Temple University Athletics
A Piece of Home on the Pitch
10.19.18 | Women's Soccer
It almost did not pan out like this. They were going to be cross-town rivals, sharing the field once a year in a non-conference matchup instead of every single game. One suiting up in Crimson and Gray, the other in Cherry and White.
Sophomore midfielder Julia Dolan was really interested in Saint Joseph's during her recruiting process. Her older sister, senior defender Kelcie Dolan, was already playing for head coach Seamus O'Connor at Temple.
Everyone wanted Julia at Temple. Kelcie, O'Connor and their father, Mike Dolan, hoped she would end up playing on North Broad, but allowed her to make the decision on her own.
"I really wanted her to go to Temple, but wasn't pushing for it," said Mike Dolan. "Selfishly, because then [Julia and Kelcie] would be together and my wife and I could see all the games. If they were split like they were when they were younger, we wouldn't be able to get to them all."
Mike Dolan emphasized how supportive Kelcie was during Julia's decision process.
"Kelcie wrote Julia a letter telling her to 'make the decision for herself, not for her or mom and dad.' She said, 'you need to go to where you want to play.' It was really nice because Julia wasn't sure what Kelcie's reaction would be."
Kelcie was thrilled by the prospect of teaming up with her sister at Temple. When she discovered that Julia was considering becoming an Owl, she could not contain her excitement.
"I was home for winter break, walked in the room and asked Julia 'Who are you on the phone with?' and she was like 'Shhh!' I asked, 'Who is it?' and she said 'Seamus' and I was so excited. I immediately ran downstairs and told my parents. They were so excited too. I knew that [Julia] wanted to come here, but she thought she'd be stepping on my toes. I sent her a long email to make sure that she knew it was her decision, but that I really did want her to come here and it wouldn't affect me in any way."
When fall 2017 rolled around and there were two Dolans in the locker room, no one was sure at first how the dynamic would play out for the Egg Harbor City, N.J. natives.
"I didn't know how it'd work out at first because they tried to stay away from each other," said O'Connor. "I'd never had two sisters on the team before, so I didn't know how they'd be."
It did not take long for Julia and Kelcie's relationship to shine on and off the field. Julia notes that having Kelcie with her has been a great benefit.
"She knows how I react to everything, so if I'm out of it, she can pull me back in," said Julia. "If I'm having a bad day, she picks me up on and off the field."
According to Julia, Kelcie is known as the "psycho" on the team for academics. She's always doing her work weeks early, so Julia has followed suit and tries to do the same.
"Now I'm also the psycho on the team," Julia joked. "She's really set a great example for me."
Julia and Kelcie's teammates have also noticed how the sisters' close bond has affected their on-field performance. They have played and started in all 17 of Temple's matches this season, so they have had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on their chemistry. Junior defender Emily Keitel and sophomore forward Emma Wilkins weighed in on how their relationship makes them better athletes.
"I think their relationship definitely helps them on the field," said Wilkins. "They can be critical of each other, but when they come off the field they are still sisters and get along. No matter what, they are always trying to encourage and make each other better."
"In practice it's always a joke that they they'll be partners because they're sisters," said Keitel. "They're always making each other laugh and it's cool that they can have that while they're playing soccer."
The fire and grit that Julia and Kelcie play with is no surprise. In the Dolan family, competitive edge and athletic acumen are not hard to come by. Their older brother, Chris, played football at Susquehanna and Julia's twin, Mike, plays football at Millersville.
"They've always been playing together," said their father, Mike Dolan. "There was a lot of competition in the family as far as Chris and Kelcie against Michael and Julia. They would always play, whether it was football, basketball, baseball, soccer… no matter the sport, they'd be out there."
O'Connor commented on what drew him to recruit the Dolans in the first place. He'd always liked Kelcie's mental toughness and defending abilities and he knew Julia's skill at the midfield position would be a great addition to his program.
He added, "They both have that Dolan toughness. I can trust that they will give me 100 percent every single game."
Being on the field together has made great moments even sweeter for the Dolans. Celebrating huge plays and big wins with your sister by your side is something special. After the Owls downed the Maryland Terrapins 1-0 at the Temple Sports Complex on Aug. 31, Julia was the first person Kelcie sought out.
"After Maryland, we first ran to look for each other because we worked so hard and were so proud of each other," said Kelcie. "It's a really amazing feeling to be on the field with her."
Julia echoed Kelcie's sentiment, "When we get big wins, I always try to look for her and take it in because I know we only have a certain amount of games left together. I just want to embrace those moments."
O'Connor could not say enough about how much he enjoys coaching Julia and Kelcie.
"I know they get at each other like sisters do, but they are very close," he said. "They are great in the classroom, so well-behaved and so well-mannered. They are wonderful representatives of our program and our university. They're just leaders. They come from a great family who supports their kids unbelievably. It's just awesome to watch them. It makes you feel good to be around them."
Kelcie summed it up best.
"We're just best friends and we're always with each other. It's so nice to have a piece of home here."
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Sophomore midfielder Julia Dolan was really interested in Saint Joseph's during her recruiting process. Her older sister, senior defender Kelcie Dolan, was already playing for head coach Seamus O'Connor at Temple.
Everyone wanted Julia at Temple. Kelcie, O'Connor and their father, Mike Dolan, hoped she would end up playing on North Broad, but allowed her to make the decision on her own.
"I really wanted her to go to Temple, but wasn't pushing for it," said Mike Dolan. "Selfishly, because then [Julia and Kelcie] would be together and my wife and I could see all the games. If they were split like they were when they were younger, we wouldn't be able to get to them all."
Mike Dolan emphasized how supportive Kelcie was during Julia's decision process.
"Kelcie wrote Julia a letter telling her to 'make the decision for herself, not for her or mom and dad.' She said, 'you need to go to where you want to play.' It was really nice because Julia wasn't sure what Kelcie's reaction would be."
Kelcie was thrilled by the prospect of teaming up with her sister at Temple. When she discovered that Julia was considering becoming an Owl, she could not contain her excitement.
"I was home for winter break, walked in the room and asked Julia 'Who are you on the phone with?' and she was like 'Shhh!' I asked, 'Who is it?' and she said 'Seamus' and I was so excited. I immediately ran downstairs and told my parents. They were so excited too. I knew that [Julia] wanted to come here, but she thought she'd be stepping on my toes. I sent her a long email to make sure that she knew it was her decision, but that I really did want her to come here and it wouldn't affect me in any way."
When fall 2017 rolled around and there were two Dolans in the locker room, no one was sure at first how the dynamic would play out for the Egg Harbor City, N.J. natives.
"I didn't know how it'd work out at first because they tried to stay away from each other," said O'Connor. "I'd never had two sisters on the team before, so I didn't know how they'd be."
It did not take long for Julia and Kelcie's relationship to shine on and off the field. Julia notes that having Kelcie with her has been a great benefit.
"She knows how I react to everything, so if I'm out of it, she can pull me back in," said Julia. "If I'm having a bad day, she picks me up on and off the field."
According to Julia, Kelcie is known as the "psycho" on the team for academics. She's always doing her work weeks early, so Julia has followed suit and tries to do the same.
"Now I'm also the psycho on the team," Julia joked. "She's really set a great example for me."
Julia and Kelcie's teammates have also noticed how the sisters' close bond has affected their on-field performance. They have played and started in all 17 of Temple's matches this season, so they have had plenty of opportunities to capitalize on their chemistry. Junior defender Emily Keitel and sophomore forward Emma Wilkins weighed in on how their relationship makes them better athletes.
"I think their relationship definitely helps them on the field," said Wilkins. "They can be critical of each other, but when they come off the field they are still sisters and get along. No matter what, they are always trying to encourage and make each other better."
"In practice it's always a joke that they they'll be partners because they're sisters," said Keitel. "They're always making each other laugh and it's cool that they can have that while they're playing soccer."
The fire and grit that Julia and Kelcie play with is no surprise. In the Dolan family, competitive edge and athletic acumen are not hard to come by. Their older brother, Chris, played football at Susquehanna and Julia's twin, Mike, plays football at Millersville.
"They've always been playing together," said their father, Mike Dolan. "There was a lot of competition in the family as far as Chris and Kelcie against Michael and Julia. They would always play, whether it was football, basketball, baseball, soccer… no matter the sport, they'd be out there."
O'Connor commented on what drew him to recruit the Dolans in the first place. He'd always liked Kelcie's mental toughness and defending abilities and he knew Julia's skill at the midfield position would be a great addition to his program.
He added, "They both have that Dolan toughness. I can trust that they will give me 100 percent every single game."
Being on the field together has made great moments even sweeter for the Dolans. Celebrating huge plays and big wins with your sister by your side is something special. After the Owls downed the Maryland Terrapins 1-0 at the Temple Sports Complex on Aug. 31, Julia was the first person Kelcie sought out.
"After Maryland, we first ran to look for each other because we worked so hard and were so proud of each other," said Kelcie. "It's a really amazing feeling to be on the field with her."
Julia echoed Kelcie's sentiment, "When we get big wins, I always try to look for her and take it in because I know we only have a certain amount of games left together. I just want to embrace those moments."
O'Connor could not say enough about how much he enjoys coaching Julia and Kelcie.
"I know they get at each other like sisters do, but they are very close," he said. "They are great in the classroom, so well-behaved and so well-mannered. They are wonderful representatives of our program and our university. They're just leaders. They come from a great family who supports their kids unbelievably. It's just awesome to watch them. It makes you feel good to be around them."
Kelcie summed it up best.
"We're just best friends and we're always with each other. It's so nice to have a piece of home here."
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Players Mentioned
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