Toledo, Ohio - The Toledo women's soccer team is set to open its 2018 season on the road this weekend with contests against Xavier and Wright State. UT plays the Musketeers in Cincinnati at 7:00 p.m. on Friday before heading to Dayton, Ohio on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. match against the Raiders.
 
The Rockets are coming off a 2017 season that saw them go 12-8-3 (6-3-2 MAC), earn their fifth Mid-American Conference title, and advance to the NCAA Championship for a conference-best fifth time. Toledo returns 20 letterwinners and is adding nine newcomers for the upcoming season. Included in Toledo's returners is its leading goal scorer Hannah Scafaria, who netted eight goals while assisting on two during the 2017 campaign.
 
All-MAC Freshman Team member Madison Perrin returns in net for the Rockets as well. Perrin played every minute of Toledo's 23 matches, registering a 1.37 GAA and .764 save percentage with five clean sheets throughout the year.

This season, the Rockets are led by senior captains Scafaria, Regan Scafaria and Alena Sidwell.
 
Scouting the Musketeers
Xavier is coming off a 2017 campaign that saw them earn their best conference finish since joining the Big East Conference in 2013. Going 8-8-4 (4-3-2 BIG EAST), the Musketeers reached the BIG EAST quarterfinals where they fell 3-0 to No. 4 seed Marquette.
 
The Musketeers return three of their top four scoring threats. Sydney Schembri paced the team with six goals, while Emma Westwater netted four goals and one assist and Samantha Dewey found the net three times. In total, Xavier returns 14 letterwinners and adds four transfers along with a deep freshman class.
 
Xavier returns goalkeeper Toni Bizzarro for her junior year. Bizzarro went 8-8-3 through 19 matches, registering a 1.09 GAA and .828 save percentage with four shutouts.
 
Scouting the Raiders
Wright State posted a 12-8-0 (6-3-0 Horizon League) mark in 2017 that saw it reach the Horizon League Tournament semifinals before losing 2-1 to Milwaukee in overtime. The Raiders lost top offensive threat Sarah Colvin who scored seven goals and seven assists, but return key contributors Aaliah Patten, Mattie Cutts and Jordyne Helinski. Patten was the team's go-to setup player, earning seven assists on top of three goals. Cutts and Helinski each registered four goals, with Cutts contributing four assists throughout the year as well.
 
Maddie Jewel returns in net for Wright State. The junior goalkeeper started 16 of her 17 matches last year, ending the season with an 11-6-0 record, 0.97 GAA and .818 save percentage. Jewel also registered seven shutouts.
 
The Raiders will be led by a strong pack of veterans, with Wright State returning 16 letterwinners and adding 11 newcomers.
 
Watch Live
Toledo's match against Wright State will be streamed live online via ESPN+. Fans are advised that a paid subscription to the platform is necessary to watch the match.
 
Preseason Poll
The defending MAC Champion Rockets were picked to finish sixth in the conference in the preseason coaches poll. Kent State is heavily favored to sweep the conference this season. A full breakdown of this year's voting can be seen below.
 
2018 MAC Preseason Poll
1. Kent State – 134 (8)
2. Ball State – 119 (1)
3. Bowling Green – 114 (2)
4. Buffalo - 111
5. Central Michigan - 81
6. Toledo - 74
7. Eastern Michigan - 70
8. Ohio - 65
9. Western Michigan - 58
10. Akron – 40 (1)
    Northern Illinois - 40
12. Miami – 30
 
(First place votes to claim regular-season title)
 
Tournament Champion: Kent State (6), Toledo (1), Buffalo (1), Ball State (1), Bowling Green (1), Central Michigan (1), Western Michigan (1)
 
(First place votes to win MAC Championship title)