4:30 p.m. (MT) Friday – SOU at College of Idaho – Live Stream/Stats
2:30 p.m. (MT) Sunday – SOU at Rocky Mountain College – Live Stream

ASHLAND – Following a 5-0 start that likely took some of the NAIA soccer world by surprise, the Southern Oregon University men's soccer team is ready to get an introduction to the Cascade Conference.

The Raiders, who in the first year of the program's existence have started by outscoring opponents 15-2, could see a hike in competition this weekend when they visit College of Idaho (1-0) on Friday and Rocky Mountain (4-0) on Sunday. After that, they'll make their home debut Sept. 18 and 19 against Walla Walla and Multnomah.

Three of SOU's wins are more plausible than the others: They defeated fellow first-year program (and shorthanded) Sierra Nevada 10-1, handed Pacific Union its 58^th consecutive loss by a 2-0 count, and accepted a forfeit from Trinity Lutheran. But a 3-1 win over Menlo (which went 9-3 in the Cal Pacific Conference last year and returned nearly everyone) and a 1-0 overtime victory at William Jessup (which went 5-9-2 last year and is two seasons removed from an 8-4-1 campaign in the Cal Pac) give reason to believe that being picked ahead of five other CCC teams may not have been such a liberal estimation of the Raiders' potential after all.

C of I was picked sixth in the CCC preseason poll after going 5-9 in the loop last season. Rocky Mountain is a first-year associate member of the CCC, but after going 11-10 in 2014 the Bears were picked to finish fourth and even received a couple first-place votes.

Quick Hits:
– Junior goalkeeper Tyler Luebbert was voted SOU's first-ever CCC defensive player of the week for being credited with SOU's first shutout in the win at William Jessup. The next, Jonathan Morales recorded the second.
– Ahmon Afenegus notched the game-winning assist at William Jessup (he was credited after Brendan Allen rebounded his miss) and scored the go-ahead goal two minutes into the win at Pacific Union. He is tied for team-highs with three goals and two assists. Allen also has three goals while Dakota Marquez and Brayan Molina both have two assists.
– Going into the weekend, the Raiders have gone 252 minutes without allowing a goal.
– Junior defender Johnnie Workman is SOU's leader in minutes played with 345.
 
About College of Idaho: The Coyotes won their only game against Sierra Nevada, 8-0, behind Joe Bolin's three goals… Bolin, a senior forward, was All-CCC a year ago with 15 goals, four game-winners and four assists. Senior defender Andres Idoeta was an honorable mention All-CCC performer in 2014… The Yotes were brought down last year by a five-game losing streak, during which they played four straight on the road.
 
About Rocky Mountain: The Bears have outscored their opponents 15-8 thus far, starting the season with a 6-5 win over fellow first-year CCC associate member Rocky Mountain… Jack Clancy and Nolan Sherwood lead the team with three goals apiece. Clancy scored 15 goals last season, putting 27 of his 50 shots on goal… They went 2-2-1 against CCC competition the last two seasons.