Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/7/12
Courtesy of PAC-10sports.com
Phoenixville didn’t have to look very far to fill the void left by the resignation of veteran girls’ lacrosse coach Jen Foresta.
Aamina Thornton, a longtime assistant coach with the Phantoms program and 2010 inductee into the Temple University Sports Hall of Fame after a stellar women’s lacrosse career at the Division I school, was a natural fit to succeed Foresta.
The appointment of Thornton, a Phoenixville resident and 1986 graduate of the school who was a scholastic three-sport standout in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse, was announced recently by Phoenixville athletic director Tony Palladino.
Foresta resigned after 13 seasons to devote her time to officiating and family, leaving behind a heavily-stocked program that qualified for the PAC-10 Final Four and District One-Class AAA playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
“We have 14 or 15 players coming back who were juniors and will be seniors,” said Thornton. “That experience should help us.”
Thornton spearheaded one of the most impressive runs in Temple sports history from the defensive end, helping the Owls compile a 61-8 record and four straight NCAA Final Four appearances from 1987-90, including a perfect 19-0 season that produced a national title in 1988.
A first team All-America selection as a senior, Thornton was also a capable offensive player with 30 goals and 14 assists during her Temple career.
“I was surprised Jen resigned,” said Thornton, a Spanish teacher at the Phoenixville Middle School. “I feel like she is young and had years left. But it is a good challenge for me and a step up.”
Thornton ran the defense under Foresta at Phoenixville. The new coach said she favors a transition attack, but will also employ a more deliberate style to establish ball control and dictate tempo.
Thornton, whose sisters Amara and Yasmin also played lacrosse at Temple, previously coached lacrosse and field hockey at Phoenixville Area Middle School and in the Coatesville school district.
