1:30 p.m. Thursday – SOU vs. The Master's (Atherton, CA)
4 p.m. Friday – SOU at #22 Menlo (Atherton, CA)
Live Streams/Stats

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University men's soccer team is still thinking Cascade Conference championships and national playoffs. Entering year three of the team's existence, the Raiders can bet that opponents are no longer doubting the validity of their aspirations.

It took head coach Biniam Afenegus almost no time at all to make a contender out of SOU within a conference that remains packed with obstacles. The Raiders were one of four teams with a shot to win the CCC going into the final day of the 2016 regular season and have brought back 23 players who helped them reach that point, including nine starters and four who have already established themselves as all-conference caliber.

"It's nice feeling like we were able to kind of pick up where we left off last year and have a good understanding of who our top 16 to 18 guys are going to be," Afenegus said. "The learning curve is falling a lot faster and that has a lot to do with the leadership we have on the field, which wasn't quite as established the first two years. We're still young but for the first time we have guys who have been together for three years now, so it should be pretty exciting to watch."

LAST YEAR: After going 10-8 overall and 5-8 in the CCC during their inaugural season, the Raiders demonstrated marked improvement in 2016 with an 11-3-3 record and a 9-2-2 mark in the CCC that put them in a tie for third place. Playing without leading scorer Carlos Magana, they were eliminated by Carroll (Mont.) in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament in penalty kicks, 6-5, following a scoreless draw through the regulation and overtime periods. In conference action they outscored their opponents 34-10 – ranking first in goals allowed and third in goals scored after being picked in the preseason to finish eighth in the circuit.

PRESEASON POLLS: The Raiders landed at fourth in this year's CCC coaches' preseason poll despite their load of returning players. They were picked behind the three teams with the heaviest international influence on their rosters – defending co-champions Corban and Rocky Mountain (Mont.), and last year's fifth-place finisher Providence (Mont.) (formerly known as Great Falls). To this point, Corban and Rocky are the only teams SOU has yet to take a point from, and among Corban's nine returning starters is Timur Zhividze, the reigning CCC Player of the Year. Corban is No. 10 and Rocky is No. 20 in the preseason NAIA Top 25, while SOU is receiving votes for the first time.

FIRST UP: With scrimmages against Oregon State and Humboldt State (Calif.) under their belts, the Raiders will be tested this week with Thursday's opener against The Master's (Calif.) and Friday's game at 22nd-ranked Menlo in Atherton, Calif. Their pre-conference slate also includes an NCAA Division II opponent – Dominican (Calif.) on Sept. 1 – and a matchup at No. 9 Marymount (Calif.) on Sept. 9. From there, they'll open CCC play at Rocky on Sept. 15, and they'll be home for the first time on Sept. 22 against Multnomah.

POSITION BY POSITION
FORWARDS: Carlos Magana gave the Raiders instant offense during his sophomore season on his way to claiming the CCC Newcomer of the Year award. Though he only started nine games, he finished with 10 goals and punched in nine of them during conference play to finish third on the CCC list. He'll be depended on again, but some of the pressure should be alleviated with the welcome return of sophomore Brendan Allen. In 2015, Allen became the first All-CCC selection in Raider history after recording eight goals, including four of the game-winning variety. He did not compete last year, electing to transfer to Arizona State for academic reasons, but rejoined the team in the spring. Along with them, the Raiders have another legitimate threat in speedy junior Mitchell Pinney, who last year went for five goals and three assists mainly as a reserve.

"Those guys are all pretty greedy," Afenegus said. "They're very athletic and strong, and they've given a lot of conference defenders some issues."

MIDFIELDERS: At holding-midfield, junior stalwart Paul Matyas figures to be a third-year starter after logging the second-most minutes for last year's stingy team with totals of four goals and two assists. Renee Resendez – an all-state performer at McMinnville High, where he had eight goals and 18 assists for a team that advanced to the 6A state championship game – could also see minutes at the position.

All-conference junior Ahmon Afenegus, whose six assists ranked second in the CCC, is back for the third year in a row to start at left-midfield, and he'll be complemented by Jared Delaney, who earned considerable minutes as a true freshman. On the right side, returning starter Travis Hopkins (two goals) and the aforementioned Pinney will be the primary options.

The pileup is at the center-mid spot. All-conference senior Sean McManamon (four goals, six assists) was SOU's second-leading points scorer and is the incumbent starter, and he's being pushed by freshman Junior Rivas – Resendez's teammate at McMinnville High, where he racked up 24 goals and 13 assists as a senior alone. The Raiders have more capable legs in junior Daniel Zamores and sophomore Roberto Lupera, both key reserves a season ago.

"They're all very good ball-handlers and can beat teams with the dribble or the pass," Afenegus said. "The central-midfielders are technically sound, and the wingers are pretty athletic and skillful, too."

DEFENDERS: SOU brings back nearly every defender from last year's sturdy unit, though injuries and the graduation of starter Brett Butler have complicated the depth. Gonzalo Garcia returns to left-back after taking over the starting job as a redshirt-freshman in 2016, while at center-back the Raiders have Logan Guler and sophomore Zac Hansen, who took over for Guler as a starter midway through the season after he was lost to injury.

At right-back, Kelly Gieber will look to build on a standout freshman campaign in which he tallied a goal and five assists. During preseason practice, though, he's gotten competition from another speedy sophomore, Michael Miller. Gavenn Saftich, a freshman from Washington's Skyview High, has also impressed early and could factor into the mix.

"The center-defenders have good size and can hold their own against bigger, faster forwards in the conference, and our outside backs have shown they have great speed and can attack when they get the opportunity," Afenegus said.  

GOALKEEPERS: Perhaps the biggest hole to fill is at keeper. Last year, the goal was manned by Jonathan Morales, an all-conference selection who allowed just 0.6 goals per game. With him gone, the Raiders will turn to 6-foot-4 sophomore Wyatt Zabinksi – who saw action in four games as a freshman – and 6-3 junior Damian Alatorre, a transfer from College of the Redwoods. According to Afenegus, they'll split time to start the year.