DETROIT, Mich. - Oakland suffered their first loss of the conference schedule as they fell 1-0 to Detroit Mercy on Saturday at Titan Field. The Golden Grizzlies finished with 19 shots, including 15 in the second half, while putting five on goal.
The Titans put Oakland behind 1-0 in the 7th minute, scoring on Johnny Strickler's goal off John Palomino's assist after
Gabe Gjokaj had taken an Oakland shot moments earlier. Oakland answered with immediate pressure, including
Noah Roka's shot off the top woodwork in the 8th minute, while
Cole Thompson kept the deficit at one with saves in the 9th, 33rd and 44th minutes. The Golden Grizzlies also generated later first-half chances through
Cal Kurzawa and
Andriy Bilous, and earned a corner kick in the 37th minute. The Titans finished the half with the edge in shots, but Oakland limited the damage after the early goal and went into halftime trailing 1-0.
Oakland generated the larger share of second-half chances while chasing a 1-0 deficit, finishing the half with 15 shots and five corner kicks to the Titans' seven shots and one corner.
Kinan Abdulrazzak,
Julian Kanzler and
Ethan Clarke-Rootham had early looks after halftime, while
Cole Thompson made a save on the Titans' chance in the 53rd minute.
Gabe Gjokaj hit the right woodwork in the 61st minute during an Oakland stretch that also included attempts from Clarke-Rootham, Gjokaj and Abdulrazzak, before the Titans forced Thompson into another save and had a follow-up stopped by a team save around the 70th minute. Oakland pressed late while trailing, generating five shots and three corners from the 80th minute through the 90th minute. The push included Christopher Jean Leger's saved shot in the 76th minute, three corners between the 82nd and 84th minutes, a saved Clarke-Rootham attempt and late shots from
Andriy Bilous and Kurzawa, but the Titans closed out the 1-0 final.
The Golden Grizzlies finished with 19 shots, including 15 in the second half, while putting five on goal.
Cole Thompson made six saves over 90 minutes in goal.
Gabe Gjokaj led Oakland with five shots. Clarke-Rootham added three shots and put two on goal.
Up next, the Oakland soccer team hosts Bowling Green on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Oakland Soccer Field in Rochester, Mich.
