Valparaiso, Ind. - The Toledo women's soccer team (1-1-1) defeated Valparaiso (1-1-1) 2-0 today to record its first win of the season. The Rockets' goals came from junior Abby Demboski and redshirt sophomore Alex Troy, each of whom recorded their first goals of the season tonight.
 
"I think this was just a great team effort from our girls," head coach TJ Buchholz said. "Valpo was a really good team. They were undefeated coming in, and for us to go on the road and have to compete and get a win against a team like this is just an awesome effort. It's a good result for us and we just have to keep moving forward."
 
The match was a defensive battle from the first whistle. Valparaiso opened the match with multiple deep runs down the sidelines, but the Rockets mostly kept the Crusaders away from the 18-yard box.
 
Sophomore Madison Perrin came up big with 26 minutes left to go in the first half when she made a diving save to stop the ball just inches away from the goal line. Perrin's dive was followed three minutes later by senior captain Regan Price sacrificing her body on a diving block that again stopped the ball right before it rolled past the goal line.
 
Despite the numerous run-ins, UT held Valparaiso to just six shots in the opening period and didn't concede a point.
 
The tenor of the match shifted sharply two minutes into the second half when senior captain Hannah Scafaria was fouled in the 18-yard box. Demboski stepped up to the spot to take the shot and calmly placed it to the right of Valparaiso's Kezia Gesell to put UT up 1-0.
 
"I thought the first half was a battle, and being able to step on the field early in the second half and put us up 1-0 felt great," Demboski said. "I think it meant a lot and it increased our energy."
 
The Rockets continued to set up scoring chances following Demboski's goal. Senior Kelsey Kraft took a strike with 25 minutes left in the match from just in front of the goal but was unable to direct it in.
 
The Crusaders almost had a chance two minutes later when a shot bounced past Perrin, but it struck the post and rolled away.
 
Troy secured the brace point with 17 minutes left in the match. The redshirt sophomore found space in the left side of the 18-yard box and slotted a shot to the right of Gesell to make it 2-0 Toledo.
 
"I think it was really important to get that second goal to secure a win." Troy said. "The whole team was just knocking on their door the whole time. We needed it and I think we're going to break through from here."
 
Up Next
Toledo's next matchup is Sunday against the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Rockets and Flames square off at 1:00 p.m. CST in Chicago.