Oakland men’s soccer said farewell to their seniors on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Wright State. 

Oakland dominated the game offensively with 22 total shots and 15 shots on goal. However, only one shot would find the back of the net. Senior Joey Tinnion found himself inside the box with his back to the goal in the 47^th minute of the game. With a pass from fellow senior Gavin Hoy, Tinnion’s right foot connected and found the right side of the net. 

Oakland went into the game coming off a loss at University of Michigan earlier in the week. That loss snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak. 

“Our confidence took a dip after the U-M game but we were still pretty confident coming in,” Tinnion said. “I think we played well, we just couldn’t put the ball in the net, which is obviously a problem. But we still remain confident that we can take this Horizon League Championship.”

There is no doubt who controlled the game offensively: the Golden Grizzlies had 15 more shots than the Raiders. 

“I think it showed that we’re dangerous, but I think too many of the shots were easy to save, they need to be quality shots,” said OU head coach Eric Pogue.

The draw moves the Golden Grizzlies to 5-0-2 in conference with one game left in the regular season.  

“Wright State is walking out of here satisfied with the tie but we are disappointed,” Pogue said. “We will need to do a better job finishing in order to beat a good Valpo team, at Valpo.” 

Because it was the last regular season home game for the men, each of the seniors was honored at halftime. The team loses six players for next season in Dylan Schauder, Joey Tinnon, Gavin Hoy, Matt Delang, Cody Archibald and John DeLeon.

Pogue described the six players as the backbone of the team. 

“They really have epitomized what we want Oakland soccer to stand for on and off the field,” he said. 

“The players and coaching staff have really helped me develop into more of a complete forward not just a goal scorer,” Tinnion said. “And these teammates have become my lifetime friends. These have been the best four years and I wouldn’t change a bit.” 

The Golden Grizzlies move into second place in the conference behind Detriot. The boys take on Valparaiso on Friday. With an Oakland win and a Detroit loss or draw, the Oakland men’s soccer team will be crowned conference champions.