ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies are traveling to Bowling Green State University to face the Falcons for the first time in three years on September 12, 2024 at 7 p.m. 

In their last time out Oakland suffered a 1-0 loss to Toledo, where they played a solid 90 minutes of soccer, but fell behind due to a single defensive lapse. In the game Oakland took a season-high 15 shots, 11 coming from star forward Frankie Mudd who is tied for the team lead in goals. They will face their second straight Ohio opponent in Bowling Green, who despite a dominant showing last season, lost in the first round of the MAC tournament.

The Golden Grizzlies and Falcons are historically even in head-to-head matchups as Oakland's record against Bowling Green State is 2-3-1. Oakland's last win against the Falcons was August 28, 2016 where they came out of Bowling Green with a 2-1 win. The Falcons have won each of the last three meetings with the Golden Grizzlies, including a 6-0 win in 2021.

Bowling Green is coming off a win against Horizon League foe Cleveland State where BGSU forwards Emma Stransky and Alaina Uncapher combined for two goals in the 2-0 win. Midfielder Lauren Mahoney will be the center of attention for Oakland in the upcoming game as she leads the Falcons with two goals this season. Oakland is looking to lock it down and put the pressure on Bowling Green State. 

Where Oakland has a big advantage is the play in goal as Julia Zangerl is gaining strength and confidence in goal as each game passes. The Golden Grizzlies have 25 saves this season, compared to just 15 by their opponents, while Bowling Green has only 16 saves on the season.

The team chemistry of Oakland is improving game-by-game, with the aggressiveness on offense taking steps up, shown by the amount of shots on goal increasing in nearly every game.

Catch the entertaining midweek soccer matchup on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. in Bowling Green, Oh.