On Saturday, Sept. 30, the Oakland University men’s soccer team beat the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers by a final score of 2-1.
UW-M opened the game with possession and aggressively pressured the OU defenders. The Panthers would score the first goal of the match in just the second minute of play, giving them a quick 1-0 lead over the Grizzlies.
Following the goal by the Panthers, the Grizzlies ramped up their pressure on offense. Despite not finding much success in Panther territory, OU remained in great control of the ball and refused to let any Panther momentum on their side of the pitch.
Come the 27th minute, the Grizzlies’ constant offensive pressure would pay off. Following a failed attack from the Panthers, forward Mikey Ketteman would score the Grizzlies first goal of the afternoon, tying the game at 1-1.
This goal marks Phillip’s third of the season. Additionally, Phillip was assisted by forward Luke Benford, tallying his second assist of the season.
In the final 15 minutes of the first half, the Grizzlies kept up their suffocating pressure on offense, keeping excellent control of the ball.
OU would get one final good look at the goal come the 39th minute of the match following a corner, but the shot would go wide of the goal, and the score would remain tied heading into halftime.
Despite the slow start for the Grizzlies in the first half, they fought back aggressively and looked like the team in the driver’s seat come the end of the first half. Although the score remained tied, the Grizzlies saw better chances at scoring compared to the Panthers.
The Grizzlies would open the second half with possession of the ball, and the relentless offense from the first half continued. Notably, UW-M could not form any offense to start the second half.
In the 72nd minute, the Grizzlies offensive dominance would pay off once again. Following a great pass by midfielder Nour Aoude, midfielder Owen Smith scored the second goal of the match, giving the Grizzlies their first lead of the afternoon.
Smith’s goal is his third of the season. Notably, Aoude’s assist marks his first sporting an OU uniform.
Following the OU goal, the Grizzlies took more of a backseat on offense. They shifted their focus to their defense, allowing the Panthers to finally gain some breathing room and turn things around on offense.
The Panthers’ best chance at a tying goal would come in the 77th minute of play. After a corner kick, UW-M would attempt a header that would hit the top crossbar — seconds later, a second header attempt would be tipped out of bounds by OU goalie Michael Sly Jr.
UW-M would only get two more shot attempts off the rest of the game, and the Grizzlies would win the match. The victory brings the Grizzlies overall record to 3-5-2 and their conference record to 2-2.
The Grizzlies will kick off next on the road against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Saturday, Oct. 7. The next home game will be on Saturday, Oct. 14, against the Wright State Raiders, where OU alums are invited to attend and will be recognized during a halftime ceremony.
