Rockets Are Building A Dynasty
Since coming to Toledo, Ali Leak has never lost the MAC.
By Peter Schinkai
pschinkai@themacdaily.com
Toledo — Every year, 12 teams believe that they've got a shot at winning the Mid-American Conference title. Hopes are high and the talent level is evenly distributed. Over the past three years though, one team has been able to put a stranglehold on the title — Toledo.
The Rockets come into the 2009 seasons as the three-time defending MAC champs. It's a feat built on hard work, some good breaks and peaking at the right time.
"It's crazy. My goal when I was a freshman was to put a ring on my finger," Toledo senior Megan Ginley said. "We had a rough time at the start. But then something clicked and we've been able to win year-to-year."
Toledo's title in 2006, the first in program history, was the toughest. Ball State and Central Michigan were the best two teams that season and Toledo was simply a middle-of-the-pack squad. The Rockets started that season with a 1-5-2 record but improved gradually. Toledo recovered to get to the tournament, but still wasn't expected to contend for a title. Three days after losing 1-0 to Bowling Green, the Rockets met their rivals again in the tournament quarterfinals and stunned the Falcons, winning 3-0.
By a strange twist of fate, all four of the higher seeds lost in that first round, so the No. 5 seeded Rockets got to host the MAC semifinals and the championship game. In the semifinals, Ali Leak, who was just a freshman at that time beat Miami with an overtime winner. Two days later, Toledo beat Northern Illinois 2-1 for its first ever title.
"They believed in themselves and they knew they had a chance to be good," Toledo coach Brad Evans said after beating the Huskies. "These players have worked their tails off both in and out of the season and all their efforts have paid off."
At the time, the Rockets merely basked in their new-found glory. They didn't expect to repeat, but that's exactly what happened. The 2007 team came out firing and finished second in the MAC behind Ball State. The quarterfinals saw UT edge Kent State 4-3 at home. Then, as the tournament shifted to Muncie, things really got tough. In the semifinals, the Rockets faced the 2006 runner-up Huskies in a back-and-forth game. Neither team would budge and the game went 0-0 through overtime and into a shoot out. Toledo came out on top, winning the shoot out 4-3.
In the finals, Toledo came within three minutes of losing to Bowling Green. But, trailing 2-1 in the 88th minute, Erin Flynn headed home a corner kick to send the championship game to overtime. Once again, neither side scored, and a shoot out was needed to determine the winner. Also, once again, Toledo came out on top, winning 3-2.
After winning back-to-back titles, the Rockets seemed to have finally found their groove and left nothing to chance in 2008. They didn't worry about the top four teams losing in the first round, they didn't worry about last-minute equalizers or winning shoot outs. Instead, Toledo won its third title in textbook fashion. The Rockets coasted to the regular season title, posting a 8-2-1 conference record. Then, in the tournament, they simply shut out all three of their opponents to lift the hardware.
"I think that the people before us built up a good base and put in all the hard work," Leak said. "We just got the glory. We came in at the perfect time."
It may sound like Toledo just fell into these titles, but that is very much not the case. The Rockets have been built through sound recruiting, a smart coaching philosophy and by building a sense of togetherness. Evans is very much a player-oriented coach. He lets his team police itself and he acts more as a guide than as a disciplinarian. With this style, his team has built a bond that has led to this success.
"I don't create anything. I set up an environment and then they can create," Evans said. "It was just a process of development. You need talented players to be successful over time. But you also need players that want to improve for themselves and their teammates. Everyone is in this together. The more they take ownership, the more they improve."
The only area that this group of seniors has not been successful with yet has been that one game after the MAC Championship — the first round game of the NCAA Tournament. Each year, the Rockets have followed up their conference title with a first round loss. There was Villanova (5-1), then Indiana (3-2) and last year, Notre Dame (5-2). It's the one hurdle left to overcome, but one that the Rockets feel they can still accomplish.
"Nothing is impossible. That's our mentality here," Toledo senior Nora Jereb said. "We haven't won a game in the NCAA Tournament yet, but anything is possible. We always prepare ourselves for it."
