ROCHESTER, Mich. - As the No. 2 seed, Oakland earned a bye from the quarterfinals this past weekend and will take on NKU in the semifinals of the #HLWSOC Championship on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. CT.
Oakland will be the home team in the afternoon game hosted by UWM at Engelmann Stadium. Fans can follow along on ESPN+ or livestats.
In their last ten matchups, Oakland and NKU have a competitive 4-4-2 record.
The Golden Grizzlies last faced NKU on Oct. 14, walking away with a 3-0 shutout by goalkeeper Noëmi Stadelmann. Leading goal scorer for Oakland, Sami Lopez, tallied two goals with another added by Jayna Fraser. NKU finished their season 7-4, with losses against Youngstown, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Oakland.
Oakland is 9-1-1 and had an impressive eight-game winning streak during the season. The team now boasts back-to-back winning seasons and finished tied with the 2015 season for their highest finish in the Horizon League. With 12 different goal scorers this season, the Golden Grizzlies earned the most points and their best winning percentage since joining the Horizon League.
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 12 goal scorers this season, led by Sami Lopez with nine and Alexa Sabbagh with seven. Karabo Dhlamini has three, while Macey Wierenga, Ashley Postma, Sophie Wilsey, Vera Asare, and Jayna Fraser, have each recorded two goals. Jackie Reilly, Sharon Sampson, Jessica Sheers, and Brooke Honeycutt each have a goal.
HORIZON LEAGUE LEADERS
Lopez and Sabbagh have spots on many of the leaderboards this week. Lopez is ranked second in goals (9), third in points (24), fourth in assists (6), and fifth in shots on goal (21). Sabbagh is ranked fourth in shots on goal (24) fifth in goals (7), sixth in game-winning goals (3), and seventh in points (18).
Wilsey is ranked eighth in game-winning goals (2), while Ashley Postma is ranked ninth in assists (5).
Goalkeeper, Noëmi Stadelmann is ranked fifth in shutouts per game (4) and sixth in goals-against average (1.397).
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
Oakland had five players earn all-league honors this as announced by the league last week. For their second consecutive years, Sami Lopez and Kendra Zak earned All-League first team honors while Alexa Sabbagh and Karabo Dhlamini earned All-League second-team honors, and Sharon Sampson was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
Lopez is one of four players to start in all 19 games played, totaling 1,400 minutes. The senior finished first in the league in points (19), first in points per game (1.73), tied for first in goals (7), and second in assists (5). Lopez ranked 50th Nationally in total points and 61st in goals, along with ranking 80th Nationally and second in the conference in points per game. After leading her team to a 2-1 win against IUPUI with one goal and an assist, Lopez was named the Nike #HLWSOC Offensive Player of the Week.
Zak also started in all 19 games Oakland played, totaling 1,671 minutes. The senior assisted the defense in earning their impressive 1.5 goals-against-average, and her strong defensive presence helped Oakland reach five shutouts. She also assisted a goal in the 2-1 win over IUPUI.
Sabbagh was named to the All-League second team and started in all 19 games played as well. The senior finished tied for first in the league for goals (7), second in points (18), second in assists (5), and third in shots (34). Sabbagh had an impressive hat-trick against Green Bay, the first Golden Grizzly since 2016 to score three goals in a game. She 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. Sabbagh was also named to the All-League Second team in 2019.
Dhlamini was named to the All-League second team after starting in 16 games during her first season in the league, totaling 1,369 minutes. Her impressive availability to control the midfield and defense is unmatched and was a crucial part of maintaining Oakland's long, eight-game win streak during the season. In the 3-1 victory against Wright State, Dhlamini assisted the game-winning goal before adding her own goal to the scoreboard. Dhlamini finished the regular season with three goals and 25 shots.
Sampson was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team after showing her potential and talent throughout the season. The freshman played in 16 games, totaling over 400 minutes. Sampson had an impressive game-winning goal in the 3-1 victory against Wright-State.
In Spring 2021, 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.
