The list of All-Metro teams were released by the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday, Dec. 5. The list contained three teams complete with 10 field players and a goalie. Senior Mikayla Bridges was named the goalie for the Second Team and senior Kendall Battle was placed as a midfielder on the Third Team.

Bridges is attributed by the Post-Dispatch as leading the team to their 15-6 record making 159 saves for an 88.8 save percentage and being named the Suburban American Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. In the Post-Dispatch’s description of Battle, she is listed as a tone-setter with her 13 goals and 7 assists.

Head coach Jessica Hale couldn’t be prouder of these athletes.

“I’m really proud,” she said. “I feel like all of their hard work paid off.”

Hale also hinted that this goes beyond the players.

“It feels good that Pattonville is finally being recognized by others in St. Louis.”

For field hockey, All-Metro is the highest honor since there are only two cities with field hockey programs in the entire state (St. Louis and Kansas City).

These honors officially finish the best season Pattonville field hockey has ever had. Their ending record was 15-6 and they ended their season being ranked No. 13 by the St. Louis Field Hockey Association. With such a high ranking, Hale got two players to the regional All-Star game for the first time, I bet you can guess who she chose.

The duo have both been contributing to Pattonville’s field hockey legacy since middle school as members of the initial Jr. Pirates team. In fact, the two are part of the first-ever group of girls to play for Pattonville all the way from 7th grade through high school and to play varsity field hockey all four years because 6 years ago, the program started as a JV team and moved to the varsity level 2 years later. Others in this elite group include Bianca Johnson, Lexi Lambros, Serena Taylor, and Taylor Wooten.

Senior Victoria Lofland joined the varsity Pirates as a freshman and played all four years in high school.

This year’s team was so good, Hale doesn’t think Pattonville will have this level of caliber for nearly a decade.

“It will be at least 5 to 7 years,” she said. “I spent 7 years developing this year’s team.”