ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland University Women's Soccer is set to open the 2022 season on the road in Chicago, Illinois at Wish Field against DePaul for a 5:00 p.m. E.T. start. 

Six returners from a year ago return to Oakland's roster in Carmela Barro, Sami, Lopez, Alexa Sabbagh, Noemi Stadelmann, Sophie Wilsey, and Kendra Zack. Lopez and Sabbagh were the top two goal scorers from a year ago, combining for 16 while Stadelmann goes between the pipes once more after returning 52 saves and 29 goals allowed in 2021.

As the preseason favorite in the 2022 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll, Oakland has accumulated a schedule that features stellar competition at the Oakland Soccer Field in Northwestern, Akron, and receiving votes Wake Forest in non-conference play. On the road, the Golden Grizzlies will battle with DePaul, Kent State, Toledo, Michigan State, and Western Michigan before league play begins.

Oakland finished 157th in the NCAA Women's Soccer RPI a season ago, the second-best mark of any Horizon League team. 

SCOUTING REPORT

This opens the season for both teams and serves as the only home contest in the month of August for the Blue Demons before three-straight road trips to Arkansas, UIC, and Iowa over the course of a week.

Coming off a 7-11 record, 4-6 in Big East play a year ago, DePaul garnered 31 points in the Big East Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll for a ninth-place projection with no individuals landing on the Preseason All-Big East Team. 

Five freshmen join the Blue Demons roster in addition to its 19 returners as Head Coach Michele O'Brien's enters her second-year at the helm at Wish Field. 


 

---

FAVERO CONTRACT EXTENDED
Head Coach Juan Pablo Favero's contract has been extended through the 2026 season, Oakland University announced in August.

PRESEASON NO. 1
Oakland was selected as the preseason favorite in the 2022 #HLWSOC Preseason Poll with 115 votes and five first-place votes. 

NEWCOMERS TO WATCH
Seven newcomers enter the 2022 Golden Grizzlies roster on both sides of the field including transfer Allie Tefend and freshman Anuhea Aluli from Hawaii. 

LOPEZ PLAYER TO WATCH
Midfielder Sami Lopez is one of 38 women named to an exclusive list that is the NCAA Division I Players to Watch release which included four returning All-Americans from a year ago. Lopez is the only Horizon League student-athlete mentioned. 

FOUR ON 2021 #HLWSOC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Lopez and Zak find themselves on the All-League First Team roster with Dhlamini on the Second Team List in 2021. Rounding out the honors was Sharon Sampson on the All-Freshman Team squad. 

NATIONAL TEAM - GOLDEN GRIZZLIES
Dhlamini and Sharon Sampson are two Golden Grizzlies playing on the national stage as Dhlamini's South African National Team won the 2022 WAFCON final to qualify for the Women's World Cup in 2023. Sampson made a roster spot on the U-20 "Black Princess of Ghana" National team, playing in the 2022 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Costa Rica.