At three years old, senior Maya Tackett was a rambunctious, exuberant toddler who was placed in Soccer Shots to get her energy out. A skill and love for the sport was born, and she decided to pursue it further. What began as a hobby would eventually take her to Oberlin College as a D3 commit. 

Tackett has a long history with soccer. She’s played for various teams and leagues, advancing to her neighborhood rec center after Soccer Shots, then River City Rangers, and ultimately Westlake, where she’s stayed. Junior Hazel DeMont, a close friend and teammate of Tackett since they were young, believes her achievement is deserved.

“She climbed the ranks of each team,” said DeMont. “She would play so many minutes, she would become a leader on every team she played on, and she’s just so good with teammates. She’s always been a great player since she was little, so it’s not surprising.”

But Tackett didn’t always know she wanted to play in college. She had always seen soccer as something more for fun. When she joined her current Westlake team, the focus shifted to guiding players to the collegiate level, which planted the seed in her mind. But she still wasn’t totally sure it was for her. Then, junior year– an injury. In the first district game with McCallum, Tackett tore her MCL, a blow that took her out of the game for months. But for Tackett, it wasn’t a setback. It was time on the bench, but it was time to think, time to reflect.

“Sitting out for months and just watching my best friends being able to play, [I realized] I can’t live without soccer right now. And I don’t want to live without soccer,” Tackett said. 

Tackett had been injured before, but this one was different. Unlike a broken bone, a torn MCL meant there was no clear indicator of when she could return to the field, and the uncertainty of when that time would be for her was difficult to cope with. She relied on her support team of her parents and boyfriend, an athlete himself who understood the challenges she was facing. 

“Injuries are hard,” Tackett said. “They make or break people, and I’m glad that I was able to use this injury to realize that I do want to take the next step and actually play in college.”

Tackett is unsure if her future would look the same as it does now had it not been for that injury. While she knows that her club soccer team would have pushed her to play in college, she doesn’t know if she would have felt the personal motivation to make the move. Additionally, she sees her recovery time as a breather, sparing her from getting burnt out from an overload of soccer. While it was difficult at the time, Tackett looks back on it in a new light of appreciation now.

“I am so grateful because I don’t know where I would be without that injury,” she said. “I think it’s taught me so much about how to care for my body, but also realizing how much I love and care for this sport.”

Once she knew she wanted to play in college, it was a matter of finding the right school. When searching for colleges, Tackett often went to the schools attending the showcases her team was going to. She prioritized academics and was interested in a small D3 in order to preserve the student-athlete lifestyle she loves. Furthermore, she knew she wanted to go out of state.

Encouraged by her mom, she emailed Oberlin College, inviting them to come to a showcase she was attending. Tackett’s mom, who is from Ohio, was familiar with Oberlin and made the push for Tackett to reach out. In the game they watched, her team won 11-0, including a goal from Tackett. However, she didn’t know Oberlin had been there until her coach told her after the game. She sent a follow-up email afterwards, thanking them for coming, and scheduled a phone call with the assistant coach at Oberlin. On the call, the coach started by asking Tackett how her day at school was, which she valued.

“She wanted to address me as a person before as a soccer player, which I really appreciate,” Tackett said. “People are more than their sports, and I think sometimes people forget that.”

They discussed Tackett’s wishlist for a school and explored whether Oberlin aligned. Then, this past summer and September, Tackett visited the campus. She met the coaches in person and toured the facilities, but it also gave her the opportunity to explore Oberlin as a school with the soccer aspect removed. 

“My mom wanted to make sure if I do get injured again or I just decide that collegiate soccer isn’t for me, would I still like Oberlin? The answer is yes,” Tackett said. “It checked all my boxes, and soccer was an added bonus.”

Tackett knew she wanted a small school. Oberlin has a student body of around 3,000 students, rigorous academics, and only undergraduates, fitting its college checklist criteria. Additionally, Oberlin is unique in the sense that for the month of January, they have no classes on campus. This time is called “winter term”, and Tackett, who is planning to major in political science, sees it as an opportunity to get an internship in Washington, D.C. Lastly, Oberlin reminded Tackett of McCallum.

“It’s a music conservatory, so it has kind of that weird, quirky aspect of it,” Tackett said. “So I wanted that, where you can be whoever you want.”

And then there was soccer. When Tackett visited, she stayed with the team and fell in love with its kind community and emphasis on fun. While the coaching staff is very clear that they want to win, they recognize that they’ll never achieve that if they aren’t having fun. 

“If soccer’s not fun, I’m going to stop playing,” Tackett said. “So knowing that I have coaches who value that is really important to me.” 

Tackett recognizes that the shift to collegiate soccer will be an adjustment and knows that finding a way to have fun will be the key. The aspect of fun is what keeps her playing, motivated by her teammates and coaches. 

“On every single team I’ve been on, I can learn something from each and every player,” she said. “They all push me in a way that makes me want to get better and makes me want to keep coming back. They make soccer fun, and that’s the reason why I play.”

Tackett’s attitude towards the sport does not go unnoticed by others. 

“She always shows up, she’s always there, even when we have to run or we’re losing, she never puts her head down, and so I never do that either,” DeMont said. “That’s why I have fun. She taught me what it means to be a committed player to the team and how to have fun in soccer.”

Head girls’ soccer coach Jason Rich echoes DeMont’s appreciation of Tackett’s work ethic.

“She is hard-working, intelligent, dedicated, and very efficient with her time and energy,” Rich said. “She is passionate about the things she cares deeply about, and this will translate to anything she chooses to pursue.”

Rich will miss having Tackett on the team and her impact on the program, a captain for the second consecutive year. 

“Maya has grown tremendously as a leader,” Rich said. “She has found her voice and uses her platform to raise the level of the program in every domain.”

Having been involved in the McCallum soccer program, Tackett hopes to continue being an important part of her team at Oberlin.

“I would like to contribute to the team however much I can, whether that means I’m starting or I come in as a sub, or I get no playing time and I’m just there to support my teammates,” Tackett said. 

Currently in the thick of her senior year, it is difficult for her to imagine that in less than a year, she’ll be in Oberlin, Ohio, starting her college career. She looks forward to her next chapter and to the prospect of a new beginning and new opportunities. 

“I think it’s where I’m meant to be, and I’m excited to see the life that I can create up there, away from my family and from my friends too,” Tackett said. 

The excitement is bittersweet for Tackett because it’s mixed with the knowledge of what she’s leaving behind. Making her own path means being apart from her friends and family, whom she knows she will miss. 

“[My siblings] get to see me grow up, but I won’t be there to see them grow up, which is really heartbreaking to me,” Tackett said. “But I think I need to do what’s best for me and go somewhere different that I can experience something different.”

DeMont is also excited for Tackett as she launches on this new adventure, wishing her joy as well as a continued love for soccer.

“I hope she has the time of her life,” DeMont said. “It’s just literally a joy to be around her, and I hope she finds such an awesome community that deserves her.”