New Cleats, Same Morgan Glassford

When Temple women's soccer head coach Seamus O'Connor first heard his players whisper in the locker room that a lacrosse player wanted to use her fifth year of eligibility to play soccer, he had one thought: no way.

"I was like, 'that's not possible,'" O'Connor said. "You can't change Division I sports, it's not possible to do that."

Four months later, Morgan Glassford was doing cartwheels on the soccer field when she scored her 78th career goal for Temple and her first as a soccer player.

"It was honestly just a stress relief," Glassford said. "Now I can relax and stop thinking about it so much, it was very helpful to me."

The graduate forward got the idea to play soccer after the University of Florida ended her collegiate lacrosse career in the 2016 BIG EAST Semifinals. She knew her time as a Temple lacrosse player was done, but deep down, she knew she wasn't done competing.

"I had thought about playing soccer before, but never seriously," Glassford said. "After the game I was like, 'I'm not done yet, I still have more in me.' And that's when I made the decision."

The first time she said she was going to play soccer out loud, she was sitting next to lacrosse coach Bonnie Rosen on the bleachers at Villanova University after their loss, and Rosen started laughing.

Once she realized Glassford was being serious, Rosen sat down with her and talked about everything playing a new sport would take. Not only had Glassford not touched a soccer ball competitively since her senior year in high school when she was named an All-American, but she would also have to get used to filling a new role.

"I wanted to make sure that if she was going to go after it that she was going to be ready for the highs and lows of joining a new team," Rosen said. "And understanding that you haven't been playing this sport for four years, so it's going to take a lot of work to play at the level you're going to want to play."

Those were also the concerns of O'Connor, but after talking to Glassford, Rosen, the strength and conditioning coach Sam Whitney and his graduate assistant Gina DiTaranto, Glassford's former high school teammate, he decided to give her a try.

"We already knew that she was a decent soccer player," O'Connor said. "We knew she was fit enough, we knew she was strong enough, but my worry was that four-year layoff. To come to a team like ours where the demand to get on the team is a little higher, I was worried. But she's stepped up and has shown us that she can play."

Not only has she proved she is an asset on the field, scoring two goals in Temple's 8-0 win against Delaware State, but she has also helped the team off the field.

"Her attitude is what I find the most impressive," said senior forward Gabriella McKeown. "She is just so uplifting. She's always the first one in the huddle dancing and goofing off and it just makes everyone smile and get pumped up. She's just a really great person and she's great to have on the team."

In addition to her positive attitude, Glassford has brought her winning mentality and work ethic, something O'Connor hopes her teammates can learn from her.

"Every game, she expects to win, it doesn't matter who she is playing," O'Connor said. "She's passed people in the depth chart because she's completely committed to it. For her it's all about her academics and it's all about soccer and nothing else matters. I think that was the biggest thing she brought to us, just if you want something you have to work for it, it doesn't just come naturally."

As soon as she found out she made the soccer team, Glassford joined a competitive Sunday night league. She also worked out with members of women's soccer team twice a week and would condition on her own or with her sister who plays soccer for Salisbury University, and with her boyfriend Matt Mahoney, a professional soccer player and former Temple men's soccer standout.

Glassford is the first player O'Connor and Rosen have seen go from Division I lacrosse to soccer, and neither thinks they'll see it be done again anytime soon.

"I think it's probably pretty unique and I think it's really hard to do," Rosen said. "I think a lot of people might think they want to do it, but aren't willing to put the time in to make that dream happen or risk the potential let down that could happen in that process."

"What she is doing I think is unbelievable," O'Connor added. "I think she is an absolutely amazing athlete and her mentality is amazing, so she is going to be a winner in life, without a shadow of a doubt. I think you have to be a very special person to do this."

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New Cleats, Same Morgan Glassford

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