OAKLAND ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION—BLUE DIVISION
Below are the team capsules for the Oakland Activities Association Blue Division. Rounds of Emails were sent to the athletics departments and coaching staffs of every girls soccer program in the state where coaches emails were available in March. To submit information for missing schools, submit additional information, or to make corrections, please email Web and Content Editor Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or text to (248) 884-1051.
Teams – Auburn Hills Avondale, Ferndale-Ferndale University Academy Unified, Harper Woods, Oak Park, Pontiac, Southfield A&T, West Bloomfield
SCHOOL: West Bloomfield
HEAD COACH: Jason Clark
2022 OVERALL RECORD / LEAGUE RECORD / LEAGUE FINISH: 2-15-1, 0-7-0 OAA White Division (eighth)
2022 STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Lost to Waterford Mott (6-0) in D-1 a pre-district match.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS: None
STATE RUNNER-UP SEASONS: None
RETURNING STARTERS: Katie Elliott, sr. G; Alesha Tariq, jr. F; Parker Aulgur, jr. F; Chloe Bososian, sr. D (All-League); Carly Lyons, soph. F (All-District); Sydney Lalone, jr. D (All-League, All-District); Reagan Cherfoli, sr. D.
OTHER KEY RETURNEES: Sydney Vagg, sr. G; Montse Rodriguez, jr. M/D; Evelyn Marshall, jr. F; Ava Reisig, soph. D; Anna McIsaac, sr. M; Kennedi Aulgur, sr. D
KEY NEWCOMERS: Kennedy Farr, sr. M (played with Nationals Academy last couple of seasons; signed with NCAA D-I Grambling State University)
OUTLOOK / NOTABLES / COACHES COMMENTS: Last season West Bloomfield suffered through a major rebuilding campaign which was one of the worst in the 40 years of the Lakers’ girls soccer program. The only bright spots were wins over Warren Woods-Tower (2-1) and OAA Blue Division co-champion North Farmington (2-0) to go along with a draw with Dearborn Edsel Ford (2-2). That came in a year where the Lakers were outscored 89-10 and were shutout 13 times in 18 games. WB also were ousted in a pre-district via another shutout. What a difference a year makes. North Farmington replaced West Bloomfield in the OAA White Division, as the Lakers were relegated down to the OAA Blue Division. So far West Bloomfield has outscored the opposition 41-5 over seven games with five shutouts with wins over Waterford Kettering (7-2), Sterling Heights (8-0), Holly (1-0), Harper Woods (13-0), Auburn Hills Avondale (3-0, last year’s OAA-Blue co-champ) and Pontiac (9-0). The sole setback came to neighboring rival Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (3-0). “The Lakers are now in the OAA-Blue this year and look to be competitive after having spent the last two years in the OAA-Red and OAA-White divisions. The Lakers return 14 of 19 players this year and will include seven seniors. Kennedy Farr is returning to West Bloomfield after spending time in the Nationals Academy after she signed with Grambling State. Farr will lead the offense along with Alesha Tariq, Parker Aulgur, and last year’s leading goal scorer Carly Lyons. Reagan Cherfoli, Sydney Lalone, Chloe Bogosian and goalkeeper Katie Elliott will lead the Lakers’ defense this year.”
SCHOOL: Auburn Hills Avondale
HEAD COACH: Nick Stavropoulos
2022 OVERALL RECORD / LEAGUE RECORD / LEAGUE FINISH: 10-6-3, 8-0-2 OAA Blue Division
2022 STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Def. Holly (1-0); lost to Linden (8-0) in D-2 district semifinals.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS: None
STATE RUNNER-UP SEASONS: None
RETURNING STARTERS:
OTHER KEY RETURNEES:
KEY NEWCOMERS:
OUTLOOK / NOTABLES / COACHES COMMENTS: Nick Stavropoulos takes over the reigns from Justin Clendinin at the helm of the program which actually shared the OAA Blue Division crown with North Farmington last season. North Farmington moved up to the OAA White Division and West Bloomfield came down to the OAA-Blue. The Yellowjackets were consistently a top-20 Division 2 team during the 1990s and 2000s but have slowly faded from that point despite being nestled into the soccer-rich cities of Rochester Hills, Troy, Auburn Hills and Bloomfield Township. Overall numbers are down, so the current coaching staff has some building to do to try to get Avondale not only back into the OAA White Division but to a D-2 top-20 program of the past.
SCHOOL: Ferndale-Ferndale University Academy Unified
HEAD COACH: Maisson Fenning, second season
2022 OVERALL RECORD / LEAGUE RECORD / LEAGUE FINISH: 4-9-1, 4-5-0 OAA Blue Division (third)
2022 STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Lost to Madison Heights Lamphere (10-0) in a D-2 pre-districts match.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS: None
STATE RUNNER-UP SEASONS: None
RETURNING STARTERS:
OTHER KEY RETURNEES:
KEY NEWCOMERS:
OUTLOOK / NOTABLES / COACHES COMMENTS: While Ferndale has had a program dating back to the 1980s, the program unified with Ferndale University a couple of years ago and now Ferndale University is a member of the OAA this season. Some of Ferndale University’s sports are separate from Ferndale and some are unified programs. Both boys soccer and girls soccer between the two schools are unified. Ferndale is off to a 3-1-1 start after defeating Auburn Hills Avondale (4-2), Southfield A&T (8-0) and Pontiac (8-0), tying Warren Woods-Tower (3-3) and falling to St. Clair Shores Lake Shore (8-0). Avondale was the OAA-Blue co-champions with North Farmington last season, so its safe to say that Ferndale will be one of the better teams in the league this season.
SCHOOL: Harper Woods
HEAD COACH: Rob Cummings
2022 OVERALL RECORD / LEAGUE RECORD / LEAGUE FINISH: 1-9-0, 0-8-0 OAA Blue Division (affiliated member)
2022 STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Did not enter the D-2 postseason last year.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS: None
STATE RUNNER-UP SEASONS: None
RETURNING STARTERS:
OTHER KEY RETURNEES:
KEY NEWCOMERS:
OUTLOOK / NOTABLES / COACHES COMMENTS: Harper Woods is a new member school of the Oakland Activities Association this school year with a fledging girls soccer program. Last year the school played a partial league schedule as an affiliated member of the league and went winless in the OAA-Blue and finished sixth. This season the 0-3-0 with losses to West Bloomfield (13-0), Pontiac (3-0) and Southfield A&T (3-0), being outscored 19-0 thus far. Last season the program’s only win came against Division 2 Warren Fitzgerald (6-2). Last year was the program’s first full season and the Pioneers were outscored 80-9, so any type of change there is a benchmark. Two years ago the school cancelled the season due to low numbers, so any type of improvement this spring is warranted and an obtainable goal. Harper Woods was in the Michigan Metro Athletic Conference the past several years, but only 4-5 league members sponsored boys soccer and girls soccer and the scheduling of games was all over the map.
SCHOOL: Oak Park
HEAD COACH: Kenyatta Douglas, first season
2022 OVERALL RECORD / LEAGUE RECORD / LEAGUE FINISH: Cancelled season last year due to low numbers.
2022 STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Did not enter the postseason last year. Oak Park is a Division 1 school enrollment-wise
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS: None
STATE RUNNER-UP SEASONS: None
OUTLOOK / NOTABLES / COACHES COMMENTS: Oak Park will finally field a team this year after cancelling in 2020 (Covid) and cancelling again due to low numbers in both 2021 and 2022. The Knights have around a half-dozen games scheduled according to MHSAA.com but does not have most of the OAA Blue teams scheduled as of yet, meaning they will play an independent schedule this year. The OOA-Blue teams generally play each other twice per season while the OAA-Red and OAA-White schools only play each other once.
SCHOOL: Pontiac
HEAD COACH: Wisam Brikho
2022 OVERALL RECORD / LEAGUE RECORD / LEAGUE FINISH: 4-9-1, 3-6-1 OAA Blue Division (fourth)
2022 STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Did not enter the MHSAA Division 2 state tournament last season.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS: None
STATE RUNNER-UP SEASONS: None
RETURNING STARTERS:
OTHER KEY RETURNEES:
KEY NEWCOMERS:
OUTLOOK / NOTABLES / COACHES COMMENTS: Pontiac is 3-2-0 overall and 1-2-0 in league play to start the campaign with wins over Oak Park (8-0), River Rouge (4-3) and Harper Woods (3-0) and losses to Ferndale (8-0) and West Bloomfield (9-0). The two losses are against the projected top two teams in the OAA-Blue this season and the Phoenix were fourth last season. So far Pontiac has been outscored 20-13 this season, so the Phoenix must find ways to improve its defense while trying to manufacture more goals and scoring opportunities.
SCHOOL: Southfield A&T
HEAD COACH: Darian Dismukes
2022 OVERALL RECORD / LEAGUE RECORD / LEAGUE FINISH: 3-11-1, 3-6-1 OAA-Blue (fifth)
2022 STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Lost to Novi (7-0) in a D-1 pre-districts match.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS: None
STATE RUNNER-UP SEASONS: None
RETURNING STARTERS:
OTHER KEY RETURNEES:
KEY NEWCOMERS:
OUTLOOK / NOTABLES / COACHES COMMENTS: Southfield A&T has started the campaign 1-2-0 overall and in the OAA-Blue Division, topping OAA newcomer Harper Woods (3-0) while falling to Auburn Hills Avondale (14-0) and Ferndale Unified (8-0). After not having a program for a couple of years, the Warriors are fielding a team for a third straight season.
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