5 takeaways from the season-opening Gateway Classic field hockey tournament

By Greg Uptain | Special to the Post-Dispatch

MARYLAND HEIGHTS — The 2025 field hockey season is now in full swing.

The three-day Gateway Classic is the annual kickoff to the season over Labor Day weekend and several St. Louis-area teams took home some hardware after Saturday’s games.

Here are five takeaways from the Gateway Classic:

St. Louis area teams shine

Many pool championships were decided Saturday, and several area teams rose to the occasion.

Five locals — John Burroughs, St. Joseph’s, Ladue, Summit and Lindbergh — each won their respective four-team pools with the Bombers and Angels claiming the top spots in two of the top three pools.

That success comes directly on the heels of USA Field Hockey releasing its invitations to the U-16 and U-18 junior national team training Dec. 5-7 in Charlotte with a record number of St. Louis players from all different schools on the list.

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“St. Louis field hockey is growing, and I couldn’t be more proud of the moment we’re in right now,” Burroughs coach Carrie Chapman said. “I think it’s time for us to really stick out our chests and say we are here. St. Louis is a hockey town and we’re gonna compete with all those East Coasters.”

St. Stephen’s player Alina Rumi, left, and John Burroughs player Lexi Schoenecker vie for the ball. John Burroughs played St. Stephen’s in field hockey at the Gateway Classic Tournament at SportPort International in Maryland Heights on August 30, 2025.

Tim Vizer, Special to the Post-Dispatch

Bombers start strong

Burroughs rolled past its first two opponents — Lake Forest and Huntington Beach — by a combined score of 11-0 before running into a slightly bumpier road against St. Stephen’s Episcopal.

After scoring first, the Bombers gave up two second-quarter goals to trail 2-1 at halftime before settling things down.

Burroughs did not allow another tally the rest of the way and Kate Logsdon notched a goal in the third quarter and another in the fourth to give the Bombers a 3-2 win and a perfect 3-0 record to win Pool B.

“After getting scored on, I think we all just kind of flipped a switch,” said Logsdon, who will play at Virginia. “I’m really proud of how the team came together after that. We stayed composed, didn’t get frazzled or anything and we came up with two goals.”

This weekend marked the Burroughs coaching debut of Chapman.

“I have been coaching for about 15 years, so it comes natural to me,” she said. “Yes, I’m coaching the game of field hockey, but really, I’m out here conducting with these kids and that’s my sweet spot in life. It feels great to be out there with them.”

Chapman’s daughter, Katy, is one of the standout players for Burroughs and she’s good with having her mom coach the Bombers in her final high school season.

“It actually is really fun,” said Katy Chapman, who will be roommates and teammates with Logsdon at Virginia. “She coached me back in elementary school, so it’s kind of a full-circle moment to have her come back my senior year and coach. I love it.”

St. Joseph’s players gather to congratulate Maddie Croghan, center, after she scored in the first half. St. Joseph’s played Louisville Collegiate in field hockey at the Gateway Classic Tournament at SportPort International in Maryland Heights on August 30, 2025.

Tim Vizer, Special to the Post-Dispatch

Angels win the close ones

St. Joe’s kicked off the Gateway Classic in style with a hard-fought 2-1 win over fellow area powerhouse MICDS and followed that with another 2-1 triumph against Loyola of Chicago.

The Angels then made it 3-for-3 in close games Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 victory over Louisville Collegiate to claim the Pool C championship.

“It means everything to the girls. It’s a great way for us to start the season,” St. Joe’s coach Claire Aubel said. “I think (winning close games) is a great sign for us moving into the season. These girls work so hard in the offseason, so to bring that to fruition at the beginning is great.”

Aubel was especially pleased with the play of her defense after permitting just two goals in the three games.

“We have a strong defense,” she said. “We have a great goalie and a strong defensive line. Even our non-starters are great.”

Rams tough on opponents

Ladue rolled to the Pool E title in convincing fashion.

The Rams dominated their three opponents to the tune of a combined score of 19-3, capping it off with an 8-0 whitewashing of Arrowhead in their finale on Saturday.

“It was a fun start to the season,” Ladue coach Leah Jones said. “This is always a really nice opportunity to play teams from all over and just play around and see what works. We couldn’t have asked for a better start. We’re really excited to move forward.”

As is usually the case, the Rams were led by returning All-Metro first-team player Victoria Derdoy, who is an Albany commit.

“She’s one of those lead-by-example players,” Jones said. “She works hard all over the field every second that she’s on the field and that energy, that effort, that mindset spills over into the younger players.”

Villa Duchesne’s Grace Pelligreen moves the ball past a Christian Academy player at the Gateway Classic Tournament at SportPort International in Maryland Heights on August 30, 2025.

Tim Vizer, Special to the Post-Dispatch

Villa falls just short

The one area power that wasn’t able to grab a pool championship was defending state champion Villa Duchesne.

Playing in the tourney’s highest pool, Pool A, the Saints came into their finale Saturday against Christian Academy Louisville needing to win by three goals or more to secure the pool title.

But Villa came out on the wrong side of a 1-0 result thanks to a goal in the final two minutes and the Pool A championship went to defending Illinois state champion New Trier, a team the Saints tied 3-3 in their head-to-head matchup.

“CAL’s a really good team and I think we were a little gassed, honestly,” Villa coach Kate Graft said. “It was our fourth game in two days because we played a non-pool game last night, too, but that’s not really an excuse.”

Despite not coming away a pool champion, Graft was able to find out some things about her team and identify items they still need to work on.

“That’s the beauty of this tournament,” she said. “You’re playing four really hard games and then you can go back and kind of fine tune all of the weaknesses and see what you need to work on.”

Gateway Classic: St. Joseph’s vs. Louisville Collegiate

Gateway Classic: John Burroughs vs. St. Stephen’s (Texas)

Gateway Classic: Christian Academy Louisville 1, Villa Duchesne 0