Goffstown's Strickulis striving for more this field hockey season

The school year starts in the fall and that means field hockey season comes first.

If not, the future might have looked a little different for Makayla Strickulis.

While she started playing field hockey in sixth grade, Strickulis thought of herself as a softball player going into her first year at Goffstown High School. But after making varsity as a freshman - and tying for the team lead in goals - there was a shift in focus.

"I was going to play softball in college," the senior said. "Then I made varsity as a freshman playing field hockey, and I was like ‘I love this.’ As it progressed, I think it was sophomore year, my parents were like ‘you have to pick.’

"Travel softball and field hockey interfered too much. I couldn’t make both. My mom said where do you see yourself and it was field hockey. I see myself walking onto a field hockey field."

This fall, she'll be walking onto the field as a senior for the Grizzlies, and after that, it will be at Stonehill College, where Strickulis is committed to play after graduating.

"Thank goodness field hockey comes in the fall," Goffstown coach Jess Brown said. "You spot it quickly. I always think it’s hard because you want to let the kids have that experience, but if you are thinking about college at some point, you’ve got to make those necessary steps earlier. For her, it was let’s open this door and give this a shot because I think it could be something for you."

Strickulis has continued to play both sports while at Goffstown and she feels that has helped her want to continue to improve at both.

"The mindset to be a multisport athlete, you’re just always hungry to win," she said. "Playing two sports definitely helps because I feel like a lot of athletes who play one sport lose their love for it because they’re playing so much. It’s good to have that sport in the spring that’s my fun sport."

Goffstown opens the regular season Tuesday at John Stark, but already, Brown can see the work that Strickulis - and her teammates - put in during the offseason paying off. The biggest thing so far has been her ability to fight through adversity on the field.

"This season, she continues with the play," Brown said. "If there’s a misstep, instead of it rocking her, she’s still present and committed to going on. Mistakes are going to happen, but the people who persist are the ones who end up getting the ball back and creating something. That has been the biggest change or evolution of her game, and it’s fun to watch."

After playing up front as a freshman, Strickulis saw more time at midfield as a sophomore and a junior. While she's still in that position going into this season, she is hoping to be able to play a bigger role in the offense beyond the previous two years.

"I did more passing and I had a lot of assists," she said. "I wasn’t so much present in the circle. This year, I’m trying to get more into the circle.

"This year, I think, right out of the gate, we started focusing on scoring. Last year, our defense was so strong and it helped us win games. This year, we focused on scoring and it showed."

Brown saw the potential in Strickulis early on, and now that she's a senior, if everything comes together, she could put herself into a special category of player.

"I think we knew from that first tryout freshman year that she had something special," Brown said. "It’s the athleticism, but it’s also the game sense, the awareness and the drive that I think has ultimately pushed Makayla to that level. She’s an incredibly intelligent human being. You can see that as she’s playing. She has started to dissect the game and figure out her angles and strategies. She takes what you’re saying and always looking to apply it.

"I would like her to continue to push herself to play at that elite level. When she’s doing that, I think she can be a force on the field."