The Oakland women’s soccer team concluded their home match against the Northern Kentucky Norse with a 1-1 tie.
First half
The match kicked off with Northern Kentucky looking to establish control in the early stages and while the Grizzlies weren’t having the start they were hoping for, they still showed signs of their defensive capabilities, keeping Northern Kentucky’s attacking lineup at bay.
The Grizzlies’ backline stood resistant against NKU’s wave of close attacks, preventing any scoring opportunities, and Oakland’s goalkeeper, Julia Zangerl, exhibited her agility, making some spectacular saves.
As the halftime whistle blew, the score remained level at 0-0, and the Grizzlies needed to redeem themselves after a slow start offensively.
“We have made life difficult for ourselves with being very stagnant in attacks,” head coach Juan Pablo Favero said at halftime. “So yeah, a lot to adjust here at halftime, and we got to play at another speed going forward, or we’re never going to create any scoring chances… They’re good back there and we haven’t been good up front. I think the biggest thing, right, is energy, and we have to have a little bit more assertiveness going forward.”
Second half
Coming back into the match, the Grizzlies showed a lot more vitality, and there were evident signs of this. Their whole momentum had shifted. They were getting better looks and moving at a quicker pace. At the 52-minute mark, the Grizzlies attempted to score, aiming for the left side of the net, but their efforts were prevented.
Northern Kentucky had continued its unabated pursuit of a goal. Oakland’s Grace Sampson had some huge defensive plays throughout the match, which resulted in Northern Kentucky needing to reboot.
This was a continual battle, as both teams knew they needed to find the back of the net as time wound down. It wasn’t until late in the match, at the 72:14 mark, that Northern Kentucky would break the scoring drought. Shay Snipley found Erykah Cornette as she connected to give NKU their first point of the match. The ball was perfectly placed, scoring with a header right over Julia Zangerl.
The Grizzlies had to get something going very quickly, and Oakland’s Frankie Mudd did so with ease. With less than three minutes left of the match, Mudd unleashed a lightning strike of a shot from just inside the 10 yards inside the midfield line, finding the back of the net, which concluded the match in a 1-1 draw. This was the standout play of the match and marked Mudd’s second goal of the season. The transfer student from Western Michigan University is just getting started.
Now, she and the rest of the Golden Grizzlies will bring their renewed fresh energy and take a road trip down to Dayton, Ohio, to face Wright State at Alumni Field at the Rinzler Student Sports Complex. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m.
Oakland now holds a 3-4-4 overall record and a 1-0-2 record in the Horizon League. The 1-0-2 record is good for five points for Oakland, and the Golden Grizzlies currently sit in seventh place out of the Horizon League’s 11 teams.
