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

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon men's soccer team has caught fire at exactly the right time, setting up a pair of marquee Cascade Conference road games this weekend.

Riding a four-game win streak, the Raiders (4-5 overall, 4-0 CCC) will visit third-place Northwest Christian (2-4-1, 2-1-1) at 3 p.m. Friday, and they'll play at fifth-ranked Corban (8-0-1, 4-0), the CCC's only other unbeaten team, at 3 p.m. Saturday. Dating back to the 2015 season, they've won nine consecutive conference road games.

Last Week in Review: Playing at Raider Stadium for the first time this year, SOU took care of business against the CCC's cellar dwellers – defeating Multnomah on Friday, 1-0, and Walla Walla on Sunday, 9-0. Against Multnomah, the Raiders dominated the action with a 20-1 advantage in shots and Travis Hopkins scored the lone goal, his first of the season in the 50th minute, as the team secured its first shutout. Sunday's score was more reflective of the lopsided attack as the Raiders racked up another shot advantage of 25-6. Hopkins scored three goals in the first half, Carlos Magana scored three in the second, Mitchell Pinney bookended the afternoon with a pair of goals and Esteban Castaneda added the other.

Briefly:
– Magana's afternoon against Walla Walla was a welcome sign for the Raiders: He did all of his scoring in a five-minute span after entering the day with no goals. The all-conference forward is up to 13 goal in his two seasons with the Raiders, making him the top scorer in the three-year history of the program. The hat trick was his second; his other was also against the Wolves last year.
– Hopkins, Magana and Pinney are the first Raider trio to score multiple goals in the same game.
– During their CCC road win streak, the Raiders have outscored their opponents by a combined 30-5 margin.
– Another win Friday would match the longest overall streak in team history.
– At 3.2 shots per game, Sean McManamon ranks fifth in the CCC. Overall, SOU has out-shot its opponents 122-91, putting 61 of those on goal.

About Northwest Christian:
– Picked 12th in the preseason poll, the Beacons are attempting to finish .500 or better in the CCC for the first time. After opening with a loss at Northwest (2-1) and a draw at Evergreen (2-2), they pulled off back-to-back upsets last week at Providence (2-0) and Carroll (1-0).
– Last year's SOU-NCU matchup resulted in a 2-2 draw in Ashland. After the Raiders fell behind 2-0, McManamon scored in the 53rd minute and Magana in the 85th to tie it. SOU won the first matchup during the 2015 season in Eugene, 2-0, behind goals from Brendan Allen and Paul Matyas.
– Sanad Elghanai and Olisa Obianozie lead the team with two goals and one assist each. Keeper Yayo Olvera has allowed four goals with 25 saves in four games.

About Corban:
– The Warriors were the CCC's co-champions last year and this year's preseason favorites, bringing back three all-conference performers among seven returning starters.
– Last year's meeting was a 2-1, double-overtime win for the Warriors in Ashland. After Mitchell Pinney scored an equalizer for SOU in the 34th, the teams went silent until Timur Zhividze's golden goal in the 107th. The Warriors also won the 2015 matchup in Salem, 1-0.
– Zhividze was the CCC player of the Year with 23 goals and 11 assists in 2016, and the senior forward is up to five goals this season. Rolando Velazquez, another all-conference senior forward, owns five goals and three assists of his own. All-CCC keeper Jordan Farr, meanwhile, has helped Corban outscore opponents 23-9.