'They call her the GOAT'

Mihaya Saito's teammates on the Findlay High School girls lacrosse team have a nickname for her. "They call her The GOAT," said Trojans' head coach Stefan Adams. As in "the greatest of all time." "It's been funny this year," Adams said. "(Saito's teammates say) 'If you can stop the GOAT, you can stop anybody.'" Of course, not many teams have been able to stop Saito. Coming into tonight's regional quarterfinal at New Albany, the senior has 63 goals. For her career, the four-year player has 108 goals. Both are program records. Those performances have helped the Trojans program – just in its fourth season – make major strides. Findlay secured its first winning season with its postseason win over Westerville South Friday. For all of her individual accolades, it's the team's improvement which Saito appears the most proud. "Seeing this program grow. We didn't win many games my freshman or sophomore year," Saito said. "We started to grow last year, and this year, we have our first winning season and won our first playoff game." And, of course, Saito is a major reason for those things happening. "Mihaya's one of those pioneers, one of those who's been here from the very beginning, or from the early stages of the program," Adams said. "For her and those other seniors to get to Year 4, and then kind of create historic moments is nothing to be shy about." Saito's career is even more impressive when you consider she first came to this country four years ago, when her father got a job here. She's originally from Yokohama, Japan. "I didn't know anything about lacrosse before," Saito said. "My freshman year, I played basketball with (Sophie Griswold Beltz). She brought me to lacrosse. She was a sophomore at that time." Griswold Beltz later moved to Texas – she now plays lacrosse for the University of Indianapolis – but Saito stayed in Findlay, and with the sport. She also played four years of basketball, and is coming off an excellent season there. Saito said she was originally supposed to return to Japan after last school year, but had it worked out so that she could play her senior basketball season in Findlay. She will return to Japan after the school year. Adams is glad she made that decision. Adams – who arrived in Findlay to coach the football team in 2021 but took over the girls lacrosse program three seasons ago – said Saito's basketball experience has helped on the lacrosse field. "She has a great feel for space," Adams said. "She understands that in basketball sometimes, you might clear the court, and do a 1-on-1, so she understands how to get to certain spots. I think lacrosse allows for some of that creativity, especially when you see a lot of man-to-man defenses." Saito also credited her success on her ability to observe. "Just watching film, watching other players make plays, just copying them," she said. Now, Findlay players want to copy her. Adams said Saito sets a good example. "To see her be part of this and to see people recognize her hard work, her dedication, how much she gives every single day...you're gonna catch her here every single day getting extra shots in," Adams said. Other players respond to that. "I don't talk a lot, but (my teammates) talk to me a lot," Saito said with a laugh. "They make me feel comfortable to be around." "She's not an arrogant person by any means," Adams said. "She has every right to be; I'm arrogant for her, I'll say that. "(But) she's not that. She's just a sweet soul that the teammates just love." And that's why she's the GOAT.