Paige Forester: From North Shore to MIT and now a chance to play internationally
WINNETKA, Ill. — Paige Forester finished her high school career as a member of arguably one of North Shore Country Day’s greatest athletic graduating class in school history. The Glencoe native helped guide the Raiders to two state runner-up finishes in girls soccer and was a key member of the field hockey teams that made school history by making it to the state’s final four for the first time in 2016 and taking second place in 2017.
That success helped earn Forester an opportunity to play at the collegiate level and to say she’s continued that success may be an understatement.
All the Massachusetts Institute of Technology junior has done is be named the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) 2019 Field Hockey Rookie of the Year, First Team All-Conference in 2019 and 2021, 2021 Athlete of the Year, while also earning Second- and First-Team National Field Hockey Coaches Association Region I honors in 2019 and 2021 and winning the region’s Player of the Year this past fall as well. She also added an NFHCA First Team All-American nod as well just for good measure.
“It always feels good to be recognized, but I also just feel really grateful for my coaches that have been pushing me and my teammates that have helped me get there,” Forester said. “The individual accolades are nice, but for me, it’s more important making sure that the team is successful and happy.
“I was just so focused on my team going far and my team being successful and doing everything day in and day out that makes up a great team that I wasn’t actually even thinking about the act. So that was such an unexpected delight to receive those honors.”
While many athletes start participating in their sport at a young age, Forester was a relatively latecomer to the sport of field hockey, picking it up as a freshman at North Shore Country Day. However, playing three sports, especially soccer really helped her pick up the sport quickly and easily.
“I felt like there was so much opportunity for growth and I have so much passion for the sport and so much love that I knew I had to play in college because I needed to see where I could take it,” she said. “And it’s been such a great part of my MIT experience.”
While Forester played more of a midfielder position at North Shore, she transitioned more into a forward role when she got to MIT, meaning she had a good chance of putting together some high scoring totals.
Has she ever.
Since the 2020 season was canceled because of the pandemic, Forester has played in only two full seasons despite having the eligibility of a junior. After starting in all 38 games over the past two seasons, the junior has accumulated 48 goals (24 in each season) and 112 points. Those totals rank fifth and sixth all-time on the MIT career scoring lists. The 24 goals are just one off tying the school’s individual season-high and if she duplicates her past two years of 24 goals, she will become the school’s all-time leader in goals scored, a record currently held by Emily Penn, who scored 69 goals. Forester is also on track to break Kimberley Barker’s career record of 155 points scored.
“I love playing forward, that’s my favorite spot to be,” she said. “I think coming into MIT, [former MIT coach Cheryl Silva] was a big part of my success. I feel like my freshman year she really gave me what I needed to be successful and that was awesome.
“I played a bit of forward in club, but also played forward in soccer and the main thing for playing forward is the absolute hunger to score. I’ve always had that in all of my sports I’ve played. Everything else, in terms of skills, can be taught, but I just have that hunger that’s inside of me and that carried over to field hockey.”
As evidenced by her desire to play three sports while a high school student, Forester felt she needed something more when she got to MIT, so she did went out and picked up a new sport to play.
Lacrosse. A sport she’d never played before.
Forester was a member of the Engineers’ 2021 team, but unfortunately, their season was also canceled by the pandemic, meaning that Forester’s game action won’t be until the Engineers take the field against Emmanuel College on February 26.
“I hadn’t realized how much I was going to miss having a team when the spring rolled around my freshman year,” she said. “I was talking to one of my friends who is a dual-sport athlete on the field hockey and lacrosse teams and she suggested I try out for lacrosse. I thought it was crazy because I’d never played, but I reached out to the coach and she thought it was a great idea.
“I had heard so much about the team and the coaches and the environment and culture around the team. I felt like it was a great chance to learn something new and it’s been really exciting. Getting to play two sports, it feels like a really unique opportunity.”
Forester’s schedule became even more packed when, this past fall, she found out she’d been selected to participate in the Maccabi Games as a member of the United State Open Field Hockey Team.
Forester will be one of 18 players selected to represent the United States at the 21st Maccabiah in July in Israel.
And the opportunity wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t convinced her dad to go with her to the tryout in Baltimore last summer.
“I had heard of it because I had considered the Maccabi Games for soccer, but I saw a posting on the USA Field Hockey website, asked my dad if we could drive to Baltimore and the next thing I knew I was part of the two-day tryout,” she said.
“I’m very, very excited. I’ve never been to Israel before and being able to experience that as a Jewish athlete is amazing. I’m thrilled I’m getting to play internationally but getting to see Israel and getting to connect with other Jewish field hockey players is going to be really fun. I can’t wait.”
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