ROCHESTER, Mich. – Playing five seasons for the Golden Grizzlies from 2017-21, midfielder Noah Jensen racked up a Horizon League Player of the Year Award, a Conference Tournament MVP, and a total of four All-League selections, making him easily one of Oakland's best players since the University made the jump to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level a quarter century ago.

Fifth on the program's all-time list with 38 career assists, 14 of which came in his final year, Jensen also enjoyed great team success during his time as a Golden Grizzly, finishing in the top-3 of the Horizon League regular season standings in each of his final four seasons, culminating in a 2021 campaign in which the program won both the regular season and conference tournament crowns, Oakland's first Horizon League Tournament championship in six years.

These winning ways have continued for Jensen at the professional level, as he and his Forge Football Club (Forge FC) teammates captured the 2022 Canadian Premier League title on October 30 by topping Atletico Ottawa, 2-0.

A native Canadian, Forge FC plays in Jensen's home Province of Ontario making it a natural connection for him to continue his career here. However, the story of how his February 2022 signing with the organization came to be was not without some surprises.

"Going up to the MLS Draft, myself and my agent, we were both under full expectation that I was going to get taken in the draft, it was just kind of depending on who," he shared.

"And then, a couple of days before, we found out from the MLS Offices that they weren't going to let players who came back for their COVID season be eligible for the MLS Draft. At that moment, it was kind of tough to handle and digest, but after that, as soon as the good coaching staff I knew at Forge found out about this, they kind of saw it as an opportunity because their preseason was starting a bit earlier in January and I was able to go in there and train.

"They said, at first, just come train with us, see if you like it, and see how it goes. From the first day, I really enjoyed it here. I really enjoyed the club, the group, the coaches, and I think it was a great fit for me going in and kind of a blessing in disguise that I was even able to come to a club like this. To finish the season on a championship, I really don't think it could have gone any better."

Launched in 2019, Forge FC has been the most successful club in the four-year history of the Canadian Premier League, advancing to the final match in every season and claiming three championships. Able to quickly integrate himself into this success as a rookie, Jensen began the 2022 campaign as a substitute but moved into the starting lineup on September 18 following an injury to Kyle Bekker and remained there for the remainder of the year, including during the team's postseason run.

Despite the impressive list of accomplishments he has accumulated in his young career, the 23-year-old Jensen is no stranger to working his way up and proving himself. Joining the Golden Grizzlies after the February 2017 signing day, Oakland was actually his only NCAA Division I scholarship offer out of high school and he immediately showed the coaching staff had made a wise decision by earning a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team that fall.

As Jensen shared, these lessons learned during his time with the Golden Grizzlies helped prepare him to hit the ground running and contribute right away at the professional level.

"I didn't go on my unofficial visit until April or May of my senior year of high school, so I definitely left it a little late in the recruiting process," he began. "But I knew regardless of where I went, I knew the type of player I was, that I had some quality, and I was going to be able to go in somewhere and make a difference.

"That was the beautiful part about Oakland. Coming in, I think Coach (Eric) Pogue and the other coaching staff there, they saw my talent and they also saw my ambition to continue playing after college and they gave me a platform to kind of show everyone what I was all about. Kind of an overlooked guy coming out of high school, but for four years, I think I kind of proved everyone wrong in a way, and it wouldn't have been possible without the belief of Coach Pogue and Coach (Paul) Doroh behind me.

"That really set me up to play the game at the professional level and I think the lessons that I kind of learned going into University, having to prove myself, have been ones that I've held onto going into the professional level and ones I've used this year, for sure."

In his 14^th season as the head coach and 21^st with the program, Pogue has overseen nearly all of the Golden Grizzlies' Division I success, guiding Oakland to four NCAA Tournament appearances and a quartet of regular-season league titles.

Always up to date on what his alumni do after their Golden Grizzly careers come to a close, the coach thinks Jensen is just scratching the surface at the next level.

"We are very proud of all Noah's accomplishments as a professional in his rookie season with Forge FC," Pogue said. "Winning a CPL championship and starting in the middle of the midfield in the championship game is quite an accomplishment.

"Noah is a winner and he has proven it at all levels. He has a very bright future at the professional level and I think the international level for Canada is soon to come for such a talented young player."

Hoping to rediscover some of the postseason magic they had during Jensen's final season in 2021, Pogue and the 2022 Golden Grizzlies will begin Horizon League Tournament play on Sunday, November 6 by squaring off with the Robert Morris Colonials in a 1 p.m. quarterfinal at the Oakland Soccer Field.