Toledo, Ohio - The Toledo women's soccer team (3-1-1) won 2-0 today in the Rockets' home opener against IUPUI (1-4-0). Toledo's goals were scored by senior Natalie Knauf and sophomore Alex Troy, and both were registered in the first half.
 
The Rockets also celebrated their eight seniors as part of an early-season Senior Day prior to the match. Shelby Gillespie, Jamie Peters, Katie Wilson, Natalie Knauf, Kelsey Kraft, Alena Sidwell, Hannah Scafaria and Regan Price were all honored before kickoff. 

"I thought they played outstanding," head coach TJ Buchholz said. "The conditions were hot and we told them they had to keep their energy levels up for 90 minutes. We did that really well and got a lot of people into the game to secure the win. I'm proud of our overall effort, and especially the defense for getting the shutout. I thought IUPUI was a really strong attacking team and our girls did a really good job today."
 
The match started off as a defensive battle between the two sides, with the Rockets unable to break through the defense for much of the opening 10 minutes.
 
Toledo got on the board in the 14th minute thanks to a penalty kick. Senior captain Hannah Scafaria was taken down in the box during a run in, and Knauf was elected to take the chance. The senior placed it past IUPUI's Sophia Lipka to put Toledo up 1-0 and record her first goal of the year.
 
The Jaguars almost responded in the 20th minute when they won their own penalty kick. Miranda Ricks stepped up for IUPUI but senior goalkeeper Katie Wilson made the save to keep Toledo ahead.
 
The Rockets followed the attempt with a series of shots from Scafaria and sophomore Sophia Lewis that just couldn't find the back of the net.
 
Toledo's second point came in the 36th minute from Troy. The sophomore received the ball down low from Lewis and headed the ball past the keeper for an open net shot, earning her second of the season.
 
Toledo parked the bus in the second half and was largely able to keep the Jaguars away from the top of the 18-yard box.
 
Knauf sent two corners in for Toledo early on but neither was able to turn into a real opportunity. Toledo kept the pressure on though, with the Rockets recording seven more shots before time expired.
 
Up Next
Up next for Toledo is a mid-week showdown against Detroit Mercy. The Rockets host the Titans at 4:00 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Scott Park.


Highlights from UT's win over IUPUI.