ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland men's soccer team heads to Kalamazoo, Mich. for its third consecutive road game with a non-conference tilt at Western Michigan on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live from the WMU Soccer Complex on ESPN+.

MATCH UP HISTORY VS THE BRONCOS
Oakland is 11-4 over the last 15 matches against Western Michigan dating back to 1999. However, the Broncos have won the last three meetings with the last coming during the 2019 season. WMU enters the match with a 2-4-4 overall record and 0-1-0 mark in Mid-American Conference play.
 
NOTES:
 
LAST TIME OUT - METRO SERIES UNBEATEN STREAK CONTINUES:
Oakland is a perfect 5-0-3 all-time against the Detroit Mercy since the inception of the Metro Series in 2014 and 12-3-7 over the last 22 matches.
 
Metro Series All-Time Results:
2021: T Oakland 2 at Detroit Mercy 2 (2OT)
2020-21: W - Oakland 3 vs Detroit Mercy 1
2019: T - Oakland 1 vs Detroit Mercy 1 (2OT)
2018: W - Oakland 1 at Detroit Mercy 0
2017: T - Oakland 0 vs Detroit Mercy 0 (2OT)
2016: W - Oakland 2 at Detroit Mercy 1
2015: W - Oakland 2 vs Detroit Mercy 0
2014: W - Oakland 2 at Detroit Mercy 1 (OT)
 
2019 Season Rewind:
Oakland 2 vs Western Michigan 3 (10/9/19):
Mikey Ketteman and Carson Debison-Larabie each scored late second-half goals sparking a rally that came up short as Oakland (5-4-2) fell, 3-2, to visiting Western Michigan (7-4).
 
JENSEN AND BORCZAK NAMED 2021 SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATES:
Noah Jensen and Dylan Borczak were two of 30 national men's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field selected as candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award®.  To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate-student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
 
NEW GUY UP TOP: Since moving to forward in place of Charlie Braithwaite who moved to defense, Mikey Ketteman leads the team in goals (6) and points (13) which rank first and fourth respectively in the league. Ketteman has scored goals in five of Oakland's nine total matches.
 
OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION:
Dylan Borczak ranks second on the team goals (2) and points (6) which also ranks ninth in the league, and third in assists (2). Braithwaite also ranks second on the team in goals (2) after moving from forward to defender earlier this season. Ville Ahola is second on the team in assists (3) and scored the game-winning goal against Purdue Fort Wayne (9/11).
 
ASSIST MACHINE: Noah Jensen currently leads the team and ranks second in the Horizon League in assists (4) and also ranks second on the team and ninth in the league in points (6) with his first goal of the season at DePaul (9/18). He completed the hat trick with assists on all of Oakland's three goals against Purdue Fort Wayne (9/11). Last season, Jensen led the nation last year with 14 assists.
 
HAYES ON THE BOARD:
Kieran Hayes recorded his first career goal against Robert Morris (9/29) from his defensive position.
 
SPROAT STEPS UP:
Reid Sproat scored his second career goal in Oakland's 2-2 double-overtime draw at Detroit (10/2).
 
FINN FOR THE WIN:
Finn Jurak picked up the shutout and win in his first start of the season in Oakland 4-0 win over Robert Morris (9/29).
 
CLEAN SHEET CARBONE: Freshman goal keeper Alessio Carbone recorded a shutout in back-to-back games against Purdue Fort Wayne and Dayton. He also notched his first career clean sheet in a double-overtime scoreless draw at Butler. His three shutouts rank second in the league.
 
SEASON REWIND:
Sept. 29 – Oakland 4 at Robert Morris 0:
Dylan Borczak scored his second goal of the season and added an assist, Kieran Hayes recorded his first career goal while Mikey Ketteman and Charlie Braithwaite each added a tally each as Oakland rolled past Robert Morris 4-0 (9/29). Mohammad Jamal Issa added his second assist on the season while Finn Jurak picked up the shutout in his first start of the season. The Golden Grizzlies have now outscored the Colonials 14-1 over the last three matches.
 
Sept. 25 – Oakland 0 vs UIC 2:
Dylan Borczak recorded four of Oakland's six shots on goal but none found the back of the net as the Golden Grizzlies fell 2-0 to visiting UIC in Horizon League action on Saturday at the OU Soccer Field. Alessio Carbone made a season and career-best six saves in goal.
 
Sept. 18 – Oakland 1 at DePaul 3:
Noah Jensen scored his first goal of the season off Adam McAleenan's first assist on the year but it was not enough as Oakland saw its two-game win streak snapped with a 3-1 setback at DePaul at Wish Field.
 
Sept. 15 – Oakland 3 vs Dayton 0:
Mikey Ketteman scored two goals, Charlie Braithwaite posted his first goal of the season while Noah Jensen added three assists as Oakland won its second straight match with a 3-0 shutout over visiting Dayton on Wednesday at the Oakland Soccer Field. Ville Ahola also added a pair of first assists on both of Ketteman's goals. Alessio Carbone posted his second straight clean sheet.
 
Sept. 11 – Oakland 2 vs Purdue Fort Wayne 0:
Ville Ahola scored his first goal of the season followed by Mikey Ketteman's second tally of the year to lead Oakland to its first win of the season with a 2-0 mark over visiting Purdue Fort Wayne to open Horizon League play on Saturday afternoon.  Alessio Carbone picked up his second shutout of the season and first career win making two saves on 11 shots faced while Noah Jensen added his first assist on Alhola's game-winner.
 
Sept. 3 – Oakland 1 at Michigan State 3:
Ketteman scored his first goal of the season while Borczak recorded his second assist as Oakland got off to a quick start but was unable to hold on as the Golden Grizzlies fell 3-1 at Michigan State.
 
Aug. 29 - Oakland 1 vs Michigan 2 (2OT):
Dylan Borczak scored his first goal of the season as Oakland dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to visiting Michigan as the Wolverines scored the game-winning golden goal with under three seconds left in double-overtime.
 
After Borczak's goal came in the 15th minute, it looked like the Golden Grizzles were going to take the lead into halftime but Michigan connected on a long shot for the equalizing goal with just three seconds left in the half tying the game at 1-1.
 
The game remained tied deep into the second overtime as Michigan set up for a corner kick with under 10 seconds left in the game. As the cross came in, U-M's Declan Gaffney connected on a header that Alessio Carbone saved pushing the ball away from the near post. However, the loose ball went right to Marc Ybarra who was able to score off a header for the game-winning golden goal with under three seconds left in the match giving the Wolverines a 2-1 win.
 
FIRST CAREER SHUTOUT FOR CARBONE:
Aug. 26 - Oakland 0 at Butler 0 (2OT):
Alessio Carbone made the most of his first career collegiate start in goal as the freshman recorded a shutout making three saves off 15 shots faced helping Oakland play Butler to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Thursday night at the Sellick Bowl to open the 2021 Fall season. Both teams stood tall on set pieces defensively as they combined for 27 corner kicks with Butler holding an 18-9 advantage.
 
2021 FALL HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL:
For the second consecutive season, Oakland was picked to finish first atop the Fall 2021 Horizon League Men's Soccer Preseason Poll announced by the league office and voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. The Golden Grizzlies secured 113 points and seven first place votes. Prior to the COVID-19 shortened Spring 2021 season, Oakland was selected to finish in a first-place tie along with UIC.
 
JENSEN AND BORCZAK NAMED TO UNITED SOCCER COACHES 2021 MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST:
Oakland men's soccer student-athletes Noah Jensen and Dylan Borczak were two of 44 national men's soccer players named to the United Soccer Coaches 2021 Men's Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List announced by the national office on Thursday, AUG. 26.  After his historic 2020-21 campaign, Jensen was selected as one of 15 men's soccer national semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy which the highest individual award presented to a player in intercollegiate soccer.
 
The Hermann Trophy, presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club, is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the nation's National Player of the Year. Division I coaches who are members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services program vote for the award.
 
THE TEAM:
The 2021 Fall season marks the 49th year of the men's soccer program
Head Coach Eric Pogue is in 13th season and 21st overall with the program
 
RETURNING FIRE POWER:
The Golden Grizzlies have 23 returners including all six student-athletes who garnered All-Horizon League honors last season in three-time team captain Noah Jensen, Dylan Borczak, Charlie Braithwaite, Dawsun Schrum, Reid Sproat and Jaiden Ramsay-Kelly. Jensen was named Player of the Year and earned first team honors while Borczak was named Offensive Player of the Year and also earned first team honors along with Braithwaite. Schrum and Sproat garnered second team honors while Ramsay-Kelly was named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR:
The 2021 roster also includes 15 international players representing 10 different countries: Australia (2-Kieran Hayes, Finn Jurak) Canada (5 – Alessio Carbone, Robbie Cleary, Kai Garvey, Noah Jensen, Sebastian Nuzzo, Jaiden Ramsay-Kelly), England (1-Charlie Braithwaite), Finland (1-Ville Ahola), France (1-Arthur Widiez), Japan (1-Taiga Shiokawa), Jordan (1-Mohammad Issa), Mexico (1-Gabriel Baylon), New Zealand (1-Owen Smith), Northern Ireland (1-Adam McAleenan).
 
NEWCOMERS:
Oakland has a diverse group of five newcomers in goalkeepers Alessio Carbone and Michael Sly Jr., forwards Kai Garvey and Zach Townsend, and midfielder Robbie Cleary who will look to make an immediate impact.
 
EXHIBITION RECAP:
Aug. 20 - Oakland 2, Davenport 2:
Noah Jensen scored a goal and added an assist, Kieran Hayes added a goal while Ville Ahola posted an assist. Oakland was able to cash in off a corner kick set piece as Jensen served the ball in and connected with Hayes who made a run inside the box to put a volley past Davenport goalkeeper Markus Sundin tying the game at 1-1 in the 51st minute. For the game, the Golden Grizzlies held a 10-2 advantage in corner kick opportunities.
 
Aug. 15. - Oakland 3, Lawrence Tech 2:
The Golden Grizzlies kicked off the 2021 Fall season with a 3-2 exhibition win over Lawrence Tech last Sunday. Noah Jensen, Dylan Borczak and Mikey Ketteman each scored goals while Ville Ahola, Charlie Braithwaite and Owen Smith added an assist.
 
2021 SPRING SEASON RECAP:
Due to COVID-19 protocols, the 2020 Fall season was moved to 2021 Spring consisting of a Horizon League conference-only schedule. The Golden Grizzlies finished with a 6-1-2 overall record and perfect 5-0 mark at the Grizz Dome to earn the No. 2 seed and was set to host No. 3 seed UIC in the Horizon League Championship semifinal. However, the Golden Grizzlies were unable to play due to COVID-19 concerns within the program effectively ending the season.
 
TOPS IN THE NATION AND IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE:
Last season, Oakland led the Horizon League and ranked in the top-10 nationally in assists (38 – 4th nationally), assists per game (3.88 – 1st nationally), points (90 – 10th nationally), points per game (10.00 – 1st nationally), scoring offense (2.89 – 2nd nationally) and goals (26 – 19th nationally).
 
JENSEN RETURNS AFTER HISTORIC SEASON:
Jensen, a three-time team captain at midfield and Courtice, Ontario, Canada native, returns after having one of the most successful seasons in program history. He became the first men's soccer student-athlete in program history to earn United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's All-America second team honors in the Division I era after leading the nation in assists (14) and assists per game (1.56). Jensen also ranked seventh in the nation while leading the Horizon League in points (22), second in the country in points per game (2.44) and third on the team in goals (4) with three coming off penalty kicks.
 
Additionally, Jensen was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region first team and was named one of 15 men's soccer national semifinalists for the United Soccer Coaches Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy, the highest individual award presented to a player in intercollegiate soccer. He also was named 2021 Horizon League Player of the Year and earned All-Horizon League first team honors.
 
Academically, Jensen earned 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches Men's NCAA Division I Scholar All-America first team honors after earning a 3.70 overall GPA and perfect 4.00 GPA last semester while majoring in Actuarial Science. He also garnered 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's Scholar All-Region honors while garnering Horizon League All-Academic Team honors for the second time in his career.
 
BORCZAK IS BACK:
Borczak was named Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year and earned first team honors for the second consecutive season after ranking 23rd in the nation and third in the league in points (18) while ranking 20th in the country and second in the league in goals (7) and sixth in the country in points per game (2.00) at midfield for the Golden Grizzlies. He was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region first team.
 
The Detroit, Mich. native also knotted three first-half goals to complete the hat trick while adding an assist for a total of seven points to lead Oakland to a dominating 5-0 win over visiting Robert Morris (2/4). For his efforts against RMU, Borczak earned three national Player of the Week honors and four overall. He earned United Soccer Coaches College Player of the Week honors (2/9) and TopDrawerSoccer.com Men's DI Player of the Week accolades and was one of 11 student-athletes named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Men's DI Team of the Week (2/9). Borczak also earned College Soccer News Men's National Player of the Week honors and was one of 12 student-athletes named to the College Soccer News Men's National Team of the Week (2/8) in addition to being named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week (2/5). He was also named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week (3/6) for the second time after accounting for five points scoring two goals while assisting on the game-winning goal to lead Oakland to a 3-1 Metro Series win over arch-rival Detroit Mercy (3/5).
 
BRAITHWAITE LED THE CHARGE UP FRONT:
Forward Charlie Braithwaite was an All-Horizon League first team selection and named to the 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's North Region first team. The Doncaster, England native ranked third in the league, second on the team and 36th in the nation in goals (6) and third on the team and eighth in the league in points (13). He scored a goal in 6-of-9 matches including one in each of the last five consecutive games including the game-winning goal to led Oakland to a 3-1 Metro Series win over arch-rival Detroit Mercy (3/5). Braithwaite added his second game-winner to help Oakland to its first road win of the season with a dominating 4-0 performance over Green Bay to secure the No. 2 seed in the #HLMSOC Championship.
 
SCHRUM LOOKS TO CONTINUE AFTER BREAKOUT SEASON:
Midfielder Dawsun Schrum was named to the 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's North Region second team and earned All-Horizon League second team honors ranking ninth in the nation and third in the league in assist (7) and third in the country in assists per game (.78). He also ranked 43rd in the nation and fourth in the league in points (15) and tied for third on the team in goals (4). Schrum was named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week (4/7) for the second time after scoring his fourth goal of the season while adding first assists on two goals for a total of four points leading Oakland to its first road win of the season with a dominating 4-0 performance over Green Bay (4/5) to secure the No. 2 seed in the #HLMSOC Championship. He also was named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week (3/19) after posting three goals with two assists totaling 11 points helping Oakland to a pair of wins over Milwaukee (3/12) and Cleveland State (3/18).
 
Schrum had a hand in all of Oakland's four goals scoring two while assisting on the other two accounting for six total points in the Golden Grizzlies' thrilling 4-3 win over Milwaukee. For his efforts, he was one of 12 student-athletes named to the College Soccer News Men's National Team of the Week (ending Mar. 14) and was a TopDrawerSoccer.com Men's DI Team of the Week Honorable Mention (Mar. 15). He also recorded a goal for the second consecutive game in Oakland's 3-2 win over CSU helping the Golden Grizzlies finish the regular season home league schedule a perfect 5-0 at the Grizz Dome and was also named the United Wholesale Mortgage Student-Athlete of the Week.
 
JURAK IS THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE:
Goalkeeper Finn Jurak started in seven games in net posting a 5-1-1 record with 21 saves while anchoring the back line to a pair of shut outs over Robert Morris (2/4) and Green Bay (4/5). He was named to the 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men's North Region second team. Jurak was selected Nike® Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week (4/7) for the second time after recording his second shutout of the season making four saves leading Oakland to its first road win of the season with a dominating 4-0 performance over Green Bay to secure the No. 2 seed in the #HLMSOC Championship. He earned Player of the Week honors for the first time (2/19) after picking up his second win of the season making two saves, including a crucial one off a penalty kick, helping Oakland to a 2-1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne (2/16). He also came up big late in the match during the 77th minute as he saved a penalty kick off PFW's Logan Lee keeping the Mastodons off the board and preserving Oakland's 2-0 lead.
 
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