Chance To Leave On Top
9/27/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 27, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - When senior Doug Rodkey landed in College Park, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson were still a couple, Dan Rather anchored the CBS Evening News, Carrie Underwood was an American Idol hopeful, Hurricane Katrina was brewing in the Gulf Coast and the Maryland men's soccer program was without an outright NCAA Championship.
Since his arrival in 2005, Rodkey has provided the Terps with stability, finesse, and leadership in the midfield, not to mention helping Maryland to a pair of national championships in 2005 and 2008. His collegiate ride has been far from smooth, however. Rodkey's rollercoaster career has been mired by a stubborn right foot and two tumultuous seasons hindered by broken bones and question marks.
After redshirting his sophomore season with a broken right foot, Rodkey was once again forced to the sidelines as a senior in 2008 after injuring the same foot, breaking a different bone. The midfielder went down at the end of Maryland's arguably biggest win of the season - a 1-0 nail-biter against No. 2 North Carolina at Ludwig Field.
Bring on the waiting game. Doctors and trainers worked diligently to get the midfielder back in the lineup for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, but once the foot didn't respond accordingly, Rodkey, along with the rest of the coaching staff, knew it may be time to explore other options and more specifically, a chance at another season in the Red and Black.
"There was a chance I could come back for the ACC Tournament, that's what they thought at first," Rodkey said. "The healing process took a long time, more x-rays and more waiting, so we started focusing on maybe the later rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Then we came to the realization it wasn't going to happen."
Meanwhile, the starting midfield position that Rodkey vacated became a revolving door with a mixture of rookies and veterans trying to seal the void. But while the squad did get some steady play from a host of players, no one could quite fill the role that Rodkey provided the Terps for three years prior - the ability to create opportunities with his masterful foot work.
"Doug is one of those players you don't want to play against and want on your team," fellow midfielder Matt Kassel said. "He is so dangerous with the ball at his feet that he can create something special out of nothing."
The idea of focusing on earning a sixth year of eligibility allowed Rodkey some peace at a time when his youth-laden and unseeded team, with a total of 10 freshmen, made a magnificent run in the NCAA Tournament, concluding with a loss in the quarterfinals to eventual national Virginia.
"We started leaning more towards that right before the ACC Tournament," he said. "From the beginning, we were pretty confident that I would get the sixth year. We did a lot of research and it was a long paperwork process. In the beginning you are a little nervous but our compliance people are great and they had it pretty well pinned down."
With the 2009 season and an injured right foot finally in the rearview mirror, Rodkey is ready to focus on his senior campaign.
"I think we are going to be really talented, probably one of the most talented teams since I've been here," he said. "When you look at the 2005 and 2008 teams, we are right there.
"Mostly it is about coming back for the team aspect of it, not the personal side. I'm a competitive guy and this group really looks like we can do it. It's the majority of the reason I came back. It looks like one of those years that something special could happen and I'd love to be a part of it. That's the main reason I'm back."
Kassel, along with the rest of the 2010 men's soccer team, has enjoyed having Rodkey back on the field in 2010. The pair has teamed up for seven assists through seven matches.
"He is as competitive as they come and a teammate you can always rely on, on and off the field. His competitive nature is so contagious to all those around him which allows us to be a better team."
This is Rodkey's last stand. He has the opportunity accomplish something that no other Maryland men's soccer player has ever done - win a third national title as a member of one of the elite programs in the nation.
"I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind," Rodkey said of winning a third ring. "To be a part of something like that is in an incredible thing.
"Not even the individual part but just the fact that I could be a part of three teams that were that good and to be a part of Maryland history would mean the world to me. I've been here so long, this school and this team means so much to me."
For Rodkey, it's a chance to leave it all on the field - a chance to leave on top.
No. 5 Maryland welcomes No. 11 Duke to the always-electric Ludwig Field Friday night. The match, which is slated to kickoff at 8 p.m., will also be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel.
