”
The composure of the Angels’ was tested from the semifinal’s opening whistle when MICDS earned three penalty corners in the first seven minutes. On the third corner opportunity, sophomore Mia Pacifico delivered the insert to junior Mallory Jerlecki, who delivered a pass back to Pacifico for the opening goal of the game.
The Rams’ blitz prompted a timeout by St. Joseph’s just 7 minutes 18 seconds into the game.
Th Angels regrouped, and on their first corner opportunity, Dooley wristed a shot past Mackin to tie the score at 1. Dooley, a Fairfield commit and lockdown defender, was tasked with keeping tabs on MICDS 32-goal scorer Victoria Noble, who, at one point. ran around the back of the cage and over the masks of the defensive corner unit to try to lose her spy.
“I was like, ‘Where are you going?’” Dooley said with a laugh. “She is a phenomenal player, so speedy.”
Jerlecki, a Boston College commit, put MICDS back in front with a backhand rocket early in the second quarter. The score was 2-1 in favor of the Rams when Dooley blocked a shot inches from the goal line for a defensive save, and it remained a one-goal advantage for the Rams until midway through the fourth quarter, when St. Joseph’s sophomore Lydia Laughlin converted a corner opportunity to tie it at 2.
In overtime, the teams removed players and fielded six runners and a goalie. MICDS quickly earned two corners in the first overtime, but a masked Kaminski thwarted them before they materialized.
In the second overtime, Mackin made two outstanding saves during a wild sequence in which junior Mia Ryan and freshman Ellie Oster launched seemingly certain game-winners. A St. Joseph’s corner opportunity in the final seconds of the second overtime was squashed by a flying Pacifico.
“Our girls left it all out there. They did everything we asked, everything we practiced. They played with heart and they played for each other. You ask for anything more,” MICDS coach Lynn Mittler said.
St. Joseph’s players write the letters DIG on their arms before every game. It stands for Discipline, Intensity and Grit. The Angels surrendered a goal less than eight minutes into the semifinal, trailed for over 35 minutes between the second and fourth quarters and were behind after rounds one, two, three and four of the penalty shootout. They did not enjoy a lead at any point in the game until Kaminski’s 1v1 winner in the sixth round.
“I think it shows how we can be faced with anything and we’ll come at it with perseverance and the ability to get through any situation,” Kaminski said. “We DIG for each other, we’re there for each other, and we’re able to pull through when we need it.”
For a photo gallery from this game visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2025-Season/MICDS-vs-St-Josephs-10-30-25