Sept. 1, 2009
Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Freshman Johnny Dreshaj notched the game winning goal in the 74th minute, as the Oakland University men's soccer team (1-0-0) defeated UAB (0-1-1) in their season opener by a score of 1-0 Tuesday evening at West Campus Field.
"I was very happy with the effort of the entire team," said head coach Eric Pogue. "We came in with a game plan against a really good UAB team. We defended well with a very young starting lineup and I honestly can't single any player out. Everybody played well."
After a 0-0 stalemate in the first half, the Golden Grizzlies struck at the 74:09 mark after junior Makesi Lewis fired a shot at UAB goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski and was credited for the assist when Dreshaj picked up the shot off the rebound to make the score 1-0.
Redshirted sophomore Mitch Hildebrandt registered his first shutout of the season and made four saves for the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland notched eight shots on goal during the contest.
"I think today's match showed that if we work hard and defend well, we will have a lot of opportunities to succeed," said Pogue. "We came into the contest with a game plan and as a result, got a great start to the season."
The Golden Grizzlies will look to add a second `W' to the win column when they travel to SIU-Edwardsville on Friday, Sept. 4 for an 8 p.m. tilt. The match can be followed on Gametracker at www.ougizzlies.com.
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