Junior Makesi Lewis notched the game-winning goal in the 31st minute and senior Stefan St. Louis scored the insurance goal in the 83rd, as the Oakland University men’s soccer team (6-4-2, 3-0 Summit League) defeated IPFW (3-9-1, 0-3 Summit League) 2-0 Saturday afternoon at the OU Soccer Field.
The Golden Grizzlies struck first when Lewis beat the goalkeeper one-on-one for the go-ahead goal, giving Oakland a 1-0 advantage in the 31st minute. OU would retain that lead after the first 45 minutes, thanks to sophomore goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt's two first half saves.
Oakland went on to score an insurance goal in the 83rd minute when sophomore Jake Przybycien fed St. Louis the ball up the middle, who buried it in the back of the net to bring the match to what would be its 2-0 final score.
The victory gives Hildebrandt his league-leading sixth shutout of the season, making four saves against the Mastodons.
Oakland held the advantage in shots 16-15 and took seven corner kicks compared to IPFW’s five. The Mastodons committed fewer fouls, however, with 12 and OU with 14.
The Golden Grizzlies will have a week off before continuing league play against IUPUI on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Ultimate Soccer Arena in Pontiac, Mich. It will also be Senior Night and the 7 p.m. match can be followed on Gametracker at www.ougrizzlies.com.