By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/27/10
Abington rising seniors Carli Fitzgerald (midfielder) and Molly Seefried (attack) have made verbal commitments to play Division I lacrosse at Temple University.
Fitzgerald and Seefried helped lead Abington to a share of the Suburban One National Conference championship. The Ghosts went 13-6 and reached the second round of the District
1 playoffs.
Both Fitzgerald and Seefried – each of whom play for the Phantastix – were first-team picks in the Suburban One. Fitzgerald finished the season with 51 goals, 25 assists (first on team), 31 draw controls, 36 groundballs and 31 caused turnovers (second on team). Seefried had scored 65 goals (second on team), 25 assists (first) and 45 draw controls (first).
At Temple, Fitzgerald and Seefried will play under Owls coach Bonnie Rosen, a Harriton graduate and former Virginia and US National team standout who this year will be inducted into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Seefried – who plans to study something in the medical field – was impressed with how Rosen has Temple involved in community service projects, such as sponsoring a child through the Jaclyn Foundation.
“I loved coach Rosen,” said Seefried. “She talked about some of things the team does. I know the campus is in the city, but it’s more like its own campus inside the city.”
Seefried said Fitzgerald, her best friend, committed shortly before she did.
“About two days after Carli visited and talked to coach Rose, she (Rosen) called me,” said Seefried. “Our rule is that we cannot room together, but I am really happy about it.”
Fitzgerald, a member of the National Honor Society, also was impressed with Rosen.
“I chose Temple because I like the school, the program and the coach and it has the major I wanted, nursing,” said Fitzgerald. “Molly and I didn’t plan to go to college together, but in the end it kind of ended up that way.
“I really like that coach Rosen focuses on community work as well as lacrosse.”
Fitzgerald said the Ghosts had to overcome adversity early in the year when standout Kate Cooper was lost for the season with a knee injury.
“We didn’t really think we were going to win the league this year, especially when Kate tore her ACL,” she said. “I think once we learned how to play together as a team, we did really well.”
