The University of Toledo women’s soccer team is preparing for the upcoming season and expecting improvement from last year’s 8-12-1 mark. 

The Rockets finished the season with a defeat in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, losing 1-0 to Central Michigan.

Coming off a 2011 season where UT captured the MAC regular season and tournament titles, 2012 didn’t go the way most expected with several key members returning.

This season, the Rockets will be forced to reload.

Many key players from the last couple years have moved on, most notably captain Natalia Gaitan, who was one of the best defenders in the game.

She started all four years for Toledo and competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics for her native Colombia.

Fresh faces will be counted on to step up.

“We have a lot of young players who have a lot of potential, but need to continue to work hard and stay at it,” said Brad Evans, head coach.

While many players enter 2013 with little experience, one exception is senior forward Rachel MacLeod. In three years, the 2011 MAC Offensive Player of the Year has scored 21 goals and totaled 56 points.

Evans is expecting big things from the senior and he believes that she will need to have a big season in order for the Rockets to be successful this upcoming season. 

MacLeod has shown in the past that she can score consistently, but she’ll need help from those around her. Junior midfielder Meghan Topolewski was keyed by Evans as a potential running mate and knows her importance.

“We need consistency from her this year in order to do big things,” he said.

Topolewski will be a key player to hold possession and to create plays in the middle and in the attacking position. She is respected for being a tough and gritty player amongst her teammates. 

In order for the Rockets to be back on a championship level, they’ll need to maintain health. Already three incoming freshmen are out due to injury. 

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work and we are going to need to keep grinding,” Evans said. 

Evans believes, with solid defense from his midfielders and defensive players, this may be a bright season for his squad. He wants them to work together in the back and take advantage of chances to get out in the counter attack. 

Toledo will begin the season Friday, Aug. 23, when they take on the Minnesota Gophers in the Gopher Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn. They’ll play Belmont two days later to wrap up the event.