5 p.m. Tuesday - SOU at Sierra Nevada College
1 p.m. Thursday - SOU at Menlo (Calif.) - Live Stats/Video

ASHLAND – The team that takes the field Tuesday for Southern Oregon University first ever men's soccer game surely won't be the best in Raider history, but head coach Biniam Afenegus is treating it as if it will be the most important team.

The Raiders will be in Incline Village, Nev., for a 5 p.m. start against Sierra Nevada College (another first-year NAIA team) in their opener. Their first crack at an established program will come Thursday at Menlo (Calif.).

SOU's first practice wasn't until two weeks ago. Since then Afenegus has been evaluating and getting familiar with a roster that comprises 22 freshmen and 10 junior transfers, most of them on the field together for the first time, not to mention trying to transform them into a team.

"We're focused on the process, how to get to where we want to be, and that means coming to practice to get better and not just showing up," Afenegus said. "We want to do things the right way now to establish that culture. This team is going to be the foundation for hopefully a lot of good ones to come."

It will also most likely be the youngest team Afenegus ever has. He'll be more dependent on freshmen than he was most years in the junior college ranks at Clark (Wash.), where he spent the last eight seasons building a 123-27-16 record.

"In a sense it's awesome having this many freshmen because they have to grow up fast and push the juniors for playing time and starting positions right now," Afenegus said. "That's the environment we're trying to create, where players have to compete for time on a weekly basis."

SOU was picked to finish ninth of 14 teams in the Cascade Conference – ahead of another first-year program (Eastern Oregon) and four teams that combined for eight wins last year, including new CCC members Multnomah and Walla Walla (Wash.). In other words, there will be opportunities to collect more than just moral victories and buildings blocks, and Afenegus thinks his team's goal of advancing to the eight-team CCC tournament is conceivable.

POSITION BY POSITION

DEFENDERS: Afenegus says the Raiders have used defense as a starting point to build around.

"Before we get the talent we need, we focus on team and individual defending," he said. "That's an easy fix. It's the most effective way to win even against teams that might have more pieces than you."

It also happens to be SOU's most developed area of the field. The Raiders will lean on transfers Johnnie Workman (Clark C.C.), Brett Butler (Spokane Falls C.C.) and Clayton Nadon (Scottsdale C.C.), as well as freshman Kirk Bassett, to protect the back line. Workman was an All-Northwest Athletic Conference player for Afenegus in 2013, Butler was all-region in the NWAC last year and Bassett was a first team all-state selection at South Eugene.

MIDFIELDERS: Most of the competition for playing time is at midfield, where Afenegus considers SOU's ability to go two or three deep at every spot to be a major strength.  Dakota Marquez, a freshman from Rio Rancho, N.M., has made an impression with ball-handling tools and a soccer IQ that enable him to link the midfield with the forwards. Dakota Scott, a transfer from Tacoma C.C., is prone to "destroying play as a defender and dictating speed," according to Afenegus.

Freshman Ahmon Afenegus will use his technical ability and strong left foot to be a factor on the left side of the field, transfer Brayan Molina will bring composure and creativity to the center-mid position, and North Medford product Daniel Zamores has the intelligence to make an impact as a freshman. 

"That's going to be a key position for us," Afenegus said. "It'll be interesting to see how those guys come along as the season goes on." 

FORWARDS: Freshman Brendan Allen from Roseville, Calif., turned heads with three goals in SOU's first scrimmage. "He has a knack for scoring goals," Afenegus said. "He's very direct the way he takes players on and shoots with both feet."

Diego Buenrostro, another freshman from Sacrameto, is among those to make positive impressions early on. So too are Jamal Abdoul – the OSAA 5A player of the year in 2011 and a member of SOU's club soccer team until now – and Mandeep Singh, a transfer from Everett C.C.

"They'll bring some size, quickness and power to our attack," Afenegus said. "They should be a handful for defenders."

GOALKEEPERS: Two players who have already proven themselves to Afenegus at Clark will handle the keeping duties: Tyler Luebbert and Jonathan Morales. Both were NWAC all-stars for conference championship teams at Clark, Luebbert in 2011 and Morales in '12 and '13. Derian Saldana, a freshman from Santa Rosa, Calif., could also get a shot.