By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/14/09
Episcopal Academy senior midfielder Megan Spagnola has signed a letter of intent to attend Richmond University.
Spagnola, who earned honorable mention All-Inter-Ac league honors this year,
helped EA claim its fifth straight league championship and finish 18-5. She chose Richmond for its strong academics.
“I wanted to go to college to get an education (first),” she said. “And I think I’ll get the best of both worlds at Richmond. I love the campus, and it’s a challenging place for student-athletes to strive to be their best.
“It’s a different environment, which is what I wanted. It’s not too big and not too small and the area is close to other cities like (Washington) D.C. Also, Richmond is a nice town and is really developing. They also are building a new stadium for the lacrosse team. It will be fun to be a part of it.”
Spagnola said she looks back on her senior year with great pride. EA had close defeats to the two teams – Radnor and Strath Haven – that eventually reached the finals of the state tournament. The Churchwomen also lost a one-goal game to Notre Dame late in the year when they were attempting to clinch the Inter-Ac crown.
But EA capped the season by clinching with a huge 18-6 win over Baldwin School.
“It definitely feels good to finish the way we did,” said Spagnola, a member of four league champion teams. “I’ve made a ton of best friends on that lacrosse team. I’ve learned a lot and grown from all my coaches and through the game of lacrosse.
“We definitely think there were some losses we’d love to play again. But that’s all part of lacrosse; losing as well as winning. They definitely taught some of the girls to overcome adversity and I think that only will help them for years to come.
“It’s a really great group of girls, and I’m so glad I played with them.”
Spagnola said she also had learned a lot about sports and overcoming adversity through her father, John Spagnola, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1979-87 and one of her biggest fans.
“My dad and I share a lot,” she said. “It (his pro career) definitely got me into sports. He has really been a great mentor, not only in lacrosse, but in every sport that I played.
“Growing up, when I was little, I wanted to be a pro football player. When I realized that was not going to happen, he took an interest in girls’ sports. To me, it was so cool my dad had that experience; he loved it and took away so much from it.
“For that reason, I got the same joy out of sports and wanted to play at a higher level. I owe him a lot for the lessons he taught me.”
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