Lucie Mato was named a Tri-Valley League All-Star last year as a sophomore at Hopkinton High School. PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

Hopkinton’s Lucie Mato knew she wanted to go to Lafayette the moment she first stepped on the Pennsylvania campus, but that doesn’t mean her journey to playing Division 1 lacrosse was easy.

Mato visited Lafayette for a camp following her sophomore season last year with the Hillers, knowing that she wanted a school that combined strong athletics and academics.

“As soon as I stepped on the quad, I knew I was going to do anything to get myself there,” she said.

For Mato, Lafayette checks all of the boxes. She said she likes the coaching staff, she connected with the players during her visit, and she liked the relatively small size of the Patriot League school. But Mato received interest from multiple schools in all three divisions, and so she drove more than 8,000 miles up and down the East Coast attending camps over the summer.

“I was emailing coaches and sending my highlight reels,” Mato said. “And going from showcase to showcase and camp to camp.”

At one point last summer, Mato drove to Vermont for a camp and then went to New Hampshire for another. After that event, she and her mother, Anne, drove straight to Maryland for a tournament before turning around and heading up to New York, where her dad, Shawn, was waiting.

“My parents are both very supportive of me,” Mato said. “They want me to do well and have fun.”

Along the way, Mato and her parents passed the time listening to music and podcasts.

“It was super fun,” she said. “The long road trips were crazy at times, driving for hours, but it was a good time.”

Ultimately, Mato chose Lafayette, where she likely will play on the attack when she arrives on campus in a year-and-a-half. Mato has been a top scorer on the Hopkinton High team since her freshman season, but she said there is a lot she can improve before taking her game to the collegiate level.

“I play lacrosse at least three times a week, and I go to the gym twice a week,” she said. “I want to keep my conditioning up, I don’t want to stay at the same level that I am right now. I want to keep getting better so I can make an impact on the program.”

Mato also stressed the need to keep up her grades, citing the high academic standards in the Patriot League. And she is thrilled to end up at her top choice to continue her career both in the classroom and on the lacrosse field, even though the recruiting process was busy and, at times, stressful.

“There was a time where I played lacrosse for two weeks straight without much of a break,” Mato said. “But it was worth it, because I really love the sport.”