This season, the Oakland University women’s lacrosse team had several goals in mind, including a return trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse League Div. II National Championship.

The Lady Grizzlies (7-1, ranked No. 15 in Div. II) took another step toward that this week, clinching their fifth consecutive division title with an impressive pair of victories that were played in tough weather conditions.

On Tuesday, Oakland defeated Wayne State University by a score of 18-3 in a game played with sleet and snow falling at Troy High School. While it was nasty, Thursday’s game against Saginaw Valley State University might have been worse with a game-time temperature of 26 degrees.

Despite the extreme weather, the Lady Grizzlies defeated the Cardinals 22-2. Sophomore midfielder Vikki Wallace scored six goals, while junior Desiree Messina and senior Ashley Krisfalusi added four each.

Wallace scored three goals in the first 10 minutes, as Oakland jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. After a SVSU timeout, the Lady Grizzlies continued their attack on the Cardinals’ net and built an 11-0 halftime lead.

The second half was punctuated by senior captain Charlotte Rose’s transition run all the way down the field, which set up a free position goal for the defender. After the game, head coach Towbey Kassa said he believed playing in those conditions would ultimately help the team later.

“The weather hasn’t been the greatest, and it’s just going to make us stronger,” Kassa said. “When we get out to Texas, they’ll enjoy the weather a little bit and hopefully get us ready to come and play Michigan State and Grand Valley State to end it up.”

After last year’s outstanding run, things were expected to be a little tougher for OU as they lost the contributions of several key seniors. Still, the team maintained their focus on the task at hand and Kassa said this division title might be more special than the previous year.

“It feels different because of a new group. With the amount of change-over from last year it means a little bit more,” Kassa said. “These girls can see that they don’t need the players from last year to continue to do what they’ve been doing in years past.”

Oakland finally got a chance to play indoors on Sunday, with a game at the University of Toledo. The Rockets have played Oakland tough the last few seasons, and Kassa fully expected a close game.

The Lady Grizzlies defeated the Div. I Rockets soundly, 20-6, and in doing so sent a statement to the rest of the league that Oakland is ready for the big stage.

They will get the chance to prove it in this upcoming week, as they take part in the Lonestar Showdown in Austin, Texas.

They will face four teams, including the nationally ranked University of Texas Longhorns, as well as the University of Arizona Wildcats.

But the game the Lady Grizzlies crave the most is a rematch against Southern Methodist University, which is currently ranked third in Div. II and is undefeated. Last year, Oakland lost a heartbreaker to the Mustangs, 17-16, in the National Championship quarterfinals, which knocked OU out of contention.

Kassa said “defeating all four teams would turn heads nationally,” but the main goal was to defeat SMU and exact a bit of revenge for last year’s loss.

The Lonestar Showdown starts on April 1 and runs through April 3rd.