Makayla “Mak” Hurey ’25 has redefined resilience and excellence for Earlham’s women’s soccer team, breaking records while anchoring a program that found strength in her unwavering defense, even during challenging seasons.
“I was always told to leave your mark by my coach,” Hurey says. “So I went out and just constantly played like it was the last game I ever played.”
On teams that struggled to score goals, Hurey did just that by keeping the ball out of the net at a clip that has not been seen before by the Quakers.
Hurey is graduating as the Earlham women’s career record holder for shutouts, posting 16 over the course of four seasons. In her senior year, she posted six shutouts, including two back to-back games that ended as 0-0 ties against Mount St. Joseph and Transylvania, two of the Heartland Collegiate Association’s best squads last fall. Mount St. Joseph won the conference title and Transylvania finished third by season’s end.
These were regular season games, “but represented a lifeline to the team to stay in the running for the playoffs, and gave proof to the team that they could compete with the top of the conference,” says Lydia Harvey ’19, head coach for women’s soccer at Earlham. “Her four years here at Earlham have seen the total 180-degree turnaround of the program. From the moment we met I knew she was going to be impactful.”
In Hurey’s first year she posted one shutout. That followed with seven during her sophomore year. She posted two more as a junior before riding six shutouts to a record in her final season. In her career, she was a two-time HCAC defensive player of the week and was named first team all-conference. Hurey was ranked No. 1 in saves (115) and No. 1 in saves per game (7.67) in conference. She was also tied for No. 1 in regular season shutouts and No. 2 overall in conference. Well above any other HCAC goalkeeper, she’s currently ranked No. 62 in the NCAA Division III’s Top 100 leaderboard for save percentage.
Also as a senior, Mak was elected as captain by her teammates – and voted as team MVP. “I have always considered myself a leader,” she said. “I was team captain in high school and have been a goalkeeper most of my soccer career, so leadership came to me as I stepped into the role.”
Leadership hasn’t come easy for Hurey, though. “We’ve worked with Mak to help her find her voice,” says Harvey. “Her leadership came off a little harsher at first but she’s learned how to reflect on how her words and actions impact teammates. She understands better how to meet people halfway.”
“After time,” says Hurey, “I learned that I need to take into account what people need from me in order to be a successful leader. I grew not only as a leader but as a person over the four years of being a part of the team and I believe it is going to better me as a person overall for when I start coaching players.”
As equally influential as her team is Hurey’s brother Cayleb Paulino, who works as the head women’s soccer coach at Ashland University.
“Growing up, he was always my role model through school and sports,” says Hurey. “As we both got older, it was kind of a coincidence that I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
Hurey plans to continue in his footsteps and move on to graduate school, where she hopes to find an assistantship specifically focusing on coaching women’s teams.
“She’s been an amazing leader and player,” says Harvey. “She’ll definitely leave some big shoes to fill.” ■