For OUWB first-year medical student Alli Leonard and her family, soccer has always brought them together, but never quite the way it will this Saturday at Oakland University.
That’s because Alli and her teammates on Oakland University’s women’s soccer team will face Purdue Fort Wayne — a team that includes Alli’s sister, Amanda Leonard.
Not only will the two sisters face off, but Alli guesses nearly 20 family members will be in attendance to witness the showdown. That includes Alli and Amanda’s sister Ashley, who is coming back to southeast Michigan from Washington, D.C., for the big game.
“It’s going to be really fun,” says Alli with a smile. “And it’s going to be hard because I’m really close with my sisters…and a little weird being in a competitive environment.”
Amanda, a junior studying biology, says coming back to the area “is always pretty nostalgic,” especially since one of the club teams she played on practiced at OU weekly.
“I am excited to be on the field with my sister again, but the good thing about being high level athletes and also best friends is that we can keep the two pretty separate,” says Amanda.
“Once the whistle blows it's game time but once the time runs out, I know she will be the first person that I give a hug to no matter what the outcome of the game is,” adds Amanda.
A passion for soccer
Alli grew up in Troy, Michigan, and attended Troy Athens High School.
The sisters all played soccer, and their father, Mark, coached. On many Saturdays, the family could be found kicking the ball around at the Athens soccer field. Mom and wife, Kimberly, would join in the fun, too.
“I loved the skill component … and the bonding with my family,” says Alli. “That started my passion for soccer.”
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Soccer has almost always been part of life for |
“Growing up soccer was always something we did together as a family for fun” adds Amanda. “It also played a big role in the way that I looked up to my sisters. They are amazing people on and off the field and playing with them always gave me more motivation to be my best self.”
It paid off, too, as all three sisters played at the college level. (Ashley played at Western Kentucky University.)
Among other things, Alli’s list of soccer-related accomplishments includes being named 2017 All-State Third Team, All-Region, All-District, and All-League. She also helped lead a Nationals Union team to a national championship and was selected four times to participate in the Olympic Development Regional Camp.
As a sophomore in high school, she committed to Butler University. Alli recorded 12 goals and 11 assists, earned All-Big East honors, and helped lead her team to both the Big East Tournament Final and the NCAA Tournament.
But for all her accomplishments in soccer, Alli says the thing she’s most proud of has nothing to do with stats or wins.
“When I look back at it, it’s the people and communities that I’ve been part of,” she says.
And soccer hasn’t been Alli’s only passion.
A passion for medicine
When Alli was five or six years old, a photo was taken of her wearing a little white coat with her name on it.
“I always said I wanted to be a bone doctor,” says Alli.
Medicine was a big part of her life. Her mother is a physical therapist. Her father works in health care administration. And she was inspired by her pediatricians.
“I enjoyed going (to the doctor) and thought whatever they were saying was cool,” says Alli.
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When Alli was seven years old, a photo was taken of her wearing a little white coat with her name on it. |
Also, Alli says she always had a strong curiosity and desire to learn — two characteristics reflected in her academic achievements. She was a four-year, all A’s honor student and graduated summa cum laude. She was named a 2019 AP Economics Scholar, 2017 Scholar Athlete, and a National Honor Society member. She graduated from Butler with a major in health sciences and minors in chemistry and Spanish.
After a gap year in 2024, Alli started at OUWB as part of the Class of 2029. She says she wanted to be closer to home and wanted to be like the physicians at Corewell Health that provided her treatment when she was younger.
“I remember them as being the kind of compassionate physicians that I wanted to become,” says Alli. “What better place to do it than OUWB, where I have the opportunity to learn from them directly?”
It wasn’t until Alli had been accepted and decided to attend OUWB that she realized she could play soccer at Oakland University.
That’s because athletes who played at the collegiate level in 2020 — when the COVID-19 pandemic affected life for everyone — were granted an extra year of eligibility.
“I was on (OU’s) campus in February and saw someone walk by with a women’s soccer bag and the wheels started turning … could I got to med school and play soccer?”
Looking ahead
Alli says she worked extensively with officials from OUWB and OU athletics to determine the feasibility of playing soccer while starting medical school.
The season began a week before she started.
Alli says it’s been challenging and rewarding.
“The coaching staff told me to think about it as my stress relief and to view it as a time when I don’t have to think about med school,” she says. “It’s shown me that I can have life outside of med school…helped me balance my time.”
And though this is her last season of being eligible, she’s already thinking about how soccer, or even other sports, can continue to be part of her life, including coaching or whatever she decides to specialize in as a physician.
“I’m keeping my options open for sure, but I think that being involved some way in sports medicine would be really cool,” she says.
Oakland University and Purdue Fort Wayne play Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., at the Oakland Soccer Field. For ticket information, click here.