HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The Oakland men's soccer team clinched a Horizon League regular-season title and hosting rights for the upcoming conference championships, as the Golden Grizzlies earned a comeback 2-1 victory at Northern Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon at NKU Soccer Stadium. 

Senior captain Noah Jensen added another monumental mark to his already impressive career at Oakland with three points on one assist and the game-winning Golden Goal in the second overtime. Kieran Hayes netted his second goal of the season on a header to even the match in the 75th minute, while goalkeeper Alessio Carbone, making his first start in 40 days, totaled a career-high nine saves. 

Both programs came into the regular-season finale with postseason implications at stake. Northern Kentucky (6-11, 4-6-0HL) needed a victory to earn a spot in the conference tournament. Meanwhile, Oakland (10-6-2, 8-1-1HL) had to win to secure a regular-season title and the top seed at the Horizon League Championship. 

The OU and NKU attacks were held in check in the opening half. The Norse had three shots on goal in the period, but Carbone garnered three saves to keep them off the scoreboard. The Golden Grizzlies rattled off seven shots, including three by leading scorer Mikey Ketteman. However, only one of the seven was on target. 

In the second half, Northern Kentucky came out firing with 10 shots in the first 29 minutes of play. Carbone saved four of the shots, while the other six were either off-target or blocked. The Norse finally broke through in the 74th minute, as Brodie Sallows delivered a strike to the back of the net, giving the host team a 1-0 advantage. 

Just a minute later, Jensen fed a free kick to Hayes, who headed the ball past the NKU goalkeeper for the equalizer. Jensen then attempted to put Oakland in front with a shot on goal at the 81-minute mark, but the strike was saved. The score remained tied for the remainder of the half, resulting in Oakland's seventh overtime of the 2021 campaign. 

In the first overtime, OU got two shots off, but neither was on goal. Meanwhile, Carbone came up big with a save in the 98th minute to keep the contest tied at one apiece. Two minutes into the second overtime, Ketteman had a shot blocked, and Jensen scored off the deflection for the Golden Goal. 

Due to winning the conference's regular-season title, Oakland will host the semifinals and title match of the Horizon League Championship from Nov. 11-13 at the Oakland Soccer Field. The Golden Grizzlies have earned a bye to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between the No. 4 UIC and No. 5 Detroit Mercy.