ROCHESTER, Mich. – Days after wrapping up their spring exhibition slate, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's soccer program continued to add to a strong 2023 recruiting class, announcing the signing of defender Noah Roka on April 12 and forward Donavan Phillip the next day.

Adding to the international flavor on Oakland's roster, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Roka hails from Vienna, Austria's capital city, and played for the U20 Trinidad & Tobago National Team in 2022.

Phillip is a native of Saint Lucia, which, like Trinidad & Tobago, is a Caribbean island nation. Since moving to the United States, he has furthered his craft at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, named after the nearby Kiskiminetas River.

Going by the nickname "Gusto," Phillip possesses good size for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds.

"My family and I have no doubt that I will receive the care, tutelage and every single tool that I need to arrive at the next phase of my dream. Oakland University, a home away from home, working to bring out the best in me," Phillip said after signing his National Letter of Intent (LOI).

With these two additions, the Golden Grizzlies' 2023 recruiting class now stands at nine members.

Joining Walled Lake Northern's Andrew Darakdjian and Saline's Christian Rossi, Phillip is the third forward Oakland has inked in the cycle, while Roka is the first defender.

The class also includes Farmers Branch, Texas goalkeeper Wyatt Appelt, a trio of in-state midfielders in Dearborn Fordson's Nour Aoude, Lake Orion's Carson Ballagh and Novi Detroit Catholic Central's Ali Jaffer and South Lyon 13-year-old Owen Moerdyke, who connected with the Golden Grizzlies via TEAM Impact.




Above - Noah Roka


Above - Donavan Phillip