Cincinnati, Ohio - The Toledo women's soccer team fell 2-1 at Xavier tonight in its opening match of the season. Senior captain Hannah Scafaria scored Toledo's lone goal in a tough non-conference matchup.
 
"We moved the ball well and we had really good looks in front of the goal. We just have to find a way to finish," Head Coach TJ Buchholz said. "I thought we had moments where we showed that we can be a very dangerous behind teams, and Hannah Scafaria earning her first goal of the season was awesome. We can't let teams back in the game. We let them capitalize on a mistake that tied it up, and toward the end we just didn't finish. It's a hard loss, but we have to bounce back quick and get ready for a good Wright State team."

Xavier came out of the gate hot, quickly forcing play into Toledo's defensive third. The Musketeers dribbled up to the top of the 18-yard box where Grace Bahr took a shot that was dealt away by sophomore goalkeeper Madison Perrin. Following the attack, both teams fought hard for the ball in the midfield, with neither side able to fight through the opposing defensive and find solid scoring opportunities.
 
Toward the middle of the first half, Xavier found space at the edge of Toledo's box. The Musketeers peppered the goal but each shot was either blocked or calmly dealt with by Perrin.
 
Toledo opened the scoring with 23 minutes left in the first. Scafaria settled the ball at the top of the box and shot a laser through the fingertips of Xavier's goalkeeper, Toni Bizzarro. UT maintained its lead through the remainder of the first half.
 
The second half saw an energized Toledo squad hop on Xavier early. Five minutes in, Scafaria quickly found room at the top of the  box again but Bizzarro made two key saves to keep her side in the contest. The following two minutes saw UT put another shot on frame and win a corner, but Bizzarro and the Musketeers refused to concede.
 
Xavier tied things up 12 minutes into the second half off a goal by Brooke Sroka. Sroka got a healthy touch near the left side of Perrin's goal and was able to curl it around to even things at 1-1.
 
The match then turned into a back-and-forth affair, with both sides' defenses refusing to give in. The tide turned in Xavier's favor with 12 minutes left in the second when Kenadie Carlson was fed a wide pass from Sydney Schembri. The slot pass stranded Perrin on the opposite side of the goal, allowing Carlson to place the ball. Toledo was unable to answer in the closing minutes.
 
Up Next
The Rockets return to action on Sunday when the team travels to Wright State for a 1:00 p.m. matchup at the Raiders' Alumni Field. Fans wishing to watch the match can follow along live via ESPN+.