Ranked No. 1 by ESPN, Paige Patterson Has Lofty Goals for Final Season

St. Stephens-St. Agnes senior lacrosse player Paige Patterson has won her share of "50-50" balls at midfield, both in games for the Saints and for her club teams over the years. But perhaps her biggest victories came when she and her twin brother, Parker, turned 16 and began to drive to the Alexandria private school’s campus from their Fort Hunt home.

Parker said the twins would fight over who drove to school and who got to be the passenger. It was the passenger who could use 30 minutes in traffic to study for a first-period quiz, finish homework or take a nap.

"We had a deal where one of us would drive every other day," said Parker, a soccer player who will attend the University of Richmond next year. "But every single morning we would come down, and we would argue over who had to drive. She’d be screaming at me at seven in the morning, and I ended up driving every day. I finally got my older sister’s car, and we don’t have to worry about it anymore."

That story, said Parker, speaks to the tenacity that has served his younger-by-15-seconds sister well on the lacrosse field.  "[If there were something to be won,] she would argue with a wall," he said.

The siblings grew up fighting for accolades—first when they played on the same soccer teams as youngsters—and later for academic awards when they were no longer together on the field.

"She gets one accomplishment, I want to match it," said Parker. "We could compete over anything."

But the rivalry hasn’t hurt their relationship now that they’re 18.

"It’s awesome to see her do well," he said. "I brag about my sister all the time."

And Parker has plenty to brag about. Earlier this month, Paige Patterson signed a letter of intent to accept a lacrosse scholarship at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and was recently ranked the top defensive midfielder in the country by ESPN’s high school sports website ESPNHS.

Patterson, sipping a drink at a Starbucks near campus a few weeks ago, spoke modestly about herself. But you don’t get offered a scholarship by the No. 3-ranked women’s lacrosse program in the country if you’re not a strong player; so she wasn’t surprised to be on the site’s top-25 list. But, she was shocked to be ranked No. 1 at her position.

"Inside Lacrosse has ranked me high, but to be No. 1, I was like—'What? Me?' One of my goalie friends was on the list of goalies. I thought that was amazing," she said. "But then to see my name as No. 1 in the nation was crazy. I put a lot of hard work into lacrosse, and it’s paid off.”

Tom Peace, the site’s lacrosse rankings expert, said Patterson caught his eye over the summer when she was playing at the Under Armour Games in Baltimore.

"She had a great game against a very talented midfielder from New York in the championship game against Long Island. She caused some key turnovers," he said via email, also noting Patterson’s national accolades, like being named an All-American. "Plus, if you are wanted by a top college program such as North Carolina, you must be something special. Her style of play will translate well into the grueling ACC schedule."

The North Carolina coaches were not available to comment for this story, but Patterson said she is just hoping to get some playing time next season as a Tar Heel.

“I’m not going to go there and start my freshman year because it’s such a good program,” she said. “My sophomore year, hopefully I’ll play more.”

Patterson got involved in lacrosse after transferring to St. Stephens-St. Agnes for sixth grade. She quickly found out that lacrosse is to the Saints what football is to a school like Westfield or Centreville. The school’s lacrosse team, led by long-time coach Kathy Jenkins, is one of the best in the country, playing tournaments as far away as Florida and being ranked with schools from traditionally strong regions like Long Island and New Jersey.

Even though she hadn’t played the game before, her soccer experience came in handy. She quickly was able to get into the flow of the game, but had to get some one-on-one coaching to catch up to the rest of the girls in her class.

"Sixth grade was late for St. Stephens," said Patterson, who tried the sport in part because it was a good way to get to know her new classmates.

But she quickly moved up the ranks and was even promoted to the J.V. team as an eighth-grader, which was one of the key moments in her development.

"I’m pretty tough on myself, so when [Jenkins] asked me to play J.V., I was like "oh, wow, she does see all the hard work I’ve been putting in.

"But, they also needed a defender, and I was the defender in our grade."

While making the J.V. team was prestigious, it also made Patterson a target for Jenkins as she moved through the ranks. Now, as a senior, Patterson said, she’s one of Jenkins’ favorite players to yell at during games.

"She’s one of those coaches who knows if she can be tough on you, she will be tough on you," Patterson said with a smile. "I get yelled at a lot.

"She’s little, but she can scream really loud. When she yells your name, you can hear it from two miles away."

But the pressure to excel, even against older players, helped make her the player she is today.

"Playing up pushed me to become better," she said. "That was the first thing that made think I can do something with this [sport]. Made me think I am good at this sport. Playing up made me faster; I had to keep up with way older kids and work harder."

Patterson said she’s relieved to have the college decision behind her after a pressure-filled junior year that saw her help the Saints win 31 games, win the ISL title and win the VISAA championship all while trying to impress scouts who were lined up watching her with their clipboards at the ready.

But she still has big plans for the spring season, and if you don't believe her, you're in for an argument.

"I want to enjoy the time I have left," she said, listing going undefeated and beating the strong teams from New York and New Jersey as goals. "I think people are starting to think that St. Stephens is in a downfall, but we’re going to be really good. This year will be the best we’ll be for a long time."