FENTON – Pembroke Hill freshman Rowan Brought plays goalkeeper during her club season, but when the Raiders needed help at the forward position, she applied the same approach to scoring goals as preventing them.
“Just like a goalie trying to beat a forward to the ball, I try to get to the ball before the defender.”
Brought scored two magnificent goals and Pembroke Hill withstood a second half surge to defeat Duchesne 3-1 to win its first state title in program history Saturday at the Class 1 MSHSAA Soccer Championships at Soccer Park.
Pembroke Hill (11-8-1), which defeated its previous four playoff opponents by 8-0 scores, outscored teams by a combined 35-1 during an impressive postseason run.
Brought unleashed a blistering, unsavable shot from outside the box in the 14th minute to set the tone. Accepting a throw-in from near the corner flag, Brought turned, dribbled and launched an upper-90 rocket that deflected off the far post and into the net.
Later in the first half, Brought deftly deposited a half-volley off an airborne pass from senior Maddie Novak to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead. During her post-goal celebration, Brought crossed her arms and rubbed them in a shivering nod to her brother Alex, a senior soccer player nicknamed “Cold Brought” by his teammates.
For the freshman Brought, being cool under pressure is a feeling that developed throughout the course of the championship match.
“I came in a little nervous, but when I stepped on the field and saw everyone cheering each other on, it brought me the energy I needed,” said Brought, who scored five goals over the Raiders’ first 18 games before delivering her two highlight-reel goals Saturday.
Pembroke Hill was the more physical team in the first half, forcibly jostling Duchesne dribblers away from the ball while taking away time and space, but in the final minutes, the Pioneers found a rhythm. Junior Charley Pirtle blasted a shot that sailed inches over the crossbar, then delivered a soft pass across the box that barely eluded the outstretched leg of sophomore Phoebe Grizzle in the final minute.
“There were too many bouncing balls that our girls weren’t going and attacking, but our girls came back and answered the bell. We fought back with everything we had,” Duchesne coach Patrick Turner said.
But less than three minutes into the second half, Pembroke Hill produced the dagger. A lovely passing play from senior Haley Garbowski to senior Glory Toney to made the score 3-0, and made the hill that much higher to climb for Duchesne.
“That third, early goal was crucial. If we can keep (the deficit) and two and get a goal back, that can flip the momentum, but unfortunately it didn’t happen that way,” Turner said.
Duchesne found that goal six minutes later when Pirtle chased down a through ball delivered by sophomore Emily Small and snuck it under a diving Tyler Pritchett, the Raiders senior goalie.
The Pioneers continued to apply pressure throughout the second half and forced an attack-heavy Pembroke Hill team to focus its efforts on defense, but led by senior center back Colbie Hyde, the Raiders thwarted dribblers and intercepted passes before they reached a dangerous area.
“It was definitely an adjustment, because defensively, we’ve had it pretty easy in the playoffs, but I got back in my mindset pretty quick,” senior center back Colbie Hyde said. “I was really motivated to end my senior year with a win, so I put my head down and kept working.”
Pembroke Hill played a tough, early-season schedule against Class 3 and 4 teams and lost five matches in a row. After losses to Helias and Summit Christian, the Raiders were 3-7-1 when the calendar turned to May.
“We were definitely frustrated in the beginning of the year with the losses, but we found our rhythm and did what we needed to do,” Brought said.
Duchesne (13-8-1), with only two seniors on the roster, endured the same level of schedule difficulty. After 1-0 losses to Francis Howell North and St. Dominic, and a 0-0 tie with Lafayette, the Pioneers felt confident in their direction.
But in early May, a lackluster loss to Parkway Central and a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Incarnate Word forced a recalibration.
“Those two losses woke us up. It was the kind of competition and style we knew we were going to face in the playoffs, and a new team emerged after those two games,” Turner said.
That strength of competition helped Duchesne defeat Veritas Christian in a marathon, double overtime quarterfinal and survive Cape Notre Dame 3-2 with a late goal by Violet Sahaida in the state semifinal.
Story from Duchesne semifinal win over Cape Notre Dame: https://metrosportsstl.com/2026/06/05/sahaida-delivers-game-winning-header-sends-duchesne-into-class-1-title-game-with-semifinal-win-over-cape-notre-dame/
But in the championship match, Pembroke Hill brought fresher legs, more physicality and a goalie-turned-scorer named Brought.
“This season was a tremendous success for our young group,” Turner said. “These girls battled, got used to high school soccer, and really turned it on in time for districts. This is just the beginning of their success.”
For a photo gallery from this game, click the link below: