ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies begin conference play with back-to-back home matches this week, welcoming Cleveland State and Northern Illinois.

Oakland is looking to bounce back after a loss to Grand Canyon on Sept. 3. In the match, both Andriy Bilous and Grant Mateer scored their first goals of the season, adding them to the list of Golden Grizzlies who have tallied at least one assist and one goal this season, joining Cal Kurzawa.

Heading into conference play, Oakland is third in the conference in goals per game (1.750), third in assists (6), and tied for second in total team goals (7). Defensively, goalkeeper Cole Thompson is tied for second in saves (21) and third in saves per game (5.25).

Wednesday, Sept. 9 vs. Cleveland State | 7 p.m.

The first conference test for Oakland will be against Cleveland State (CSU), which enters the week 1-2-1 on the season. The Vikings have found a groove in their last two matches after starting the season with back-to-back losses, winning 3-1 against Canisius on Sept. 1 and playing to a draw against No. 19 FAU.

The Vikings rank fourth in the conference in goals allowed per game (1.25) and are tied for fourth with just five goals allowed all season. Tom Mertz and Domenic Ruggiero both lead CSU with two goals and an assist each.

Oakland is 12-6 all-time against Cleveland State, with last year's matchup resulting in a 0-1 loss for the Golden Grizzlies on the road. With wins in two of the last three all-time meetings, the Golden Grizzlies aim to carry that momentum forward.

Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Northern Illinois | 2 p.m.

The Huskies and Golden Grizzlies will close the week with their first-ever matchup as Horizon League opponents this weekend.

Northern Illinois (NIU) comes into the week with a 3-2 record, tallying consecutive wins against UIC (Aug. 30) and Eastern Illinois (Sept. 5), both by 2-1 scores.

NIU leads the conference with nine total goals on the season. They have three players with two goals (Vance Sheffield, Tobias Crear and Luka Vasic), along with two players (Nico Angulo and Roman Khela) with two assists each.

The two teams have met three times throughout their histories, and Oakland is still looking for its first win over NIU. Their last meeting was in 2021, when NIU took a 2-1 win at home.

With conference play officially underway, the Golden Grizzlies will look to defend their home field and build momentum against two conference foes in highly anticipated matchups.