Following her remarkable achievement as the Marin County Athletic League’s (MCAL) Field Hockey Player of the Year, senior Samantha Haan is committed to leading her team toward another league championship. 

Haan began playing field hockey in eighth grade after her older sister, Cassidy, introduced her to the sport. She initially saw it as an opportunity to try something new, but it quickly became one of her passions. As Haan dove into field hockey, she suddenly realized her determination and competitive spirit would pave her way to success.

“I have a lot of determination to win. I’m super competitive, which is probably one of my biggest strengths. I never give up, try to stay positive and help my team while motivating others,” Haan said.

Haan’s ambitious mindset along with her remarkable statistics of 20 goals and 18 assists helped her win MCAL Player of the Year as a junior, but it came with a lot of hard work and commitment over the past couple of years. 

“I worked hard for a long time. [The summer] going into my junior year [during the offseason], I attended many [field hockey] camps. I went to Florida twice and Pennsylvania once [for camps]. I was working all year to improve my skills,” Haan said.

In addition to her work ethic and competitive drive, Haan has exhibited strong leadership both on and off the field. As a team captain, she has shown her ability to rally her teammates and provide vocal encouragement. Senior co-captain Maisie Pipitone has experienced this firsthand.

“She really uplifts the quality of our playing and she pushes all of us to [perform at] our best. She is very vocal on the field but she also is very celebratory. If we do something really well, you [can] just immediately tell that she’s very prideful and a great person to be around [on and off the field],” Pipitone said.

The younger players on the team also feel Haan’s contributions and think of her as a role model, as she is constantly trying to help them improve their skills while also working on her own.

“You can tell that [Haan] wants to get better at a skill, or she wants to develop a new trick or go back and try something new. And I think that’s a really good growth mindset that she encourages the younger players to have,” Pipitone said.

Haan has a strong aspiration to continue playing field hockey at the collegiate level and is particularly interested in joining a club team rather than pursuing opportunities in Division I (D1) or Division III (D3) programs.

“I would play club field hockey in college, but I don’t want to go D3 or D1 because [playing] D1 is a big commitment. I’m not sure I want to have that commitment for four years, but rather I want the opportunity to still play the sport I love with less pressure,” Haan said.

Some of Haan’s top schools she would like to attend for college are the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of San Diego and California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). Haan’s sister currently attends Cal Poly and plays club field hockey there which has contributed to Haan’s determination to attend Cal Poly as well.

Regardless of whether Haan chooses to pursue her career at the collegiate level or not, her journey thus far has been one to remember. Her high school career in field hockey has embodied determination, competitiveness and strong leadership, which are certain to resonate throughout the team and program for years to come.