ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies begin their 2025 campaign with a two-game road trip to Illinois, taking on Loyola Chicago and DePaul in the first week of action.
Oakland opens the season with four straight matches away from home, starting with key tests against the Ramblers and Blue Demons, two teams the squad played closely in 2024.
With a wide array of returning players across the field, the Golden Grizzlies are aiming for a third straight regular-season conference championship and a third consecutive trip to the Horizon League championship game.
In the midfield and attack,
Abdul Al-Rashed, who earned All-League Second Team honors in 2024, returns as the team's leading scorer. Forward
Andriy Bilous joins the front line and, with his size at the position, looks to make a jump after scoring two goals last season. Senior
Marco Mazzei impressed with his technical skills in the trio of exhibition matches, while Detroit Mercy transfer
Tim Allos showed another layer of scoring potential. Team captain Gabe Baylon also returns after missing much of 2024 with an injury.
On the back line, Oakland brings back nearly its entire defensive unit, with two-time All-League defender
Jace Foster,
Malik Sylvester,
Noah Roka and
Jayden Pinheiro forming a star-studded rotation of versatile defenders who are also threats to put points on the board.
THURSDAY, AUG. 21 – at Loyola Chicago | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+
The Golden Grizzlies and Ramblers meet for the third straight season to open the year. In 2024, Oakland prevailed 2-1 at home. The all-time series is tied at 3-3, but Oakland has won two of the last three meetings.
Loyola looks to rebound from a rocky 2024 season, finishing 5-9-2 overall and 3-4-1 in A-10 play, missing the conference tournament. The Ramblers return leading scorer Hugo Urdiales, who netted six goals last season.
Statistically, the teams matched up evenly a year ago, with Oakland holding slight advantages in goals (25 to 24) and shots on goal (83 to 81).
SUNDAY, AUG. 24 – at DePaul | 1:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Oakland closes the week with another rematch against a 2024 opponent, facing the Blue Demons. In October, the Golden Grizzlies fell 3-1 in their last trip to DePaul, with Bilous scoring Oakland's lone goal. Despite the loss, Oakland recorded only two fewer total shots and shots on goal than DePaul.
Historically, Oakland has struggled against the Blue Demons, going just 1-5 all-time while riding a four-game losing streak in the series.
DePaul finished 2024 with a 6-8-3 record, falling in the first round of the Big East Tournament. With just a 2-4-2 home mark, the Blue Demons showed vulnerability at home — something Oakland will look to exploit in its push for an early road win.
