2004 Oakland Women’s Soccer Season Wrap-up
Oakland’s 2004 women’s soccer team saw many
new faces arrive this season after losing 6 starters and 10 letterwinners
due to graduation last year. The new cast was made up of six freshman and
five sophomores, with only two juniors and three seniors on the squad.
Even with the amount of young players on the team, OU’s women’s soccer
team was once again able to realize some great successes against a
difficult schedule; one that saw them face opponents with a combined
record of 215-149-32.
Oakland was unlucky in their home opener as
they fell in double overtime to Western Michigan. Freshman Courtney
McCracken (Farmington Hills, Mich.) was able to tie the game at one goal
apiece in the 87th minute, but the Broncos managed to slip in a winner
with just over a minute left to play in the second overtime for the win.
The Golden Grizzlies split games twice as
they competed in both the Holiday Inn Select Classic at home and the
Michigan Classic in Ann Arbor. During their tournament play, Oakland’s
dangerous attacking duo of Kristi Swaving (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Marianne
Samdal (Tiller, Norway) combined to give OU its first victories of the
year picking up two goals and an assist, and two goals, respectively. OU’s
wins came in the fashion of a 3-1 defeat over Marquette, and 1-0 win over
Syracuse.
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Junior forward Kristi
Swaving was named All-Mid-Con first team in 2004. |
After out-shooting Mid-Con opponent,
Centenary, 21-11 in their conference opener, Oakland was unable to find
the back of the net. However, Centenary did manage to squeeze in a goal in
overtime to take home the win. Swaving also picked up another assist
helping Samdal to her third goal of the season at Dayton, but again the
Grizzlies couldn’t quite hold on as the Flyers scored the winner just
seven minutes from the final whistle.
On Sept. 25, Oakland squared up against
another Mid-Con challenger, IUPUI in Indianapolis. Oakland defender, Katie
Arnott (St. John’s, Newfoundland) opened the scoring in the 61st minute
off of another Swaving assist. IUPUI managed to equalize in the 74th, but
it was Swaving who answered back only one minute later to pick up her
third goal of the season.
The Golden Grizzlies returned home on Sept.
27 for a battle against cross-town rival Detroit. Oakland out-shot the
Titans in regulation, 21-10, but again had trouble finding the net.
However, it only took 40 seconds of overtime for Oakland junior, Silje
Peltopera (Karasjok, Norway) to net her second goal of the season for the
game winner.
After the emotional win over rival Detroit,
OU went on the road and dropped a game against Indiana (3-0). Still on the
road, Oakland got back on track against Toledo as McCracken finished the
lone goal of the game for her second on the year.
Oakland then returned for a stretch of home
games starting against Mid-Con foe Western Illinois on Oct. 8. The Golden
Grizzlies grabbed another win with a 3-0 victory. To get the win,
McCracken stayed hot, recording her second game-winning goal in as many
games increasing her season tally to three. Arnott also netted her second
goal of the season and Swaving tacked on the final score, her fourth of
the year. In their second straight conference match-up, Oakland couldn’t
produce another win, and Valparaiso carried home a 3-0 victory.
The next two matches were against in-state
rivals, Michigan and Michigan State. The Wolverines were ranked #13 in the
country at the time, and Oakland knew they would have their work cut out
for them. The Golden Grizzlies defense dug in and fended off 14 U-M shots,
five of which were saved by freshman goalkeeper Jessica Howard (West
Bloomfield, Mich.), holding them scoreless. The game-deciding moment came
in the 53rd minute when Swaving beat her defender and the goalkeeper to
give OU a 1-0 lead and eventually the “W”.
The in-state rivalry against Michigan State
would also prove to be another battle. After going down 2-0 before
halftime, the Golden Grizzlies turned things around in the second half,
scoring just 7 minutes after the halftime whistle. Michigan State pulled
ahead by two again, but Swaving scored her second goal of the game only
three minutes later to bring the deficit back to one. The Golden Grizzlies
fought hard, but were unable to find an equalizer, and the game finished
3-2 in favor of the Spartans.
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Junior midfielder
Silje Peltopera was named second team All-Mid-Con in 2004. |
Oakland then hit the road again traveling
to their last two Mid-Con match-ups against Oral Roberts and Southern
Utah, as well as Purdue. OU fell to Oral Roberts (5-0) but were able to
prevail over Southern Utah, winning the game 4-2. The game also allowed
the Golden Grizzlies to clench a Mid-Con tournament berth - their sixth
straight since entering the Division I level in 1999.
Oakland hosted the 2004 Mid-Continent
Conference Tournament and kicked off their first round game against #1
seed Oral Roberts. The two teams battled through 90 minutes of regulation,
and 20 minutes of overtime before heading into penalty kicks to decide a
winner. OU and Oral Roberts both made their first and third attempts;
Oakland’s coming via Swaving and Susann Kamrud (Trysil, Norway). Then
after a questionable goalkeeper substitution, which was eventually deemed
legal by the officials due to an injury to the original netminder, OU was
unable to convert their last two penalties and fell 3-2 in the shootout.
After a tough season full of ups and downs,
a few of the Golden Grizzlies were recognized for their hard work. Swaving
was named to the Mid-Con all-conference first team, collecting seven goals
and seven assists throughout the season. She also finished first in the
Mid-Con for shots, tied for second for assists, and was the fourth highest
point scorer in the Mid-Con. After her two-goal performance against
Michigan State, Swaving was also named as a Mid-Con Player of the Week for
the week of Oct. 18.
Two other Golden Grizzlies, Peltopera and
Cat Panabaker (Hamilton, Ontario), were appointed to the Mid-Con
all-conference second team for their performances throughout the season.
Peltopera tied for second among Grizzlies for points through four goals
and two assists. Panabaker anchored the Golden Grizzlies’ defense that
registered six shutouts throughout the season.
Oakland had a lot of young players in the
team this year, and they have grown over the course of this past season.
Losing only three seniors to graduation, OU will be returning the heart of
their lineup - now with another year’s experience under their belts. With
all-conference honorees Swaving and Peltopera returning for their senior
seasons, the Golden Grizzlies will look forward to a successful season
again next year.
