On Wednesday, Nov. 1, the Oakland University men’s soccer team clinched the top seed in the Horizon League after defeating the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) Titans 2-0 at the Oakland Soccer Field.
The first-place finish marks OU’s second in three years. Notably, the last time the Grizzlies finished first in the conference in 2021, the team came away as Horizon League champions.
Finishing the regular season with the top seed also awards the Grizzlies a bye game in the Horizon League playoffs, as the team gets to skip the quarterfinal round entirely.
Additionally, OU receives another huge advantage, as the semifinal and championship rounds will be held at Oakland’s Soccer Field. Remarkably, the Grizzlies have only lost a single in-conference match at home this season.
“I’m really proud of the guys and the effort and the staff,” head coach Eric Pogue said. “They’ve been through a lot, and the guys have persevered; we played a really tough schedule.”
The Grizzlies started the game with an immense amount of aggression. Despite multiple early offside calls on the Grizzlies, the team got off two shot attempts in the first eight minutes.
Although the Titans matched the same number of shots in relatively the same amount of time, the Grizzlies picked up the effort in the midfield and suffocated any chance of Titan progression.
As OU’s offensive prominence persisted, forward Donavan Phillip scored the first goal of the match in the 21st minute for the Grizzlies following an excellent through pass from midfielder Ville Ahola.
The goal marks Phillip’s fifth of the season. Additionally, Ahola’s assist is his third of the season.
With a 1-0 lead over the Titans, the Grizzlies kept up their presence on offense and shut down multiple offensive advances from the Titans. Notably, following Phillip’s goal, UDM could only get one shot off compared to OU’s four attempts heading into the half.
“We played a really good first half; we needed to finish a bit more of our chances,” Pogue said. “It made things a little more difficult on ourselves in the second half. Credit to Detroit because they responded and played a much more tough second half.”
The second half opened with the Grizzlies in possession, who quickly built on their energy from the first half and formed multiple offensive advances early on the Titans. After failing to convert on all their attempts, UDM started to match the Grizzly’s aggression.
Midway through the second half, both teams got into a couple of scuffles, resulting in two yellow cards assessed to the Grizzlies and Titans, respectively.
“I think everyone’s fighting for first in the postseason, so I don’t think there’s any ill will, but it’s also a derby game as well,” Pogue said about the altercations. “A lot of these kids know each other, and I just think there’s a lot on the line and a lot at stake, so guys are playing really passionate, and I don’t think too much of it.”
As the end of the second half drew near, midfielder Owen Smith scored the second and game-sealing goal with nine minutes remaining in the game for the Grizzlies, following an outstanding cross from defender Noah Roka.
Smith’s goal tallies his sixth of the season, and Roka’s assist is his first in Grizzly uniform.
“Hopefully, the guys will enjoy tonight; they worked too hard not to enjoy some of these victories,” Pogue said. “Until then, we’ll rest and recover and try to get some bodies healthy.”
Up next, the Grizzlies will take on the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Oakland Soccer Field in the semi-final round of the Horizon League playoffs.
