Despite the drizzle and brisk weather, Oakland University Women’s Soccer continued to give it their all. Thursday night, the women’s soccer team faced off against the Florida Atlantic Owls. The game itself was a slow incline, most of the passes were not connecting with the other players for most of the first half.

The Golden Grizzlies, however, were exhibiting their extremely skilled defense throughout the game. At about thirty minutes in, passes were beginning to connect and the momentum and energy began to grow. Ladies on both sides began to get more physical, as the frustration of no goals was setting in. Number 2, Devin Tomlinson, displayed masterful footwork when retrieving the ball. Both teams had come very close to scoring. But nevertheless, the game ended with a draw after two halves of overtime.

The Golden Grizzlies played Florida Atlantic last season as well. According to Coach Juan Favero, “they tied them 0-0 last year, and I heard it was a battle like tonight.” He also commended them on their program and “how it is a nice result for us.”

The Golden Grizzlies’ record for this season is 0-7-0, after this game. However, for the Florida Atlantic Owls, their season record is now 3-4-0. So, overall they are very fine competition for the women’s soccer team.

“This game was a battle of momentum shifts and of energy, sometimes we were the better team and sometimes they were,” explained Favero. He is “very proud of the team’s performance and how hard they battled for 110 minutes,” especially through the cold and the rain.

The Golden Grizzlies have seven new players on the team roster this year, six freshmen and one transfer. Favero is instilling the importance of togetherness within the team, he is also making it his priority that “the team comes first.”

Many of Oakland’s women’s soccer players not only come from a different state, some come from different countries as well. So, building a family-like bond is important for the team.

The idea of “team before self” is prevalent and Favero is happy that “the idea is starting to bear fruit” in regards to the games. This ideology was noticeable from the audience, the girls were always cheering each other on and working together for the team’s self-interest.

In spite of a lack of scoring on both sides, The Golden Grizzlies, as always battled long and hard. Going forward with the 2017 fall season, Favero said he would like to see more goals. As stated before our record is currently 0-7-0 which means Oakland have no wins but also no losses. The next home game this season for the women’s soccer team will be on Sept., 17 at 12 p.m. against Utah State University.