Micaela Hajduk (10) waves to the crowd during team introductions as her teammates, including sister Katriona Hajduk (8) cheer her on.

Katriona Hajduk wanted to set out on her own path for college last year, and not just follow along in her sister Micaela’s footsteps.

As it turned out, the younger Hajduk’s own path also led from Winthrop High School to Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, and it included joining her sister on the Purple Knights’ field hockey team.

“I was more looking for a place of my own,” Katriona, a freshman, admitted. “And being always with my sister, throughout middle school, high school, I was a little hesitant of wanting to come to a college that she was at because, again, I wanted my own place. But being two months into the school year now I am so, so thankful to have her here with me. She’s very supportive and she’s always there, and it’s making the transition a lot easier.”

Micaela, now a senior at St. Michael’s, made the trek west from Winthrop three years ago — initially for the school and its academics. Eventually, she landed a spot on coach Carla Hesler’s team with an opportunity to continue her field hockey career.

She didn’t make it onto the field for a game her freshman year, but scored her first two career goals as a sophomore and has started 32 games combined the last two years.

“Micaela … has really devoted herself to improving her own individual game, and she’s a great team player,” Hesler said. “Over the years she’s a player who really has improved just through hard work, and really a being a student of the game.”

History repeated itself this season — Katriona has yet to play in a game in her first year. But thanks in part to watching her sister have that same experience, it’s been a season that she’s taken in stride.

“Coming into freshman year, I knew that I probably wouldn’t see very much playing time,” Katriona said. “It’s kind of just one of those things, being a freshman athlete coming in you don’t really see a lot of playing time. And I kind of already made peace with that. I was more prepared for it, I’m not disappointed.”

“I just always tell her that even though you might not get into the game, being there on the team is just as important. Being at practice, we all want people to know that they’re valued on the team,” Micaela said. “I always just tell my sister and the other players ‘you got to just work hard for it and your moment will come when the coaching staff, when you are ready, and you just got to keep going for it.'”

Hesler said some freshmen not playing is part of the process, and the biggest adjustment they can make from high school to college is embracing that.

“Embracing the fact that they’re going to be a major impact in practice,” Hesler said. “When you put the work in and when you really continue to learn about the game, and learn and share with your teammates, that’s just being a great team player.”

Being a great team player is also playing your role, even if that role doesn’t come with any stats. Micaela has no goals or assists to her name over the past two years, and just one shot on goal in each of the past two seasons, but she has been a valuable midfielder — a position that Hesler called demanding and physical.

Katriona’s role on the team is still not set in stone. She has worked in the midfield and on the back line in practice, and has been more of a power player compared to her sister’s finesse game.

What they have in common, according to Hesler, is their commitment to hard work and always improving.

“I think (Katriona) is going to be a great player for us,” Hesler said. “I see a great future for her down the road, and even impacting early on.”

Micaela said she’s also excited to see how her sister’s career unfolds.

But before either sister can think about the future, they must first focus on one, final game together — a road game at conference rival Pace University.

“Our slogan this season is to ‘Make it count,'” Micaela said.

This might not be the last time two Hajduk sisters appear on the Saint Michael’s roster, however. Moriah, another sister, is a junior at Winthrop High School, and, like her sisters is a field hockey player.

Moriah will play with her Winthrop teammates Saturday in the Class C state championship game, and will try to one-up her older sisters — neither Micaela nor Katriona won a state title with the Ramblers. Micaela was on a pair of Eastern Class C champion teams in 2011 and 2012, losing both years in the state final. Katriona never advanced to the state final in her four seasons.

But Katriona won’t put any pressure on her sister to choose the same path she did.

“I would love for her to come, but personally having to deal with my mom and my sister for the past three years pestering me like, ‘Go to Saint Mike’s. Go to Saint Mike’s,’ I really wanted to come to a decision on my own, and the fact that I was able to do that really was important to me, so I’m going to try and do that for Moriah,” Katriona said. “I definitely will want her to at least do a recruit visit because that’s what totally changed my opinion and perspective. So I’ll push that.”

The more the merrier, Hesler said, when asked about the possibility of a third Hajduk sister joining the Knights. Hesler has had sisters on her teams before, and she’d always embrace having more.

“In your team you really want that sisterhood. It’s a big part of your program. The sharing of ideas, and support, and talking each other up on the field and off the field,” Hesler said. “With sisters, I think that’s kind of built into it, and it just spreads throughout the team.

“It’s a big added benefit to have sisters. It’s a big part of our culture.”

wkramlich@sunjournal.com

Kayla Meserve, right, of Spruce Mountain gets a stick on the ball while moving up field against Micaela Hajduk of Winthrop during the second half of their game in Jay in 2012.