Why I Play: Game Changer — Maia Machado ’27

A competitor since she was little, Maia Machado ’27 has always been drawn to sports, playing soccer, softball, and lacrosse, and even trying gymnastics. 

But it was in seventh grade that the Dublin native found field hockey after a nudge from her mother and four simple words: “You should try it.” 

“I ended up loving it,” Machado says. 

Field hockey brought her to Moravian, where she’s held the starting goalie position since freshman year. She’s likely to finish top five in saves and minutes played, and needs only three wins this fall to become the winningest goalie in program history. Playing for Moravian has also brought her coaching opportunities, at a camp and for a club team. 

But field hockey isn’t Machado’s only college sport. During her sophomore year, she realized she missed playing lacrosse, so she joined Moravian’s team as a field player.

“I’m kind of a quiet person, but I feel like all these experiences and coaching have really brought me out of my shell.”

Maia Machado ’27

“They welcomed me on the team right away, and I fell in love with it all over again,” she says. 

Last summer Machado was invited to Portugal to play on the Portuguese women’s national lacrosse team. In November, she’ll be playing with the team in the Olympic qualifiers. 

The communication science and disorders major says her experiences in both sports are helping her toward her goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist, working with children. 

“I’m kind of a quiet person, but I feel like all these experiences and coaching have really brought me out of my shell,” Machado says. She believes her newfound confidence will help her when she becomes a speech-language pathologist, guiding clients through vulnerable situations and helping them find their voices.

Playing sports and studying at Moravian has been “hands down the best experience I’ve ever had,” she says. And if she had to choose which sport she liked better, it would end up a tie. 
“They’ve both given me so many opportunities,” she says. “I can’t pick one over the other. Both have a special place in my heart.” —Molly Bilinski