2:30 p.m. Friday – SOU at Menlo (Calif.) – Live Stats/Stream
2:30 p.m. Saturday – SOU vs. The Master's (Calif.) – Live Stats/Stream

ASHLAND – In three years Southern Oregon University went from a scrappy men's soccer newcomer, to title contender, to conference champion, making it easy to forget that five of the team's current players have been around since the program's conception.

A new head coach, Davie Carmichael, is now on board to navigate what to this point has been a linear progression for the Raiders. To continue the ascent, his team's task – to defend that championship and make waves on the national stage – may be the most daunting yet.

Continuity in terms of on-field personnel make a high aim inevitable. The Raiders lost just two starters and return 21 players from last year's team that had juggernaut tendencies, ranking second in the NAIA with 11 shutouts and outscoring opponents 28-4 during an 11-1-1 run in Cascade Conference play. But while many of the names will be familiar, Carmichael intends to make a fresh imprint from the sideline with a more possession-based style built on attacks from the back and through midfield.

"We just have a lot of creative players and a lot of layers to what they're capable of, so hopefully we'll let them show another side of their attacking play," Carmichael said. "I believe the team is evolving, and we're not there yet, but there is a lot of commitment to the new style of play."

LAST YEAR: A season that ended in CCC regular-season and tournament championships, along with the team's first berth in the NAIA National Tournament, wasn't always easy for the Raiders. Specifically, they were outscored 11-1 in non-conference play and entered their CCC opener 0-5 before stunning No. 9 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on the road. From that point on, their only loss in the circuit was at No. 5 Corban. And after clinching the regular-season championship on Mitchell Pinney's 100th-minute golden goal in the finale against Carroll (Mont.), they went on to get revenge against Corban with a 2-1 overtime win for the conference tournament championship. Their season ended in the first round of the national tourney, losing 3-2 at Georgia Gwinnett after the Grizzlies took the lead in the 74th minute.

PRESEASON POLLS: Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and Corban have taken the championship chase to the final day of the regular season three years in a row, getting company from SOU for the last two, and coaches around the circuit anticipate a similar scenario this fall. Rocky is the preseason pick to win the CCC, garnering 12 of 14 first-place votes, and is followed by Corban and SOU in the coaches' poll. Rocky has been a co-champion each of its three seasons in the CCC – though it was snubbed last year, missing out on the national tournament despite losing only one game – and is No. 17 in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll. Corban is No. 21, and SOU is receiving votes (36th overall) for the fourth poll in a row dating back to last year.

FIRST UP: The Raiders were originally scheduled to open at home, but their games Friday against Menlo (Calif.) and Saturday against The Master's (Calif.) will be played on Menlo's campus in Atherton, Calif., due to the air quality in Ashland. If the air improves, SOU will be at Raider Stadium for the first time on Sept. 1 against William Jessup before getting its first shot at a ranked opponent, Sept. 8 at No. 23 UC Merced. The CCC schedule starts with a heavyweight fight against Rocky on Sept. 14.

POSITION BY POSITION:
GOALKEEPERS: A couple months after it appeared in the preseason as though the Raiders may have keeping issues, the 6-foot-4 Wyatt Zabinski had emphatically put them to rest and was voted the 2017 CCC Defensive Player of the Year. He yielded 0.3 goals per game and had a conference-best .871 save percentage in CCC action, and he's back to reassume the starting post as a junior. He has able competition, too, in senior Damian Alatorre (who battled for the starting job last year) and freshman Kendal James.

"Wyatt is just very commanding of his box," Carmichael said. "He's a great shot-stopper and his distribution and decision-making is very good."

DEFENDERS: Whatever the Raiders' difference in style, the tough and compact nature of their back line should stay the same with Gonzalo Garcia, Kelly Gieber and Michael Miller all back to reassume their starting spots as juniors. The trio were each among the Raiders' leaders minutes played and at one point strung together 627 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. SOU gave up just 2.4 shots on goal per game during conference action, and Gieber ranked second among all players with five assists in CCC games, establishing a new team record with seven on the season.

"We have a ton of players who have been here, and also just a lot of guys who give us different dimensions and allow us to play a variety of ways according to who's out there," Carmichael said.

Their depth includes three more returning players: Daniel McDevitt, Lucas Wagar and Jonas Verrinder. Transfer Yan Pesoa de Oliveira is expected to contribute immediately, while other newcomers Zak Woolley, a freshman, and Omar Sosa, a junior, should also be in the mix.

MIDFIELDERS: Proper allocation of minutes may be the biggest challenge in regards to a midfield unit with plenty of proven commodities. It features a few all-conference selections, highlighted by seniors Ahmon Afenegus and Paul Matyas – both of whom have started since they were freshman. Matyas is the team's holding midfielder and led the Raiders in minutes last season while pulling in second-team Al-CCC and first-team Academic All-America plaudits, and Afenegus will be more of a winger with career totals of 13 assists and seven goals to his name. Esteban Castaneda and Zac Hansen, both juniors, scored five goals apiece in 2017 – Castaneda has three game-winners and Hansen tallied three in the postseason – and Renee Resendez returns after making 10 starts as a freshman. Senior Daniel Zamores and junior Roberto Lupera have been frequent contributors throughout their careers, and Carmichael will add three transfers – Luis Aguilar, Ieann Vasquez and Alejandro Velazquez – to the rotation. A freshman, Izaiha Bruce, could make the biggest impact of all the newcomers.

"There's experience on top of experience at midfield," Carmichael said. "There are a lot of options to play with and it's exciting to watch."

FORWARDS: The Raiders thrived on balance in 2017 but have a few individuals capable of scoring in bunches, starting with their central strikers. Senior Mitchell Pinney was All-CCC honorable mention with five goals a year ago, putting 14 of his 25 shots on goal. Junior Brendan Allen scored eight goals as a freshman, landing on the All-CCC second team, and transitioned back to the team in a reserve role last year after attending Arizona State in 2016. Noah Addie, a freshman from Parkrose High, will also see time at the position.

On the wings, Carlos Magana was the CCC Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore and enters his senior season with 14 goals. Junior Jared Delaney and sophomore Junior Rivas, who were both in the rotation last year, are back along with Afenegus, and freshman Angel Zamores will provide additional depth.

"All of our strikers have different dimensions," Carmichael said, "and they play off each other very well."