ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland women's soccer team looks to continue its six-game win streak as they head to compete at NKU on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
In their last matchup, the Golden Grizzlies tied NKU 1-1 after double overtime, with the single goal coming from current player Sophie Wilsey. In their previous ten matchups, Oakland and NKU are 4-4-2, proving to be equally paired.
IMPRESSIVE OFFENSIVE SHOWING
Oakland's six goals against Green Bay is the most scored in a game since 2013 when the Golden Grizzlies defeated Youngstown State, 6-2.
Sabbagh became the first Golden Grizzly to score three goals in a game since Sydney Gagner in 2016 when she netted four in a 5-0 win against Chicago State.
GOAL GETTERS
The Golden Grizzlies boast ten goal scorers this season, led by Alexa Sabbagh and Sami Lopez with six. Macey Wierenga, Karabo Dhlamini, Ashley Postma, and Sophie Wilsey have each recorded two goals. Vera Asare, Jayna Fraser, Jackie Reilly, and Brooke Honeycutt each have a goal.
HORIZON LEAGUE LEADERS
Sabbagh has tallied 35 shots on goal, putting her at 10th in the league, and third in the league with shots on goal (21).
Sabbagh and Lopez have made their way into the top-10 in the league in goals scored, sitting sixth and seventh respectively.
Lopez has racked up 18 points on the year, placing her fifth in the Horizon League.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior, Alexa Sabbagh, earned Nike #HLWSOC Offensive Player of the Week honors after netting four goals and two assists over two games in the first week of League competition. (9/20)
Sabbagh led the Golden Grizzlies offensively in a pair of games scoring four goals and tallying 10 points to open up Horizon League play. Sabbagh recorded her first goal of the season in the 88th minute to force double overtime as Oakland opened Horizon League play with a 1-1 draw to Youngstown State on the road. Sabbagh picked up where she left off against Green Bay, netting three goals on the afternoon and two assists to guide the Golden Grizzlies to a 6-0 win over the Phoenix. Sabbagh became the first Golden Grizzly since 2016 to score three goals in a game.
Senior, Sami Lopez, earned Nike #HLWSOC Offensive Player of the Week honors after she led her team with an assist and netted one goal during a 2-1 win over IUPUI.
Lopez continued to be a force for the Golden Grizzlies' offense, tallying a goal and an assist to extend Oakland's win streak to four. Lopez struck first, giving Oakland an early 1-0 lead in the first half. With only five minutes remaining in regulation, the Sterling Heights, Mich. native was responsible for setting up the game-winner for the Golden Grizzlies, off a perfectly placed corner kick leading to the go-ahead goal. Lopez now boasts 12 points on the year, with seven coming in league play, tied for third-best in the Horizon League.
SEASON HIGHS
The Golden Grizzlies recorded 27 shots against CSU (10/7), a season-high by four shots.
PRESEASON POLL
Oakland was picked to finish third in the 2021 Horizon League women's soccer preseason poll, announced by the league office on Wednesday and voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Golden Grizzlies welcome back 10 seniors to the squad this season, bringing a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the roster, including graduate student, Ashley Postma, who returns for her fifth season.
A LOOK AT LAST YEAR
After a canceled 2020 fall season, Oakland competed in a 10-game, conference-only schedule beginning in February. The Golden Grizzlies posted a 5-3-2 record which included a four-game winning streak in the month of March. Oakland was just two of 12 Horizon League teams to play in all 10 games.
The Golden Grizzlies tallied 16 goals on the year, tied for second-most among the Horizon League. Oakland's 1.6 goals per game ties the Golden Grizzlies mark in 2013, and is the best since the 2010 season.
The Golden Grizzlies boasted an impressive eight goal scorers, tied for second-best among league foes.
Oakland racked up an impressive 26 assists, a league-best, with 12 Golden Grizzlies tallying one or more. Sami Lopez led with a season-best seven assists, second-most in the Horizon League.
Oakland allowed just .90 goals/game, the fewest in 12-plus seasons. Opponents were only able to find the back of the net nine times, the fourth-fewest in conference play.
ALL LEAGUE HONORS
The Oakland women's soccer team had three student-athletes garner All-Horizon League honors as voted on the by league's head coaches. Sami Lopez and Kendra Zak earned first team honors while Emily Penney was a Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection, marking the first time since the 2016 season Oakland has had a student-athlete represented on the first team, and the first time since 2015 two student-athletes have been recognized as first team honorees.
UNITED SOCCER COACHES HONORS
Zak earned 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-Region second team honors, while Lopez and Postma earned third-team honors announced by the national office in May.
Zak earned 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Third Team honors, becoming the first to accomplish this feat in program history. Zak was also named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Scholar All-Region team in addition to All-North Region Second Team honoree.
