Minimal game action leads Temple women’s soccer senior to role off field

Temple senior midfielder Molly Tobin has not scored since 2016. 

She only played 14 minutes in the Owls’ opening game of the 2019 season and has not seen game action since.

But Tobin, who was named a team captain, continues to lead the team in other ways off the field. 

“I’ve never wanted to quit. I love this team,” said Tobin, a senior marketing major. “I’m going to do whatever I can do for the team. I’ve accepted my role on this team wholeheartedly.”

Tobin helps to run the team on an administrative level. She coordinates team events, organizes digital communication and promotes the team on social media. 

She helped freshman players move onto Main Campus last month. When coach Seamus O’Connor asked her to organize this, she told him she had already taken care of it.

“That stuff doesn’t surprise me about Molly because that’s how she’s always been,” O’Connor said. “A lot of times we’ll need stuff organized, and she’s already done it. She’s very committed to the program, not just to herself.”

Tobin was an account management intern in Boston this summer at McCarthy Mambro Bertino, an advertising agency.  She developed professional skills, and she hopes they will translate to the team this year.

“Being a student-athlete actually helped me a lot,” Tobin said. “A lot of those basic skills, like time management, I was already good at, but I really improved on them. It really carried over to the team and has been very helpful.” 

Knowing that she might not get into every game, Tobin tries to bring as much energy to the field when possible. She is very vocal on the field and makes hustle plays. 

Fellow captain and junior midfielder Julia Dolan said that the whole team looks up to Tobin. Even on the bench, her positive demeanor makes the team better, she said. 

Dolan hopes everyone sees the amount of effort Tobin puts into the team.

“Even though she’s not playing as much as I’m sure she would love to be, she’s still out here every day and puts in the time,” Dolan said. “For underclassmen and upperclassmen alike to see her still put in that effort, it gives them an incentive to put in the same amount of effort.”