MARYLAND HEIGHTS – Lila Merlin did not want to stain the beauty.
During the 7-on-7 overtime period in the state semifinal, the John Burroughs sophomore watched the ball connect stick-to-stick on the Bombers’ back line, ping pong on a give-and-go through the midfield and travel towards her awaiting stick in the circle.
“I thought, ‘This is the most beautiful opportunity we’ve gotten. I have to put this away,’” Merlin said.
Merlin scored on a wicked reverse shot in the first overtime period to propel John Burroughs to a 2-1 victory over Villa Duchesne Thursday in a Missouri State Field Hockey Tournament semifinal at Sport Port in Maryland Heights.
John Burroughs (22-1) will face St. Joseph’s (16-2) in a rematch of the 2023 state championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sport Port.
During their regular season meeting with Villa Duchesne, the John Burroughs field hockey team looked more like a track team. They carried the ball through the midfield at breakneck speed, scored six goals in transition and thoroughly thumped the defending champs.
On Thursday, Villa Duchesne took away the one-person carry method and forced the Bombers to connect six or seven passes to advance the ball up the field.
“We had a great game plan, and we really stepped up our game,” Villa Duchesne coach Kate Graft said. “I can’t credit our players enough. Their effort, their intensity was so good.”
John Burroughs executed a brilliant passing play midway through the second quarter to score the opening goal. Azin Mofidi intercepted the ball at midfield and located Katy Chapman, who served a pass to Merlin on the right wing. Merlin crossed the ball into the circle where Kate Logsdon blasted it into the net to open the scoring.
“They do a good job adjusting off us, so we also had to adjust off them,” said Logsdon, a Virginia commit. “We’re a very flexible team, so we’re able to adapt really well. I think we did a good job of staying together and playing team hockey.”
Connecting multiple stick-to-stick passes was made more difficult by the presence of Villa Duchesne defender Lauren Hagan, whose anticipation and quick reflexes thwarted several offensive rushes by the Bombers.
John Burroughs clung to a 1-0 lead in the fourth quarter when Villa Duchesne showed it could also score highlight-reel goals. Sophomore Hannah Ponciroli stole a pass in the offensive zone, dribbled right and fired a pass goalward that Trudy Redmond redirected into the cage to tie the score at 1.
“The game we played Villa during the regular season, the box score does not reflect how close that game actually was. I watched that video over and over, and I thought, ‘We are going to have our hands full,’ and we did,” John Burroughs coach Carrie Chapman said.
Villa Duchesne had John Burroughs reeling in the fourth quarter. The Saints earned a pair of penalty corners that resulted in near-misses before Katy Chapman, the Bombers’ quarterback, was sent off for a penalty.
In the final moments of regulation, Villa Duchesne earned an untimed corner and the Saints moved 10 field players into the offensive zone to face four Bombers’ defenders.
“The clock is at zero, and I’m thinking, ‘We have to get this ball out, no matter what. Give everything you have,” Logsdon said.
Carrie Chapman added, “My heart was in a knot.”
Logsdon raced from her spot inside the cage, intercepted a pass attempt and carried the ball to safety to push the game to overtime.
“We had a flurry of corners, and they just didn’t fall,” Graft said.
Overtime is played with only six field players and a goalie, and the transition speed of the Bombers became a factor again. John Burroughs earned a pair penalty corners, but the quickness and courage of Ponciroli altered the path of the Bomber rockets.
“I have so much trust in our 7-on-7 unit,” Merlin said. “We’re so strong and we know each other’s ins and outs.”
An excellent defensive play in the midfield by Lilly Tourville started the winning play. Logsdon and Chapman engaged in a slick give-and-go before Logsdon feathered a pass across the circle to Merlin, who had her wand at the ready.
“When I got the ball to Lila, I thought, ‘I know Lila’s got this. It’s going in.’” Logsdon said.
The result of Merlin’s reverse cannon caused her to collapse onto the turf where she was mobbed by her teammates. Villa Duchesne players also dropped to the ground, the scene of two teams which gave every ounce of energy and effort they possessed.
“I’m so proud of this team,” Logsdon said. “Every person gave it everything they had. We wanted to play one more game together, and now we can.”
For a photo gallery from this game, click this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Field-Hockey/2025-Season/John-Burroughs-v-Villa-Duchesne-10-30-25
