2:30 p.m. Friday – College of Idaho (3-3-3, 2-2-1) at SOU (5-3-1, 2-1-1)
1:30 p.m. Saturday – Eastern Oregon (7-0-2, 4-0-1) at SOU (5-3-1, 2-1-1)
LIVE STREAMS | LIVE STATS

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University women's soccer team spent the first couple months of the 2019 season collecting some of its highest-quality wins ever. The degree to which it will be taken seriously as a player in the Cascade Conference championship race could depend on getting another one this weekend at Raider Stadium.

After Sunday's last-minute loss at red-hot Rocky Mountain (Mont.), the Raiders (5-3-1 overall, 2-1-1 CCC) return to Ashland this weekend for two more tough matchups. At 2:30 p.m. Friday, they'll host a College of Idaho (3-3-3, 2-2-1) team with no bad losses on its ledger. And at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, they'll host a sixth-ranked Eastern Oregon (7-0-2, 4-0-1) team with no losses at all and intentions to win a third straight CCC title.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: In the Raiders' lone outing last week, Lauryn Gamache scored with 52 seconds left to deliver a 1-0 Rocky Mountain win and break SOU's hearts one more time. The goal was Gamache's third game-winner and fifth goal against the Raiders in four years. SOU keeper Kailey Lemon made 12 saves before it got through, but the Raiders were out-shot 21-10 and the Bears earned eight corner kicks to SOU's one.

NAIA TOP 25: After spending the last month in the coaches' poll for the first time, the Raiders dropped out from their No. 23 post when the newest edition was released on Monday. Eastern Oregon stayed at No. 6, the highest ranking in team history. But first-place Northwest (Wash.) (9-2, 5-0) remained a puzzling omission, especially given its three consecutive appearances in the national tournament and last year's NAIA quarterfinal showing. The Eagles are receiving only the seventh-most votes among unranked teams, while SOU is 11th in that category.

BRIEFLY:

• The Raiders are riding a 13-game home unbeaten streak. Their last loss in Ashland was a 4-0 decision against EOU on Oct. 6, 2017. Since that day, they haven't allowed more than one goal in a single home outing.
• SOU's keepers, Lemon and Jessie Selby, have recorded 10-plus saves three times this season. In the previous four seasons combined, SOU's keepers collected 10 or more saves just twice.
• The Raiders have earned three CCC Defensive Player of the Week awards: two for Selby, and one last week for Trinity Rhoades. Selby's goals-allowed average (0.38) is the ninth-best in the NAIA; she's made 41 saves and given up two, one of them a penalty kick.
• Freshman Baylee Touey leads the team with six goals and one assist, ahead of three Raiders with two goals apiece: Kaya Baird, Madison Childers and Aislinn Waite. SOU's all-time goals leader, Stephanie Carr, scored just two of her 36 career goals as a freshman.
• SOU has allowed two goals in four CCC games, an average that trails only Oregon Tech (0.25) and Rocky (0.33).

ABOUT COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The Yotes' circuit losses were dealt by two of the CCC leaders, Corban and EOU, and they're fresh off of a 1-1 tie against Carroll that was preceded by a 2-0 win over Providence. They've given up just six goals thanks to a team save average of .846, and Madison Glascock heads the attack with three goals and two assists. SOU is 12-10-1 in the series against C of I – including 7-1-1 in the last nine matchups – and the Yotes haven't won in Ashland since 2009.

ABOUT EASTERN OREGON: The Mountaineers have outscored CCC opponents 20-3, the lone blemish on their record a 2-2 draw at Corban. Since dropping their 2018 opener, they're unbeaten in 16 consecutive CCC contests. Senior Nan Kiebert (5 goals, 4 assists) and junior Morgan Farrington (5 goals, 3 assists) have transformed into their top offensive weapons after combining for 12 points last year, and sophomore Mackinley Gregus (5 goals, 1 assist) already owns 16 collegiate goals. SOU is 14-6-1 in the head-to-head matchup but has dropped three of its last four against EOU.