TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo will open Mid-American Conference play this week with a game at Northern Illinois followed by a home matchup vs. Western Michigan. The Rockets will travel to DeKalb, Ill. to take on the Huskies (3-5-0) on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 5:00 p.m. (CT). The contest can be seen on NIUHuskies.com. Toledo will host the Broncos (2-5-0) at Paul Hotmer Field on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN3.

The Rockets (5-1-2) enter league play with the second-most wins in the MAC and their most non-conference wins since going 5-3-0 to start the 2016 season.  Toledo registered its MAC-best fifth shutout on Sunday at Illinois State and rank 18th nationally with a 0.41 GAA. Freshman Olivia Dault leads Toledo with three goals with senior Ashton Cassel and sophomore Ellie Pool netting two goals apiece. Sophomore Emma Boutorwick has a 0.35 GAA and .909 SV% en route to posting a 5-1-1 mark.

Hounding the Huskies (3-5-0)
Northern Illinois has lost three straight contests since winning three of four. The Rockets and Huskies have two common opponents. NIU defeated Indiana State (2-1) and lost to Illinois State (4-2). Toledo posted 1-0 wins over both the Sycamores and Redbirds. Senior Haley Hoppe has netted six of NIU's 11 goals, while junior Sadie McGill posses a 3-4-0 mark and 2.10 GAA as the Huskies' No. 1 goalkeeper. Toledo has won five of its last six meetings vs. NIU, including the last three meetings in DeKalb.

Bucking the Broncos (2-5-0)
Western Michigan posted its two wins this season over Detroit Mercy and IUPUI with its defeats coming to Louisville, Michigan, Indiana, USC and Butler. WMU will host Bowling Green prior to coming to the Glass City. Senior Bailey Korhorn leads WMU in goals (4) and points (9) with sophomore Jenna Blackburn ranking second with three goals. Senior Maggie Rogers (2-4-0, 3.15 GAA) has started six contests. Toledo is 0-3-1 vs. WMU since a 2-1 home win in the first round of the 2017 MAC Tournament.
 
Last Week
• Senior Ashton Cassel scored three minutes into overtime to give Toledo a 1-0 victory over Illinois State on Sunday. Sophomore Ellie Pool set up Cassel, who ripped her game-winner into the right corner of the net from just outside the box.
• Toledo controlled play throughout the game and had several good chances to score in regulation. The best opportunity came with just over a minute left in regulation when Cassel's penalty kick was stopped by Redbirds' Priya Gillan.
• The Rockets held an 11-10 shot advantage and a 4-0 edge in shots on goal.

Recapping a Strong Non-Conference Season
• Toledo set a program record for the longest unbeaten streak to open a season (6) with its 4-0-2 start.
• The Rockets also won their first three home games for their best start at home since 2008.
• Toledo's four-game winning streak from Aug. 23-Sept. 10 was the Rockets' most consecutive wins since 2017 when they won five in a row with three coming in its MAC Tournament Championship run.

Boutorwick Remains Consistent
Sophomore goalkeeper Emma Boutorwick has been stellar in goal for the Rockets this season. Boutorwick has five shutouts through the first eight games of the season and has not allowed more than one goal in a game yet. Boutorwick was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week each of the first two weeks of the season.

Notching Two Milestones
Toledo Head Coach TJ Buchholz registered his 50th victory as the leader of the Rockets' program in Sunday's 1-0 (OT) win at Illinois State and is now tied with Rj. Anderson for second place on the program's career win list. Sunday's victory was also Buchholz' 225th career victory as a collegiate soccer coach.

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