Eliza Morgan, Co-Captain of Australia Under 23s Lacrosse Women’s team

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Resident of Seddon

They play in Angliss Reserve every week, training Tuesdays and Thursdays and play on Sundays.

Eliza Morgan is in the middle of the picture, back row, number 31. Here she poses with a mixture of girls from the Under 13s, Under 15s and Under 17s Lacrosse Girls’ Team.

I am the Co-Captain and goalkeeper of Australia Under 23s Lacrosse Women’s team. Until three years ago, I had lived in Seddon my whole life. Our old home in Hobbs Street was lovely, but it was a small house with a nice backyard. With Mum and Dad getting older and them wanting to fulfil their dream of a larger kitchen and backyard, we sold the home and moved to Sunshine. At that point, my sister was moving out on her own as well, and she relocated just down the road to Tottenham. The whole family is in the area.

Growing up in Seddon, I went to St Augustine’s Primary School in Yarraville along with my older brother and sister. The school had an active sports program and we have always been competitive. I remember there was always a lacrosse sports clinic and my brother started playing before I did.

I kind of got into lacrosse along with my siblings’ and their friends, juggling my love for sports. At one point I was playing lacrosse, tennis, water polo and netball!

When I was in Grade 5, the lacrosse sports clinic came down again. At that point, the girl’s team was playing against the boys a fair bit. Three of us picked up the game straight away, and by the time I left St Augustine’s, there were seven or eight of us who were beating a lot of boys in the Under-12s.

Our only real competition was the Junior Boys’ team. Back then, you are allowed to play a maximum of three games a day. We would play Under 11s, Under 13s and Under 15s. The girls and I were probably about 10 or 11 years old and went undefeated in Under 11s.

After St Augustine’s, I went on to Presentation College in Windsor. There were a lot of girls from the western suburbs. I remember catching the train from Seddon, and timing it so all the girls would get on the same train. Coincidentally, many of us played lacrosse.

I play for Footscray Lacrosse Club. We, along with Williamstown and Newport are the three dominating clubs in the State League.

One of my coaches, Glen, is seriously the best person I have ever coached under. He’s been my coach for 10 years now, and is so good with kids. He used to call us ‘Little Mozzies’ and made everything so fun. He played lacrosse as a goalkeeper, but no longer plays now.

One day, I was competing in the Under 15s, and we needed a goalkeeper. I have never considered being a goalkeeper, but Glen made it seem so fun. We had other coaches then, but Glen was different. Instead of being told to just ‘stay in the cage’, Glen would tell me to run halfway up the field, and just enjoy the game.

I think someone has to be a little crazy and confident to be a goalkeeper. The shots rain down on you really quickly and hard! I enjoyed playing in goal so much, I made it my own.

Two years ago, I represented Australia Under 19s in Edinburgh, Scotland. We played against many countries including Wales, USA, Canada, England and made it to the preliminary finals. That was a phenomenal experience. Lacrosse is such a small and tight-knit sport; most of the girls I play within the Australian team are some of my closest friends and you know everyone involved is invested in you.

In June this year, I will be leaving for Japan and South Korea for the JLA Friendship Game and Asian Pacific Lacrosse Championship (ASPAC) respectively.

There are only 2 Victorians in the team, and I am one of them. As captain of the state league, the team voted me to be one of the two co-captains of the Under 23s as well. It’s an honour to represent Australia.

In 2014, I did my first year of uni in Exercise and Sports Science in Australian Catholic University. Studying full time, I didn’t really enjoy university. By the time I got into second year, I found my time pulled between preparing for the World Cup Under 19s, training, gym, running programs and playing games. I was doing something everyday and I ended up differing uni.

Lacrosse is a fully self-funded sport, with no subsidies and government funding. I worked a lot to save money, and travelled a lot in Europe after the World Cup.

I am a real foodie and everyone I know is aware of how much I love food. When I was in Paris, I attended a cooking class for fun, making macarons. When I came back, I decided I wanted to work in hospitality. Gelato Messina in Fitzroy runs a gelato appreciation class and my boyfriend Hamish bought me a voucher. I attended it, loved it and returned with a resume. They hired me and I have been working there ever since.

I read your previous article, covering The Cornershop. It’s actually one of my favourite places to go to, and I love the BLT there. Sadly, it’s no longer on the menu. Can you please ask Iain to bring it back to the menu? Growing up in Seddon, I was so surprised to find Iain used to run Le Chien as well! I also love Advieh, as there is something for everyone.

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