First-year lacrosse player shares her love of the game

“All the work over the years and stuff, it just felt like it really clicked into place, especially on the team with all these girls,” said first-year midfielder Haile Ratajack on her experience so far with the women’s lacrosse team. 

Ratajack, although having her season cut short, scored a total of nine goals within the first three games of the spring lacrosse season. Two were against Wheaton College on February 29, three against Connecticut College on March 4, and four against Colby Sawyer on March 10. 

Ratajack said the connection she has with her team helped her accomplish this. 

“I’ve never been a part of a team that clicked that well that quickly, I mean I played multiple sports growing up and each team, you know you have your ups and downs and you eventually click but with this team it was just very quick and natural,” said Ratajack. “We struggled with scores and stuff the first few games but our last game really showed [that] our playing together was so natural. I knew what my teammates wanted to do and they knew what I wanted to do without even having to really communicate that much.” 

The head coach for the women’s lacrosse team Kathleen Clark said she wasn’t shocked Ratajack scored as well as she did because of Ratajack’s attitude and work ethic towards the sport. 

“The part about Haile that was different was she is mature and can take constructive criticism, but without the coaches even saying anything she can tell you what shots she took that she missed the net on or the goalie saved. She is confident that she can put the ball in the net, but she is even more focused on how to improve those odds,” Clark said. “Haile is aggressive but controlled, confident, smart and adaptable.” 

Ratajack’s teammates and friends, senior midfielder Tess Masci and sophomore midfielder Brigid Casey, said she has contributed a lot to the team since she started in the fall. 

“She came in and just kind of put everything she had on the field, she didn’t let [first-year] expectations stop her from excelling, but she just got right in there,” said Masci. “I think that we weren’t really expecting it but we definitely needed having a younger team. She just kind of brought a lot of energy and some really good mentality to the team that I definitely didn’t think we were going to get and we got it from her and it was like a huge benefit and she’s gonna do great going forward.”

Casey highlighted Ratajack’s skills and said she was sad her first season was cut short. 

“She is a crucial player all around the field starting from the draw to playing defense, and also playing offense. It saddens me that her freshman year was cut short because I believe she would have had an incredible freshman season,” Casey said. “Haile is very fast and quick, has incredible stick skills and overall works so hard. I have no doubt in my mind that she will continue to be an outstanding player the next three seasons. I am thankful I still get to play with her for two more [years].” 

Ratajack started playing lacrosse in the sixth grade but said she didn’t start loving the sport until her junior year at Brewster High school when her team went to states. Although they lost, she said the experience taught her a lot about herself and her capabilities as a player and made her fall in love with the competition that lacrosse gave to her. 

Ratajack was a tri-sport athlete all throughout highschool playing lacrosse, volleyball and basketball. She said balancing schoolwork in college felt the same as high school but practice now was her way of relieving stress. 

“Playing in college made me a lot more excited going to practice because then I was like, ‘I’m done with my classes,’” Ratajack said. “Practice was everyday for me, it was like alright now I can go practice for those two hours and have fun and work hard.”

Ratajack is currently studying studio art but wishes to add another major soon, either business management or communications. She said she has a passion for photography and keeps the idea of coaching lacrosse in the future open as well. 

She had this to say about her first season and shared her hopes for the future. 

“Even though we didn’t get the opportunity to finish it out I think that this will fuel us as a team for next year,” said Ratajack. “I’m really excited for the next season. I think that we have the potential to go far, I mean we had the potential this year but now it’s like we’re gonna be working towards the LEC championships and other stuff for next year. That’s what we want and that’s the bottom line.” 

Jack Hanson can be contacted 

at jhanson@kscequinox.com