AKRON, Ohio – The Golden Grizzlies traveled to Akron for their first stop on a two-game Ohio road trip to face the Zips in a hard-fought women’s soccer game at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The game was hard fought from the start, with both teams playing solid defense, stopping runs and making top-notch tackles. However, as the game progressed, Akron had more attacking opportunities than Oakland, and had five more shots on goal than Oakland in the first half to one.
The decisive moment of the game occurred just minutes into the second half when Akron’s Ella Hadley took advantage of a nice assist from Rachel Wenzel to put the ball in the net for a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute.
Oakland played from the back, sparked some energy and managed three of their four shots on goal in the second half. The game almost changed in the 60th minute when Oakland’s Lisa Kazandjian initiated a counterattack after a shot by Akron that nearly tied the game for the Golden Grizzlies when her shot hit the crossbar and the game was inches away from being tied.
Oakland continued to play with pace and aggression and created a few more chances to tie the game. In the 77th minute Frankie Mudd attempted to tie the game by firing the ball hard into the bottom corner of the goal, where Akron’s Sara Bower was able to parry the shot. Oakland’s last chance came in the closing minutes when Gabby Ruffino took a shot in the 88th minute, but it just missed, sending Oakland down 1-0 in the final.
Akron had the upper hand in set pieces, reaching 7 corners compared to Oakland’s 4. These corners contributed to Akron’s sustained pressure on the Oakland defense, but Julia Zangerl She put in a strong performance, stopping six of Akron’s seven shots on goal and keeping her team in the game.
Despite the one goal difference, the teams were relatively evenly matched in terms of possession, with Akron having 55% and Oakland having 45%. Oakland pushed hard for its moments but missed few chances.
In addition, the match was characterized by physical confrontations, with both teams committing a total of 19 fouls. Oakland fired four shots on the night, two on goal, while Akron fired a total of 15 shots in the entire game, seven on goal. Mudd and Shannon Brown contributed both of Oakland’s shots on goal, while Kzandjian also fired a shot, continuing the early stretch of team-leading performances by all three players.
The Golden Grizzlies will look to bounce back on Sunday, August 25th when they play the final game of their short road trip against Kent State at 1 p.m.
