TOLEDO, OH - Toledo (0-2-0) will look for consistent play when the Midnight Blue & Gold take on Horizon League member Youngstown State (1-1-0) and Southeastern Conference participant Kentucky (0-1-1) this weekend. The Rockets will tangle with the Penguins on Friday, Aug. 30 at 4:00 p.m. at Farmers National Bank Field, before entertaining the Wildcats on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 1:00 p.m. at Scott Park.

 

Sunday’s home opener against UK has also been tabbed as “Youth & Camper Day” at the corner of Hill Ave. and Parkside Blvd and will televised live on BCSN. All campers will get into the match for FREE if they wear their 2013 UT Soccer Camp t-shirt. 

 

The three-time Mid-American Conference regular-season champion Rockets opened the regular season last weekend, dropping close matches to a pair of formidable non-league opponents at the Gopher Tournament in Minneapolis. UT played well in stretches but could not sustain a consistent level of play and as a result suffered a 2-1 setback against the host Golden Gophers on Friday and a 3-2 loss vs. Belmont two days later.

 

Senior Rachel MacLeod, freshman Kiersten Johnson and freshman Brooke Maletic accounted for the Rockets’ three goals at the Gopher tourney over the weekend. MacLeod’s marker against the Bruins moved her into a three-way tie for fifth place in UT annals with 22 career goals.

 

As a team, UT is getting outshot by its opponents, 22-13, through its first two matches. Sophomore Kika Hernandez, sophomore Geri Siudzinski and MacLeod currently pace the attack with three shots each. 

 

Between the posts, senior Kelsey Borowitz and sophomore Sam Tiongson split time evenly and were credited with seven and four saves, respectively.

 

The Midnight Blue & Gold will face a Youngstown State squad that split a pair of road matches to commence the 2013 regular season. The Penguins defeated Niagara, 2-1, and lost to Canisius, 1-0. YSU is coming off its best season in school history and returns 17 letterwinners from a 2012 squad that recorded a school-record eight victories. The Rockets have dominated the series against their intrastate opponent, 6-0-0, and have outscored the Penguins by a combined 27-2 in those six matchups. 

 

Kentucky, which hosts Eastern Kentucky on Friday before traveling to the “Glass City,” opened its regular season last weekend with a tie and a loss. The Wildcats played Utah to a 0-0 double-overtime draw and dropped a 3-1 decision at Wake Forest. UK returns nine starters from a year ago and also brings back 19 letterwinners from a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships. The Rockets and the Wildcats will be meeting for the first time.

 

Following this weekend’s action, Toledo will travel to Atlantic Coast Conference member Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 6, before entertaining West Coast Conference participant Pepperdine on Sunday, Sept. 8. The Rockets’ match against the Panthers will start at 6:00 p.m. at the Peterson Sports Complex, while the match versus the Waves will kick off at Noon at Scott Park.