Nov. 7, 2009
Box Score
MACOMB, Ill. - The Oakland University men's soccer team (9-4-3, 5-0-1 Summit League) registered an undefeated record in Summit League play for the second time in three seasons and sophomore goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt notched his league-leading seventh shutout as the Golden Grizzlies closed out the regular season with a 0-0 tie against Western Illinois University (6-9-2, 3-2-1 Summit League) Saturday afternoon at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.
"The team battled hard to get a result against a solid Western Illinois team," said head coach Eric Pogue. "We were able to rest some guys and be careful with a few of our players with cards."
The Golden Grizzlies had two shots on goal in the first half, both courtesy of sophomore Daiki Mori, but neither were able to connect with the back of the net.
Oakland had two more chances to get on the board in the second half from sophomores Jonathan Evans and Jeff Cheslik, but both were thwarted by WIU goalkeeper Stephen Paterson. The Golden Grizzlies then had a close call when Western Illinois' Nathan Sanchez had a breakaway opportunity with just 20 seconds remaining in the second half, but Hildebrandt smothered the ball to preserve the tie and send the match into overtime.
The first overtime saw Paterson being awarded a penalty kick in the 94th minute after an Oakland foul in the box, but Hildebrandt was able come up with a big save. The match then went into a second overtime, where neither team was able to shut down the other's defenses, thus ending the match in a scoreless tie.
While the Fighting Leathernecks outshot the Golden Grizzlies 18-13, OU had more corner kick opportunities with nine compared to WIU's four. Oakland also committed more fouls, 19-16 and Hildebrandt made six saves in net.
With the tie, Oakland goes undefeated in Summit League play for the second time in school history with a 5-0-1 record. In 2007, OU matched that record and advanced all the way to the second round of the NCAA College Cup, where they fell to No. 10 Notre Dame by a 2-1 decision.
"I'm proud of the team for being unbeaten in league play," said Pogue. "That is a tough task in any conference and just goes to show what hard work and dedication can achieve."
With the regular season in the books, the Golden Grizzlies will play host to The Summit League Tournament on Friday, Nov. 13 and Sunday, Nov. 15 at the OU Soccer Field. All games can be followed via Gametracker at www.ougrizzlies.com.
"We will work extremely hard this week for whoever we draw in the semis of the league tournament, as we realize that we haven't achieved all of our goals yet," said Pogue."
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