CCC CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESENTED BY U.S. BANK
Willamalane Sports Complex | Springfield, Ore.
Live Stats/Streams | Tournament Central
WEDNESDAY (CCC QUARTERFINALS)
5 p.m. – #1 Southern Oregon (11-0-2) vs. #8 Oregon Tech (6-6-1)
5 p.m. – #2 Corban (11-1-1) vs. #7 Carroll (6-6-1)
8 p.m. – #3 Rocky Mountain (9-3-0) vs. #6 Evergreen (5-4-4)
8 p.m. – #4 Eastern Oregon (8-2-3) vs. #5 Providence (6-4-3)
THURSDAY (CCC SEMIFINALS)
7 p.m. – Highest remaining seed vs. Lowest remaining seed
7 p.m. – Next-highest seed vs. Next-lowest seed
SATURDAY (CCC CHAMPIONSHIP)
3 p.m. – Semifinal winners

For the second year in a row, the Southern Oregon University men's soccer team will enter the Cascade Conference Championships presented by U.S. Bank with the pressure off and its spot in the NAIA National Tournament secure.

In 2017, that proved to be a good thing. And on Wednesday, the top-seeded and 14^th-ranked Raiders (14-2-2 overall, 11-0-2 CCC) will set out to defend their tournament title starting with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 8 seed Oregon Tech (7-8-2, 6-6-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Willamalane Sports Complex in Springfield, as the Raiders go for a repeat of a 2-0 win over the Owls on Oct. 20 in Ashland.

NAIA TOP 25: SOU was 14^th in the NAIA coaches' poll again Tuesday, maintaining the spot for the third consecutive set of rankings. Corban also stayed at No. 16, and Rocky Mountain (Mont.) continued to receive votes.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: The eight-team CCC Tournament will be re-seeded following the quarterfinal round, meaning if the top-seeded Raiders advance they'll play the lowest remaining seed in Thursday's 7 p.m. semifinals. Unlike years past, the teams will get a day off before Saturday's 3 p.m. championship.

By winning the regular-season title, the Raiders have already reserved the CCC's first automatic bid to the 31-team NAIA Tournament. The second automatic bid will go to the tourney champion, or whoever plays SOU in the final if the Raiders advance. On Nov. 17, 15 NAIA Opening Round games will be held at campus sites across the country. The pairings, and hosts, will be selected by the NAIA Soccer Championship Committee, which will be guided by the NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll as well as the NAIA MRPI rankings. SOU was 27^th in the most recent MRPI, released on Oct. 17, but the final ranking will come out Friday.

SOU POSTSEASON HISTORY: The Raiders made their first playoff appearance in 2016, the team's second season, and were eliminated in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals by Carroll. At last year's CCC Tournament, their overtime stints were more successful: In the quarterfinals, Zac Hansen headed in an Esteban Castaneda pass in the 91^st minute for a 1-0 defeat of College of Idaho, and after a 66^th-minute winner from Mitchell Pinney in a 1-0 semifinal defeat of Northwest Christian, they knocked off Corban in the 99^th for the title, 2-1, on a Logan Guler header. Their first-ever national tournament appearance resulted in a 3-2 NAIA Opening Round loss to No. 8 Georgia Gwinnett.

ABOUT OREGON TECH:

• The Raiders are now 4-0 against the Owls and have shut them out in the last three meetings. On Oct. 20, Noah Addie and Mitchell Pinney supplied the goals.
• The Owls are coming off a confounding final weekend of the CCC regular season; they lost 4-0 at Carroll and won 4-0 at Providence to clinch their third straight tournament berth. They were bounced in the quarterfinal round the last two years.
• OIT went 0-4 against the CCC's top-four seeds in the regular season. The Owls have been outscored by opponents, 26-27, and are led by Trinidad Flores (5 goals, 1 assist), Lodewijk Bloemzaad (4 goals, 2 assists) and Anthony Santillan (3 goals, 3 assists).