TOLEDO, Ohio - A veteran group of Rockets will step out onto Paul Hotmer Field this August with hopes of bringing the Mid-American Conference Women's Soccer title back to the Glass City. Toledo will open its season on the road at Dayton (Aug. 18) and Illinois (Aug. 21), before returning home on Aug. 25 to host Purdue Fort Wayne.

"I think we had a great year last year and we just want to build on that," said head coach TJ Buchholz. "We lost some key people last year, but I also believe we are returning a really good group. For us now, it's about taking the next steps forward, not living in the past and being ready to take on the challenges that are there for us this year."

Buchholz, who will enter his eighth season as head coach, returns 24 players to his squad, including 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year McKenna Schultz and fellow second-team All-MAC honoree Olivia Dault. A key addition to the Rockets' squad is Western Michigan transfer Morgan Otteson.

"I don't think I've ever had a team where there are so many pieces coming back," Buchholz said. "It's fun because there are so many pieces returning that have had such an impact on this team. That's why we should have those expectations, and to take those next steps forward to improve on what we did last year."

Toledo has a very small incoming freshman class of Kaema Amachree, Brooklyn Whitehead, and Brielle Young.

"We only have four new players because we have so many good players coming back,'' Buchholz added. "Every year you have a freshman who makes an impact, and usually we've had multiple freshmen. Last year, for example, we had many freshmen see significant action. This year we will rely more on the returners."

FORWARDS
Looking to lead the Rockets on the wings are senior Stephanie "Stitch" Currie, junior Madison "Mojo" Medalle, and graduate transfer Morgan Otteson. Currie recorded two goals and the team's second-highest number of shots with 39. Medalle could make an impact this season after spending a majority of last season recovering from an injury and seeing limited time on the field. Otteson was a 2019 third-team All-Region, 2020 third team USCA North Region honoree, and three-time All-MAC selection at Western Michigan.

"Stitch is always in the mix,. She's played a lot of minutes for this program," said Buchholz. "Mojo Medalle is the healthiest she's been since her first year (2019), and she is looking strong in training. Our transfer Morgan Otteson, is going to be a big player for us and see a lot of playing time."

Other returning forwards include senior Brooke Stonehouse, junior Caylee Jozefov, sophomores Brittney Probst and Mia Leonetti, and redshirt freshman Jenna Foley, . Freshman Brooklyn Whitehead will also join the forward group.

MIDFIELDERS
Senior Ashton Cassel and sophomore Olivia Dault return to lead the midfielder group. Cassel played all 20 contests last season and had game-winning goals vs. Cincinnati (Aug. 22) and Illinois State (Sept. 19). Dault made an immediate impact in her first year with the Rockets, earning second-team All-MAC and MAC All-Freshman team recognition. She had six goals, the second highest on the team, and put 21 shots on goal.

"I'm happy with Dault, who was second-team all-conference as a freshman last year," said Buchholz about the midfield group. "She is primed to have another good season building off that. Cassel, who is back for a fifth year, has pretty much started every game for us since she's been here as a freshman. She's just a quality midfielder."

Juniors Grace Turski and Emily Mann, and sophomore Chloe Tadolini are returning midfielders who Buchholz believes will provide the team with quality minutes this season.

DEFENDERS
The Rockets have a good mix of veterans and younger athletes on defense, including Freshman of the Year honoree McKenna Schultz. She led all Rockets defenders last season with four assists and 1,879 minutes played.

"McKenna Schultz and Sissy Novak are very strong center defenders," said Buchholz. "McKenna was Freshman of the Year last year in the conference and is even more of a complete player this year."

Returning defenders include seniors Rylee Michaels, Marcy Clark, and Vanessa Jones, along with junior Adele Stradling, and sophomores Sissy Novak, Rachel Kraysovic and Miranda Sullivan. Looking for time on the field this season are redshirt freshmen Olivia Watson and Alexys LaDue, and freshman Kaema Amachree.

"We have a lot of strong pieces coming back in that group," said Buchholz. "Clark, Michaels, and Sullivan are all in really good position to make an impact this year. At some point we should see Olivia Watson in the mix. She's been hurt with some major injuries in her first two years, but  she should be a big piece in the coming weeks. ."

GOALKEEPERS
Returnees junior Emma Boutorwick and sophomore Karson Hill welcome freshman Brielle Young to the goalkeeping group. Boutorwick led the conference with a 0.76 goals-against average, a 0.837 save percentage and 10 combined shutouts (nine solo).

"I think a big key for us is having Emma Boutorwick as a strong goalkeeper,' said Buchholz. "She had a great season last year and looking even better this year with how she's performing so far."

SCHEDULE
The Rockets open their season on the road at Dayton (Aug. 18) and at Big Ten foe Illinois (Aug. 21). UT will open its home season at Paul Hotmer Field against Purdue Fort Wayne on Aug. 25 before heading to Indiana State on Aug. 28.

Toledo will open September with home games vs. Oakland (Sept. 1) and Michigan (Sept. 11) before heading to Tempe, Ariz. to face Arizona State (Sept. 18) to close out its non-conference schedule.

The Midnight Blue and Gold will begin its MAC schedule at Battle of I-75 rival and defending conference champion Bowling Green (Sept. 22) and close the regular season at home vs. Western Michigan (Oct. 27).

Toledo will play four other league games on the road, visiting Kent State (Oct. 2), Central Michigan (Oct. 9), Eastern Michigan (Oct. 13) and Akron (Oct. 23). The Rockets play host to Northern Illinois (Sept. 25), Buffalo (Sept. 29), Ball State (Oct. 6), Miami (Oct. 16), Ohio (Oct. 20) and Western Michigan.

"We are looking forward to a strong schedule this fall," said Buchholz. "It will be exciting to play some great non-conference opponents, including hosting Michigan on September 11th.  Our strong non-conference games will get us very ready to play a challenging MAC schedule."

The top six teams in the conference standings will punch their ticket to the MAC Tournament. The quarterfinals round will be held at the higher seed campuses, and the semifinals/ finals matches will be hosted by the overall highest seed. The quest for the title will begin with quarterfinals on Sunday, Oct. 30, followed by semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 3 and the championship match on Sunday Nov. 6.