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UNLEASH THE GRIZZ

Oakland University Athletics

Scoreboard

Zach Townsend
2
Winner Oakland OAK (5-6-2, 3-1-2)
1
Wright St. WSU (5-7-2, 2-3-1)
Winner
Oakland OAK
(5-6-2, 3-1-2)
2
Final
1
Wright St. WSU
(5-7-2, 2-3-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Oakland OAK 1 1 2
Wright St. WSU 0 1 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Jordan Nelson

Townsend Goal Lifts Men's Soccer to Victory at Wright State

DAYTON, Oh. - The Golden Grizzlies earn their second straight win, and hand the Raiders their fourth straight loss, as they best Wright State 2-1 on the road in a big late-season match.

The two teams who have been known for their offensive aggression and volume, began the game very measured and cautious, with no shots coming in the opening 11 minutes of the match as the two defenses stood tall.

The Golden Grizzlies controlled possession in the early going, forcing the Wright State defense to spread out and continue to shift, and even with no shots for the squad to start, they set the pace of the match.

Oakland saw their first quality look on goal in the 29th minute as Abdul Al-Rashed crafted his way around the Raiders defense for a shot that was ultimately stopped in the bottom right corner by Wright State goalkeeper Joel Shaw.

The Raiders responded quickly, and in the same minute as Al-Rashed's attempt they sped past the Oakland defense where Uleto Fuentes earned a one-on-one opportunity with keeper Alex Flowers, where Flowers came up with an excellent piece of goalkeeping, blocking Fuentes' line of site and forcing him into an errand shot.

With the pace of the game now in an uptempo swing, Oakland struck gold as the man of the half for the Golden Grizzlies, Al-Rashed, took a pass from Andrew Darakdjian and sent a left footer past Shaw for the go-ahead goal as Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute.

The goal from Al-Rashed marked his third on the season, tying him for the team lead (3), joining Jck Komparens and Lejs Plicanic. Meanwhile Darakdjian earned hos team-high third assist on the season.

The one goal was enough to keep Oakland in the lead at the end of the first 45 minutes. At the half the Golden Grizzlies had the advantage in shots (5-to-4) and shots on goal (2-to-0), while having complete control of the match.

With the game in Oakland's favor to start the second half, the Raiders quickly shifted the momentum in the 48th minute as Brian Burkett lined up a free kick outside and to the right of the Golden Grizzlies box, where he would find Brock Pickett for a header equalizer.

Both teams looking for a go-ahead chance, Oakland nearly retook the lead in the 60th minute as Zach Townsend sent a ball on fire in for a shot, but it bent just outside the right post as the game stayed even, but with the Golden Grizzlies still on the prowl.

Zach Townsend delivered the long-awaited next score in the 68th minute mark as Carson Ballagh sent a perfectly placed free kick cross into the box for a Townsend header goal.

The go-ahead score earned the defender from Oxford his first goal of the season in what couldn't have been a better moment as the Golden Grizzlies went up 2-1 with just over 20 minutes remaining.

Oakland would control possession for the final portion of the game, securing a huge 2-1 win on the road.

The Golden Grizzlies finished the game with a 12-to-10 shot advantage, with five shots on goal to Write State's two. 

Oakland, now with 11 points in terms of conference standings, sitting in first place, even if only a few hours, as they await a highly-anticipated game tomorrow between the two top teams in Robert Morris and Green Bay tomorrow, that will further shape the league standings with three games remaining in the regular season.
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