SOCCER STAR LANDS DIVISION 1 SCHOLARSHIP
Tecumseh's Leonetti headed to NCAA despite separation from Michigan team
University of Toledo Rockets women's soccer head coach T.J. Buchholz never lost track of Tecumseh's Mia Leonetti.
The 16-year-old Leonetti has been unable to compete with her Nationals Union soccer club in Michigan since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shut down the border.
That didn't stop the talented forward from officially signing her NCAA letter of intent on Wednesday to join the Rockets' nine-player 2021-22 recruiting class on national signing day.
“I'm fortunate to still have them,” the 5-foot-7 Leonetti said of the Toledo program. “I'm so grateful for that.”
A St. Anne high school student and WECSSAA all-star, Leonetti got her start with the Tecumseh Soccer Club program before making the switch over to Michigan, but that all stopped in March.
“We were headed to St. Louis and it impacted our trip and since then I couldn't cross,” Leonetti said. “They're still playing and I can't cross the border and see them.”
Instead, Leonetti has been training with the Eastside Kickers and the University of Windsor Lancers, who have allowed her to practice.
“I'm fortunate to have teams help like that, but I can't see my Nationals,” said Leonetti, who previously won an Ontario Cup title with Eastside.
Leonetti, who also spoke with Central Michigan University and Oakland University, admits she wondered if her scholarship hopes might be dashed because of the virus, but Toledo officials kept in contact.
“I definitely felt that at the start because of lot of girls' scholarships were impacted,” Leonetti said. “(Toledo officials) were always in touch and that's awesome. They always encouraged me to keep playing and stay at a high level.”
Leonetti helped Nationals Union to a second-place finish at the United States Youth Soccer Association national championships, and she was also a Super Y League top 11 player and former Team Ontario player.
As much as she was anxious to sign on, Buchholz was just as anxious to have her signed.
“Mia came on our recruiting radar very early and was the first player to verbally commit to us for this recruiting class,” Buchholz said. “She is a speedy attacking player with a tremendous ability to make dangerous runs behind opposing defences.
“She plays the forward position a little different than the other forwards in our system, which will be a great asset for our program. We expect to play Mia in a variety of positions in the attack next fall.”
With the paperwork now complete, Leonetti, who plans to study nursing, can focus on her studies and preparing for a new adventure.
“Toledo was such a great environment,” Leonetti said. “It was still close to home, has great players and that made it easy for me.
“It's just so surreal. I never, ever imaged this would happen to me.”