Serendipitous slice of home helps La Salle field hockey player Sofia Pla make an impact

In La Salle field hockey player Sofia Pla’s own words, she’s “a sports person.”

Back home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in addition to playing field hockey since the age of 5, Pla played tennis and soccer.

“I went from playing tennis and being alone and not knowing how to manage those feelings when losing a game, then to playing soccer, which, in Argentina, is not a common sport for women,” Pla said of growing up in Argentina. “That was a really hard part, but really fun.”

While she enjoyed playing those sports, field hockey was where her true passion was. As she tells it, “For women, field hockey is the most common sport in Argentina. So when you have to choose a sport, it was field hockey. ... When I was 5, I went to see a game at a rugby club, and usually rugby clubs have field hockey teams also, and there was a field hockey team standing around ... and my dad saw it and he signed up me and my sister and we started there.”

Around the age of 14, she knew she wanted to come to the United States for her education, saying, “I knew I wanted that experience of living alone and going to another country. Argentina’s economy hasn’t been doing too well the last couple of years, so teenagers and young adults are leaving the country whenever they get the chance, so it was a pretty big deal for me.”

A big deal indeed, seeing as her upbringing in Argentina was, by many standards, idyllic.

“I love Argentina, it’s my passion, my country,” she said. “To be honest, in Argentina, I’m really privileged. My parents do pretty good in their jobs, so I had a really nice childhood. I went to private school, I know English, which is a real privilege. I have a sister and a little brother. ... In school, I had a lot of friends. I was able to travel.

“I have a lot of support and passion from my family, they’re really passionate people, they’re always there for me. That’s made me who I am.”

But even so, the desire to travel and receive an education in the U.S. ultimately prevailed. The next big step was choosing where exactly she wanted to go, and La Salle won her over for quite a few reasons.

Said Pla: “I wasn’t interested in going to a huge school, I think that you get lost around it. Here at La Salle, after every game, I get an email from [the athletics department] congratulating me, and you feel like people recognize you. La Salle feels like a family. Even though I don’t know half of the students here, you get around, and the sense of community La Salle has and portrayed when I was searching around for universities caught my eye.”

Another serendipitous advantage of committing to La Salle was the head coach of the field hockey program. Pla originally committed when MaKayla Hancock was in charge, but following Hancock’s resignation in June, a new coach was announced — Martu Loncarica, also from Buenos Aires.

Speaking about having a coach from the same background, Pla said, “For me, it’s everything. When [Hancock] told us that she wasn’t going to be able to be with us again, I was so scared because I was recruited by her and I trusted her with my whole process and it was the only thing that I knew. Then I got to know Martu, and it was amazing. I was so surprised that an Argentinian was going to coach me because what are the chances? They’re pretty low! Like, how many Argentinian coaches in field hockey are in the U.S.? ...

“It’s kind of like a piece of home, it helps me ... having her makes it really easy for me. When I came to the U.S., I wasn’t expected to adapt so quickly, and I think that Martu is one of the things that’s made me do well.”

Loncarica echoes this sentiment, having had a similar experience coming to the U.S. to play field hockey for Syracuse. She has taken the freshman under her wing and has made a mission to help her adjust as well as possible to her new environment.

“I really lucked out with Sofia,” Loncarica said. “We’re both Argentinian, we have similar backgrounds — we actually live 10 minutes away from each other back in Argentina — so we have a pretty good understanding of how our brains work. Right off the bat, we have a different type of understanding and connection.

“We’re both pretty outspoken, outgoing, so I have a pretty good idea of how she’s navigating all these new experiences. Knowing that makes it easy for me to guide her through what she’s experiencing and trying to be super supportive with how she adapts to this new experience.”

Beyond connecting on a personal level, Loncarica stressed how important Pla has become to her team. Pla currently leads the Atlantic 10 in goals, shots on goal, and overall points (keep in mind that she’s a defender), and has already become an essential piece of Loncarica’s team.

“She’s not only finding a way to score, but she’s pretty crucial for our defense,” Loncarica explained. “She’s pretty vocal and calm in the back field. She’s been key for our distributing in the back, which I think is sometimes overlooked just because, you know, you don’t get stats from defending or distributing. She’s a pretty complete player, good teammate, and wants to see everyone do well, not just herself.”

Pla is still very much a newcomer, and she knows that she has plenty of time to achieve the goals of improving the field hockey program more and winning an A-10 championship down the line. Even so, it hasn’t stopped her from doing everything she can to make herself a positive presence in this new era of La Salle field hockey.

“She has the tactical and technical understanding and capacity,” Loncarica said. “Players also look up to her for answers.

“She’s a pretty vocal leader on the field and off the field. She’s very passionate, so she cares a lot. She is very joyful. She will always bring energy and joy to a group of people, and you will immediately notice her presence. She’s a very hard worker.”

For Pla, it’s a little more difficult to describe herself and recognize the gravity of her early impact on the team. But just like she finds a way to score from the back line, she finds a way to let people know what she’s about.

“I think perseverance [is a good descriptor]. I’m the kind of person where, if I don’t get it the first time, I’m going to eventually get it and I don’t stop until I get it.”

For example, Loncarica recounts a time when the team faced “20 million APCs [attack penalty corners]” and Pla “had a lot of opportunities to score, and she couldn’t get it. It was a hard game, the defense was really tight, and it just wouldn’t go in. Right after playing for 70 minutes, she was pretty mad and she grabbed the ball back and went and practiced by herself, and she did it for a decent chunk of time. When she wants something, she will probably get it, and that’s pretty powerful.”

Pla continues, “I’m pretty funny…”

It’s at this point that Loncarica interjects, “You think you’re funny!”

“I’m funny, Martu!” Pla insists, with a shake of her finger. “I think that I — when I’m in a good mood — I have a good energy and I like sharing that with my friends and with the whole team. I like not being the center of attention, but making others happy.”

All in all, don’t let the small stature and sunny disposition fool you — Sofia Pla means business. It’s evident when she’s on the field, constantly following and fighting for the ball, but it’s also evident when the game is over and her coach is the only one around to hear her speak a championship title into existence.

“She’s told me in the past, ‘By my senior year, Martu,’ and she was dead serious, ‘we will win a championship! I’m telling you, I’m telling you.’ She speaks with conviction and she acts in a way that she’s going to do what she says.”