Oakland University’s men’s soccer team fell on the road to the DePaul University Blue Demons on Tuesday, Oct. 8, in Chicago. The loss marks the second in a row for the Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland came into Chicago off a loss to conference opponent Milwaukee, looking to get back in the win column against a Blue Demons team that was returning home from a road trip to Omaha, Nebraska, to take on the Creighton Blue Jays. DePaul had the momentum on their side after coming off a win against Creighton and was able to put the game away late in the second half.
For most of the game, both teams were locked in a tie, with neither side able to find the net. DePaul went on the attack first, with two shots from Noeh Hernandez sailing out of bounds to the top left of the net. Oakland responded with a string of four shots in about three minutes, none of which found the mark.
It was a particularly frustrating day for both offenses in the first half, as neither team established great control early on. DePaul had a slight advantage in the first half with eight shots to Oakland’s five, but Oakland had one more corner kick, earning five to the Blue Demon’s four.
The second half was more of the same. Again, DePaul put pressure on Oakland first as two shots by Logan Finnegan missed their mark.
The Golden Grizzlies had a sustained attack, beginning at the 68-minute mark. Unfortunately, junior forward Milan Dajic’s shot flew out right, and DePaul’s Santiago Davila saved junior defender Jace Foster’s attempt.
A foul by the Blue Demons’ Max Padua gave Oakland’s sophomore forward Andrew Darakdjian a free kick. Still, the Golden Grizzlies couldn’t capitalize.
A minute later, DePaul finally found the net with a goal from Keagan Pace. OU pushed the field and got a shot off from sophomore forward Andriy Bilous, but it missed wide on top.
DePaul again found the net five minutes later, this time from Hernandez, making it a 2-0 game with just seven minutes remaining.
Finally, the Golden Grizzlies were able to sneak in a goal themselves from Bilous, assisted by senior midfielder Francesco Mazzei.
However, the late goal would amount to nothing; DePaul would score less than a minute later to go up 3-1 and ice the game. It was a frustrating loss for the Golden Grizzlies, who took only two fewer shots than the Blue Demons all game.
It was the eighth time this year that the Golden Grizzlies scored a goal or less in a game, making their record 0-6-2 in such games. Going forward, the team must find ways to capitalize on their scoring opportunities. Losing defensive games like this is hard to stomach, especially when you shut the other team out the entire first half.
Adversity is nothing new to these boys, though. After starting 0-4, they went 3-0-2 in their next five. Currently, on an 0-2 skid, another winning streak could be in the works. Next up is a date with conference opponent Wright State on Saturday, Oct. 19 at home.