INDIANAPOLIS -- Oakland was picked to finish sixth in the 2019 Horizon League women's soccer preseason poll, announced by the league office on Tuesday and voted on by the league's 10 head coaches.

"While pre-season polls are good for the media and fans, they are merely a reflection of the past and not a prediction of the future, so all we are focused on is preparing for our season-opener on Thursday," Head Coach Juan Pablo Favero said. "Our goal is to finish much higher in the standings than last year and our team is hard at work to make that a reality."

The Golden Grizzlies finished in sixth place a season ago with a 4-14-4 record, 3-3-3 in Horizon League play. Oakland made it all the way to the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship before playing to a 1-1 draw over league-favorite and ultimate champion, Milwaukee and bowing out of the tournament after a 4-2 decision in PKs.
 
Milwaukee was selected to finish in first place with eight first place votes and 90 points.
 
Oakland opens the regular season on the road on Thursday, Aug. 22 against Eastern Michigan at 5 p.m. (ET).

The Golden Grizzlies host Eastern Kentucky in their home opener Thursday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. Thursday's game against the Colonels will be broadcast on ESPN+.

"It is a long season and our non-league portion of the schedule is difficult as well so our hope is that it will help us be prepared for the league schedule when that rolls around. In the meantime, we will simply focus on one game at a time and continue to help our team grow and improve each and every day as we pursue excellence," Favero said.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Oakland Ticket Office at (248) 370-4000.

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