Net Gains

Up until her freshman year of high school, Lauren Paprocki ’26 was convinced she would be a professional soccer player. In the span of just a few years, however, the New Jersey native found herself playing on an international team in an entirely different sport: lacrosse.

Since Paprocki set down the soccer ball and picked up a lacrosse stick, she has proven herself a solid defender, playing for the Haverford women’s lacrosse team while pursuing a degree in biology. Last summer, a chance encounter on campus led Paprocki, who is half-Filipino, to join a national women’s team for the Philippines. Now, after recovering from a knee injury she suffered last fall, she will be joining them for the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Japan.

Paprocki spoke with Haverford magazine about her sport switch-up, why she doesn’t feel the need to prove herself, and the importance of community on and off the field. 

Soccer was her first love.
I played the sport my whole life and thought I could go pro. But after my high school team won a state championship, there was a lot of pressure to win again, and I wasn’t feeling it mentally. The school’s lacrosse coach told me, “Come play for us. We wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on you.” Even though I hadn’t picked up a stick before, I was athletic, I enjoyed the sport, and I had a great team. Thanks to soccer, I had amazing footwork and that allowed me to be a great defender in lacrosse. I could barely pass and catch at the beginning of the season, but by the end, I was competing for a place on varsity. That personal growth kept me going.

She saw that same opportunity to grow at Haverford.
I played in a Division III showcase and my future coach Katie Wertman ended up leading the team I was on. I decided to choose Haverford because I saw the person I wanted to be in the players on the team. I was shadowing a senior who was working for NASA and met another who was training for a marathon post-grad. She didn’t feel the need to prove herself to anyone. I never felt more accepted. I felt a part of the community.

One fateful summer led her to international competition.
I spent the summer of 2024 living on campus and working in the lab of biology professor Rob Fairman. I realized that summer that I needed to do more running to help me in lacrosse, so I was running on campus one day when I saw a ton of people out on Featherbed and Swan Fields. I spoke to some parents who were watching lacrosse games, and they told me it was the Heritage Cup, in which international teams of men, women, boys, and girls compete in tournaments. I’m half-Polish and half-Filipino, so I stopped by the Poland and Philippines tents looking to buy shirts or jerseys. Someone at the Philippines tent told me the women’s team was short on defenders and I could help out if I wanted. So they gave me a jersey and I started playing—if you have a Filipino passport or can qualify for one, you can play for the team. I did well, and the coaches told me they were having a tryout in Colorado and to come by. I thought, “Why not?” I made it to the next phase of tryouts that was held in Maryland and I made the team as the only Division III player on the roster that would compete in Australia. If I hadn’t gone on a run that day over the summer, all of that might not have happened.

A major injury was a setback, but also, a learning opportunity.
I was playing in a Haverford fall scrimmage and tore my ACL. I couldn’t play for the Philippines in Australia, but they placed third at world qualifiers so I am hoping to compete with them in the world championships in Japan in 2026. I keep telling myself this opportunity is going to come, and to focus on my recovery. This injury has forced me to go day by day and slow down, both literally and figuratively. And I get to be a mini coach on the sidelines for Haverford this season. But it’s a challenge. The players wanted me to be part of team bonding, so being in the group chats and the Snapchats, getting photos from the team while they’re in Australia, it’s hard.

Being on a national team is so meaningful.
The Polish side of my family is all located in Poland, so family events are usually spent with my Filipino family. They’re very excited for me. So this is definitely meaningful. Some people think I’m not white enough to be white, or I’m not Asian enough to be Asian. To be able to own up to my heritage and where I’m from and a culture I resonate with was something I wanted to do for me. This is who I am.

—Charles Curtis '04