TOLEDO, OH - Toledo finished the 2009 season sporting an 11-6-4 overall record, 6-3-2 in the Mid-American Conference. UT tied for fourth in the MAC regular-season standings and made its fifth-consecutive post-season appearance under ninth-year Head Coach Brad Evans. The fifth-seed Rockets advanced to the MAC Tournament Semifinals for a fourth-consecutive season with an impressive 3-1 road victory at fourth-seed Ohio. In the semifinals, Toledo battled top-seed and eventual tournament champion Central Michigan to a scoreless tie through regulation and two overtime periods, before falling, 4-2, on penalty kicks, ending its three-year reign as tourney champions.
On the offensive side of the field, UT outscored its opponents, 81-52, and finished fourth in the league in goals (28), assists (25), points (81) and shots (267). In all, Toledo had seven players with at least six points. The attack was paced by the dynamic duo of 2009 first-team All-MAC honoree Ali Leak and 2007 and 2008 MAC Player of the Year Molly Cornwell. Leak finished tied for fifth in the conference in goals (6), sixth in points (14) and ninth in shots (44), while Cornwell led the league in assists (9), along with being tied for first in shots (65) and fourth in points (17). Cornwell's nine helpers was also the third most in school history in a single season.
Other key contributors to the Rockets' offensive attack were senior Heather Wesley, junior Brittany Hensler, sophomore Kristen Lynn and freshman Rachael Kravitz. Hensler tied for second on the team in goals (4) and was third in points (8), Wesley was tied for fourth in goals (3) and points (7), Lynn was second in assists (5) and tied for fourth in points (7), while Kravitz was tied for sixth in points (6).
In the midfield, UT received solid play from senior Nora Jereb, juniors Erin Flynn and Sarah Blake, as well as sophomores Ana Reynolds and Jamie Morsillo, as well as freshman Megan Blake. Flynn ranked sixth on the team with six points, including two match-winning tallies. Morsillo was credited with a pair of tallies, Sarah Blaked with one goal and one assist and Reynolds had one helper. Each player did a good job setting the table for the forwards with quality scoring opportunities.
Toledo not only dominated its opponents offensively and in the midfield, but its defense started to come into its own as well toward the end of the season. The defensive front of senior Megan Ginley, juniors Torrie Klier and Lauren Baker, sophomores Alyssa Neise and Blair Sorg, as well as freshman Natalie Gaitan did a good job denying opponent looks at the goal, allowing one goal or less in 15 matches in 2009. As a team, UT was third in the league in shutouts (9), fourth in goals-against average (0.86) and tied for fourth in goals allowed (19).
Between the posts, sophomore Vicki Traven started 20 contests and played over 90 percent (1,806:14 minutes) of the team's total minutes. Traven had a respectable 0.80 GAA, fourth-best in the league, while making 77 saves with seven shutouts, third-best in the MAC. The 2008 MAC Freshman of the Year compiled a 9-5-4 record this fall.
Head Coach Brad Evans recently sat down for a Q & A session to wrap up the season.
Q: What were your general impressions of your ninth season?
A: This was definitely a season filled with ups and its downs. We won the third-most matches in a single season in school history and advanced to the MAC Tournament Semifinals for a fourth-consecutive season which are positives, but I also think the players didn't feel as excited about the way the season ended as they have in past years. I think that is a statement about the player's expectations within the program. I think the season was a little bit of good and a little bit of we could have done better.
Q: Your team recently received national recognition for its academic success for a fourth-consecutive year. Can you talk about that and how impressive that feat truly is?
A: I couldn't be more proud of the performance of the players on the field, as well as off it in the classroom and in the community. The grades are a tangible way to see that. How much effort they put in in all other phases of the program outside the playing field is equally as impressive. Our relationship with Mom's House and other various community service organizations that the players are involved with is very special, but not as many people see that, as well as the time that is spent studying when nobody is watching. The commitment our players have to do well for their teammates academically and then you couple that with all the things they do athletically is extremely impressive. With the amount of commitment they have to perform at their best, it's remarkable.
Q: Last season your team did not accomplish its ultimate goal and win a MAC record fourth-consecutive MAC Tournament championship. What does your program have to do now to get back to the top of the MAC?
A: It is not what I expect necessarily, but what the players expect. I think the team knows they have work to do. We know as coaches that we have work to do as well. We have to find a way to get better. We have to find ways for players to step up and make a difference in matches and have consistent performances throughout the season. Not just hit or miss, and not just up and down. That is really our main focus for the players, as well as the coaches. We also have to find a way to get a big group of freshmen acclimated come next fall. It is going to be a lot of hard work in the spring. We have to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Q: This fall you experimented with players in different positions because of your team's versatility. How did that process work out, and do you think it will benefit the team next fall?
A: Some of the experimentation was done out of necessity, and some of it was due to our versatility. We had an awful lot of injuries in the fall and that necessitated us to try and fill in the gaps, while others were just players finding a comfort level and performing well. I think it will definitely help us next year. I don't think experience is ever a bad thing. We learned a lot of those experiences last season. I would have liked to have been more consistent in certain moments in the fall, but we have to use those experiences to help us in 2010 when the challenges are different but equally as tough.
Q: Your defense posted nine shutouts and ranked among the top units in the MAC. How effective was your defense this season?
A: I think once we started MAC play, our defense became more consistent. We made some personnel moves in the back that worked. Once we got that situation more settled, we were a better defensive unit. Defense deals with focus and concentration and as the season progressed, our players tuned in. Obviously, we would like to see more consistency from beginning to end, but I thought we played fairly well when it mattered most down the stretch and that is a complement to the players.
Q: Your offense was also among the top units in the league. How effective was your offense this season?
A: I think it kind of mirrored the rest of our performance. It was up and down. There were times when it looked good and times it looked flat. Individually, performances have to be more consistent and collectively we have to work on ways to be more unpredictable. We also need to be a little more athletic and creative, hopefully putting defenses on their heels. Our goal next fall is to show more consistency.
Q: Your team finished with 11 wins and has now won at least 10 matches the last three seasons and four of the last five years. Would you say that that is a pretty impressive accomplishment?
A: I think anytime a team wins at least 10 matches in a season, it is a feather in their cap. Obviously, some of that has to do with performances in non-conference action as well as in the league. We don't always point to wins and losses. The measure for us is performance. We want to keep improving and play well at the end of the season. It is a nice number and we are certainly proud of it, but how we perform at the end of October and into November is the real gauge for us.
Q: Three years ago, your team won two matches at the MAC Tournament, including a championship on penalty kicks. This season the Rockets were at the opposite end of the spectrum and had their season come to an end on PKs. Can you talk about having to deal with both the winning and losing side of matches that go to penalty kicks?
A: It is what it is. It is bitter on one end and exciting on the other. It just depends on what side of the ledger you end up on. You would love to have the ball bounce another way, hitting the post and bouncing out as opposed to hitting the post and bouncing in. I think this fall both us and Central Michigan had opportunities through the course of play to put the ball into the goal which would have changed the match obviously. A goal does so much for a soccer match but it didn't happen. We have been on the positive end and celebrated with a semifinal advance and a championship victory, and we also fell short this season.
Q: The program loses five valuable seniors to graduation. What kind of impact have they made to your program?
A: We had a culture here that was growing before this group arrived. We were learning how to win and how to be very good. I think these players allowed us to go over the top with that. They allowed us to make a play at the end of a match that was crucial in determining the outcome. That was the difference with this group. They certainly took the ball and ran with it. They won that first championship and that wasn't good enough. They were going to do it again and again. They were also going to try and do it again this season. They were consistent. They were excellent at whatever they did and ultimately they left their legacy at Toledo. Any senior's dream is to leave their legacy in the best way they can, and this group of seniors certainly did that in terms of results. I think they did that in other ways too. We talked as a team at the end of the season that the successes on and off the field continue because the seniors have done their job. I don't think you replace these players. I think you try and learn from them and hope the other players put their stamp on the program as well.
Q: For your team to be successful next fall you will need upperclassmen to step up and be leaders. With six seniors on next year's roster, have they kind of stepped up and taken on that responsibility?
A: I think what you will find with this group is they have done a great deal of work that nobody talks about. When you look at the contributions of this class and you see the minutes Torrie (Klier) played in the back this fall, the work Angela (Righeimer) has done in goal, Sarah Blake's abilities, Lauren Baker's improvement over the years and Brittany (Hensler) scoring some huge goals for this program the last two seasons. People don't talk too much about those things because you look at this team and you see Molly (Cornwell) and Ali (Leak). This group has done a lot of work and prepared for this moment. I think this group is eager and ready to show their talents and what they can bring to the table. I think everybody is excited about next fall's team. I know it is going to be a different vibe and feel, but that happens every year.
