11 a.m. Thursday – SOU at Oregon Tech – Live Stats | Live Stream

ASHLAND – During her team's first scrimmage late last week, one thing popped out more than any other at Southern Oregon University women's soccer coach Jenni Rosenberg: the size of the field.

There was nothing off about the dimensions in question, aside from the fact that they bore little resemblance to those of the gymnasiums the Raiders have found themselves mostly stranded in since reporting to camp. Training sessions on the Raider Stadium turf have been rare due to the smoke circulating through the Rogue Valley in recent weeks, leaving the team a little behind schedule heading into Thursday's regular-season opener at Oregon Tech.

The scenario would have caused greater panic a year ago, when the Raiders were busy replacing seven seniors who led the team to its first Cascade Conference title in 2016. This fall, Rosenberg returns 10 players who cracked the starting lineup during a transitional season of sorts that SOU finished 10-7-1.

"It's been tough – the pace on a wood floor just doesn't compare to the real thing, and most days we're not even shooting on regulation-sized goals – but this is such a driven team that it doesn't take a lot of pushing to get them going and to do the best they can with whatever circumstances they're given," Rosenberg said. "A lot is up in the air right now, and it's going to be that way until we're in shape and get a better feel for what we have, but this group is here to learn and very excited to get going."

LAST YEAR: Despite playing its first four Cascade Conference games on the road – and seven of 11 conference contests overall – SOU went 7-4 within the circuit for its eighth consecutive postseason appearance and the No. 5 seed in the CCC Tournament. The Raiders shut out five conference opponents (a year after blanking nine of them) and won four 1-0 decisions with an unpredictable attack; all seven of their CCC game-winners were scored by different players. They were eliminated in a penalty shootout by Corban in the CCC quarterfinal round, finishing with a 16-14 goals advantage against conference opponents. Daisy Cervantes earned first-team All-CCC recognition, while Maddy Spanger and Makena Totushek received honorable mention. They graduated their top scorer, All-CCC performer Kelsey Randall, but 44 of their 68 total points were produced by individuals who are back for 2018.

PRESEASON POLLS: Eastern Oregon is favored to win the CCC after capturing the regular-season and tournament titles for the first time last year. Corban, Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Northwest (Wash.) and Oregon Tech are ahead of SOU, which was No. 6 in the coaches' poll. The Raiders haven't finished lower than fifth, however, since the 2007 season, and are 32-17-2 in CCC games since Rosenberg took over in 2013. In the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll, EOU is the conference's lone representative at No. 25.

FIRST UP: Pending the air quality in Klamath Falls, SOU will open at 11 a.m. Thursday in a nonleague game at Oregon Tech. A three-game swing to California will include road matchups against a pair of ranked opponents: No. 17 The Master's on Aug. 31 and No. 8 Westmont on Sept. 3. Two home games – Sept. 7 against Menlo (Calif.) and Sept. 9 against UC Merced – will lead SOU into the CCC slate, which opens at Raider Stadium on Sept. 14-15 with Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and The College of Idaho.

POSITION BY POSITION:
DEFENDERS: Goals were at a premium last year in the CCC, when five teams gave up less than one per game and the Raiders yielded an average of 1.2. They'll expect that number to dip with a sturdy back line of Daisy Cervantes, Trinity Rhoades, Jazmin Shaffer and Maddy Spangler, each of whom were regular starters last year. Cervantes, a senior and third-year starter, and Rhoades, a sophomore, will also give the Raiders speed up the sidelines, and they have a wealth of depth in returners Cassandra Kohler, Macaylea Mitchell and Brionna Wood. Two freshmen, Kaya Baird and Tabitha Wheeler, are also fighting for minutes.

"It's a strong, tenacious group," Rosenberg said. "We have a lot of capable people who have proven themselves back there."

MIDFIELDERS: Assuming a starting position for the third year in a row, Makena Totushek is a dependable extension of the defense at holding-midfield and a capable playmaker with career totals of seven goals and six assists, having ranked second on the team with 14 shots on goal last year. At attacking-mid, Aislinn Waite is coming off a sophomore season in which she made 16 starts and scored three goals. Freshman Kiani Pandoliano is expected to made immediate contributions as an attacking-midfielder or forward, and junior Simone Schroder could push for a starting spot as her role expands. Sophomore Gabi Nevinger and redshirt-freshman Ruth Hegstad will be in the mix, too, and the aforementioned Baird and Wheeler could move to holding-midfield.

"They're a mobile group; they move a lot and they're all very good with the ball," Rosenberg said. "Makena is an awesome player who's going to be a leader there, and she's up for the challenge as a senior."

FORWARDS: Among SOU's attackers, junior Mia Volpatti is the most established after tallying five goals and a team-high three assists in 2017. She put 12 of her 28 shots on goal and should see those numbers spike with the departure of Randall, who left a six-goal void.

"Mia has done an incredible job over the last few years of turning herself into a core player," Rosenberg said. "She's good on the ball and sees the field really well."

She'll be complemented by a cast of returning players that includes Misty Martinez and Mitchell, as well Hawaii Pacific transfer Maddie Casey. Freshmen Alivia Quitugua and Pandoliano will get early chances to prove themselves too.

GOALKEEPERS: The only thing clear about the keeper position is that the Raiders will be turning to their third different starter in three years. Rosenberg has yet to settle on who it will be as competition continues between junior transfer Kailey Lemon and freshman Jessie Selby. Lemon didn't allow a goal last season in 463 minutes but only needed to make six saves for junior-college powerhouse Fresno City (Calif.), and Selby is coming off a successful prep career at Mountain View High (Wash.).

"We'll see how it plays out, but they're both extraordinarily tough and good communicators."