NCAA-bound: Oakland tops NDSU for Summit League soccer title

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — Oakland University didn’t need to have a flurry of chances to bury North Dakota State on Sunday. All it took was a pair of finishes.

Julianne Boyle and Meghan Reynolds scored goals and the tournament host Golden Grizzlies withstood multiple challenges by NDSU to defeat the Bison, 2-1, in the Summit League women’s soccer championships.

Oakland (10-10-1) earned its seventh berth to the NCAA Division I women’s soccer tournament in 12 years and will learn its postseason opponent on Monday at 4:30 p.m. North Dakota State finishes the season with a fine 15-4-2 record.

SIDELINE COLLISION: Oakland University's Abbie Haelewyn draws the foul from North Dakota State's Brooklyn Dyce during Sunday's Summit League championship match. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

Leading 1-0 with the wind at its back, Oakland Kyla Kellermann fed Reynolds with a breakaway feed, and Reynolds beat her mark and NDSU goalkeeper Kalani Bertsch to the left post for the 2-0 lead.

It was Reynolds’ second game-winner of the tournament. The sophomore forward scored the lone goal in a 1-0 semifinal win Friday over top-seeded South Dakota State.

“Kyla got me a perfect ball and when I cut their defender went for (the fake),” offered Reynolds. “I was able to get the shot off. I was able to do my part. It’s so exciting.

“When we got the first goal, that was a huge momentum boost. It got everyone going and you could see everyone play with more energy, everyone was starting to try harder,” added Reynolds. “But the last five minutes was very nerve-wrecking. Everyone was really nervous but we all pulled together to win it.”

With a powerful wind to the north, North Dakota State controlled play for the first 35 minutes of the contest, firing five shots towards Oakland’s net in the span. It was Oakland that struck first on its first shot attempt of the contest.

Oakland Julianne Boyle, a first-team all-league selection, took advantage of a foul just outside of the penalty box and the sophomore bent a free kick around the defensive wall and just inside the near post with 5:32 left in the first half.

The seemed to ignite OU’s attack.

RAISE IT HIGH: Members of Oakland University'smwomen's soccer team show off their Summit League championship to the crowd. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“That’s soccer,” said OU coach Nick O’Shea. “It forces the other team to play on their heels and they have to come forward. So by that it gives you more chances. It was the exact opposite of a game up there. When we played them at their place they had the wind in the first half and they scored. In the second half we had a ton of chances and we just couldn’t put one into the goal.”

NDSU outshot Oakland 11-6 for the game, including 6-4 with shots directly on frame, but Oakland pressured the Bison throughout the game’s final 50 minutes. Oakland nearly went up 3-0 when Reynolds’ second breakaway was fired just wide of the goal in the 70^th minute.

Taking a gamble and using an extra attacker up top, the Bison finally spoiled the shutout and cut the deficit down to a goal with 7:51 to play. Michelle Gaffaney headed home a free kick from the right side by Anisha Kinnarath that found the netting by the left post

Oakland netminder Anne Berschbach finished with five saves for the Golden Grizzlies, but was quite active on several crosses and long throw-ins into the box. She made a stop inside the final two minutes to preserve the win and aid OU to its seventh tournament title in nine appearances in the Summit League finals.

“We have a young team but we have experience in key areas and we have been able to come together,” said Oakland Coach Nick O’Shea. “Having experience was really a key.”

O’Shea said that even with seven NCAA berths you can’t take anything from granted.

HERE IT COMES: North Dakota State's Megan Dean (left) and Oakland's Kyla Kellerman converge on the ball during Sunday's league finals Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“We only really lost Dani Haelewyn from last year in terms of a key starter, but this year (in the regular season) we had some struggles for a while. You just never know,” said O’Shea. “We’ll lose more than that this year. There are no guarantees. You have to make it to the conference tournament and see what happens.”

Oakland became the first host school to win the tournament since OU pulled the trick in both 2006 and 2007. It also marks OU’s first tournament title since 2007, while the Grizzlies also won four straight from 2000-2003 to go along with titles in ’06 and ’07.

“We’ll enjoy this and then go back to work when we find out who we play tomorrow night,” added O’Shea.

LETTING IT FLY: Oakland senior goalkeeper Anne Berschbach gets her punt off during the Summit League championships. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

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CELEBRATION AT MIDFIELD: Members of Oakland University's women's soccer team race towards each other after winning Sunday's Summit LEague championship to advance to the NCAA Division I tournament. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

HEADS UP: Kyla Kellerman of Oakland gets her head on the ball in front of NDSU's Katie Luce. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradtdia networks.

CLOSING IN: Oakland's Serena San Cartier marks NDSU's Taylor Stainbrook tight during the Summit League finals. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

Tags: College Women's Soccer, featured, North Dakota State University Women's Soccer, Oakland University Women's Soccer, soccer, Summit League Women's Soccer Conference Tournament Championships, Women's Soccer

Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, Oakland University