On Nov. 7, 2015 Oakland’s women’s soccer team claimed its first Horizon League Championship title. Walking off the turf of Englemann Stadium in Milwaukee victorious, the Golden Grizzlies defeated Wright State 1-0 in overtime. Senior Sarah Reynolds scored the single goal of the game off of a corner kick from fellow senior Joan Sieja during the 95th minute.

Having an assist from Sieja was reminiscent of sophomore year for Reynolds. Just two years before, on the same field, Sieja assisted Reynolds to put Oakland up 3-2 against Milwaukee with six minutes to go in the conference championship.

“We ended up losing that game and it was the hardest loss I’ve ever experienced in my 17 years of playing soccer,” Reynolds said. “So this time around, to think Joan assisted me for a game-winning goal where we actually ended up winning is crazy, and an awesome experience with one of my classmates.”

This time around, when Sieja went up for the corner kick, the team was confident the game would end there.

“When running up into the box for that final corner kick, Aly Rawson turned to me and said ‘the game ends right now, we’re going to score,’” Reynolds said. “Then Joan sent a great ball into the box, I was able to get my foot on it, and it soared right into the back of the net. After seeing the ball hit the net I went ballistic, I couldn’t believe it actually happened. I was in shock. But celebrating with my teammates was the best feeling in the entire world and it’s definitely a moment I will never forget.”

It was Reynolds first goal of the season.

Wright State put up a fight. The Raiders lead in shots, 18-8, and corner kicks, 7-3. Going into the game, head coach Margaret Saurin knew they were going up against “an athletic team with a lot of pace.” Saurin described the situation as win or go home. But Saurin had full trust in her team.

“I have a very simple thought process,” Saurin explained, “trust in the game plan, including the adjustments we may need to make during the game, trust and believe in the players to execute, trust and believe in the players coming into the game off the bench to make a difference.”

The atmosphere on the bus before the game, according to both Saurin and Reynolds, was positive and confident. The players knew they had task at hand and that it wasn’t going to be easy. After all, no women’s soccer team has won a Horizon League title for Oakland before.  

“We all believed in ourselves and knew we had the ability to get the job done,” Reynolds said. “We knew it was possible to win and everyone was thinking that we were not leaving Milwaukee without a championship.”

The Golden Grizzlies started out the season 0-5-4. Saurin said the team never stopped believing in the process and in the team. They finished 8-5-7 overall, including a dominant 6-1-2 in the Horizon League, and finishing with a Horizon League title.

“Where you start is not as important as where you finish,” Saurin said.

Having two seniors make the game winning play demonstrates the role of the senior leadership present on the field. According to Saurin, the seniors are a very a driven group of people, and “winning this is not just a result of this season’s hard work, it is a result of all of the hard work they have put in over the years.”

Both Reynolds and Sieja were named to the Horizon League All Tournament Team, along with freshman goal keeper Emily Zweng and senior Jamie Horne. Reynolds was named Player of the Game, while Sieja was named Tournament Most Valuable Player.

“My class and I have been through a lot over the last 4 years and this was something we had been working extremely hard for,” Reynolds said. “It’s honestly a dream come true, and I’m happy I got to experience it with this amazing group of girls. I’m very proud of everyone on this team and want to thank them for allowing me to experience the perfect ending to my four year career here at Oakland.”

On Monday, it was announced that Oakland will play Notre Dame in South Bend on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.