FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Golden Grizzlies suffered a 1-3 loss at the hands of the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (PFW) on Saturday, falling in their first conference game of the season.

The first half opened with Oakland facing early pressure, as Shane Anderson scored just three minutes into the match for Purdue Fort Wayne. PFW would add another goal to their tally before the end of the first half as Iann Topete snuck a ball past Oakland's Cole Thompson in goal, making Oakland's deficit 2-0 going into halftime.

Despite falling behind, Oakland's offense showed signs of promise with Marco Mazzei and Noah Roka each registering shots in the opening half, with Roka's shot nearly finding gold as it hit the crossbar.

The second half saw Oakland's Malik Sylvester cut the deficit in half with a 52nd minute goal assisted by  Marco Mazzei, bringing the score to 2-1. Despite Oakland's momentum, PFW responded with another goal by Topete in the 68th minute, assisted by Marcos Soria and Anderson, to extend their lead to 3-1.

Thompson made crucial saves in the 75th and 80th minutes, bringing his tally to four on the game, but the team could not further close the gap, resulting in a 1-3 loss for Oakland.

Sylvester scored his first goal of the season on his only shot. Mazzei added one assist and recorded a shot on goal. Tim Allos led the team with three shots, one of which was on goal.

Despite the loss, Oakland had a solid offensive showing, tying PFW in total shots at nine. The Mastodons won the battle of accuracy, putting seven shots to four by Oakland.

The next challenge for Oakland takes them on the road to Cleveland, Oh., where they will face Cleveland State University on September 20 at 7 p.m.