1 p.m. Friday – SOU at Northwest Christian – Live Stream/Stats
12 p.m. Saturday – SOU at Corban – Live Stream/Stats

ASHLAND – Following a grueling 18-day period in which the Southern Oregon women's soccer team knocked out seven games on the road, the Raiders will have enjoyed 11 full days off by the time they re-take the field for a pair of Cascade Conference matches this weekend.

They'll be right back on the road, however. On Friday, the Raiders (4-4 overall, 1-1 CCC) play a 1 p.m. game at Northwest Christian (1-5, 1-3). And at noon Saturday, they'll take a shot at Corban (6-3-1, 3-0-1), which has an early leg up in the CCC title chase.

Coming Up: Finally, on Oct. 6 and 7, SOU will be home for the first time since its Aug. 24 opener against Oregon Tech to host Eastern Oregon and Warner Pacific at Raider Stadium. Both games start at 4:30 p.m. Their road-heavy schedule – an imbalance caused by the CCC's additions on the men's side of Multnomah and Walla Walla, neither of which have women's teams – has the Raiders playing seven of their 11 games on the road for the second time in three years. Dating back to the 2015 season, they've gone 9-4 in their conference away games.

Opening Weekend in Review: SOU was last in action on the opening weekend of CCC play, which started with a 4-3, double-overtime loss at Rocky Mountain (Mont.). The Raiders led 3-1 in the 66th minute after Kelsey Randall scored her second goal of the afternoon, but four minutes later Rocky's comeback began as Lauryn Gamache scored three goals in a row – the last, a golden goal, in the 106th minute. It was the first time the Raiders had allowed four scores in a CCC game in 11 years.

They got back on the right foot two days later, on Sept. 17, with a 1-0 defeat of The College of Idaho. Junior forward Yvonne Valencia tallied the lone goal in the 64th minute on a ball that was served into the box by Makena Totushek, and keeper Hannah Ceciliani secured the shutout on a day when the Yotes were held to four shots. It was SOU's second shutout of the season.

Briefly:
– Randall's goals at Rocky were the 10th and 11th of her SOU career. The senior forward, an NAIA All-American shortstop for the Raider softball team, is the 13th individual in team history to hit a double-digit goal total.
– Since the start of 2016, the Raiders have shut out 10 of their last 13 opponents in CCC play.
– Maddy Spangler had the team's other goal last week, becoming the eight Raider to tally this season. With three goals and two assists, Mia Volpatti leads the team in points.

About Northwest Christian:
– The Raiders have never lost against the Beacons, leading the all-time series 11-0-1, and have shut them out three years in a row and seven of the last eight. They won two matchups last year – 2-0 in a regular-season matchup in Ashland behind goals for Totushek and Megan McArthur, and 1-0 in the first round of the CCC tournament.
– The Beacons have yet to play at home and lost a pair of games decided by one goal last weekend in Montana, at Providence (3-2) and Carroll (2-1). Four of their five losses overall have been decided by a single goal.
– Libby Gregory's two goals and one assist lead the team, which has been out-shot 90-68. Keeper Katie Hastings has made 30 saves with 10 goals allowed.

About Corban:
– SOU is 7-19-2 in the series with the Warriors, but 4-2-1 since 2011. Last year's matchup, a 5-0 win in Ashland, was the product of a pair of goals from Randall and two more from McArthur.
– The Warriors have exceeded expectations after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches' poll. Playing exclusively on the road in circuit play thus far, they've already won at then-No. 23 Northwest (Wash.) and earned a draw last week at preseason favorite Carroll (Mont.).
– They've outscored opponents 18-11 and out-shot them 48-28. Annouscka Kordom, a sophomore product of Namibia, has a team-high five goals with one assist, but four other Warriors have recorded multiple goals too.