3 p.m. Friday – Walla Walla (0-7-1) at SOU (8-1)
1 p.m. Saturday – Carroll (2-4-2) at SOU (8-1)
LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM | TICKETS

ASHLAND – The pressure of maintaining a perfect record is off, but the Southern Oregon University men's soccer team knows it can't afford many more slip-ups as the chase for a Cascade Conference championship continues this weekend at Raider Stadium.

Coming off their setback, the Raiders (8-1 overall, 4-1 CCC) have two opportunities to rebound on their home turf, hosting Walla Walla (Wash.) (0-7-1, 0-6) at 3 p.m. Friday and Carroll (Mont.) (2-4-2, 2-2-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday. They enter the matchups among four one-loss teams that top the standings with eight regular season games to go.

FAN POLICY: All fans 12 and older planning to attend are subject to SOU's new vaccination policy, which requires proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 or a negative test taken no more than 48 hours prior to entry. Photo ID must be presented for verification. Per state mandate, non-participants will also be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.

NAIA TOP 25: The Raiders were still receiving votes in Wednesday's latest NAIA Top 25, but not as many as they were prior to the split of their road trip to Montana. They stand at No. 35 overall in the poll, down nine spots after they were the first team out of the Top 25 last week. Among CCC teams, Corban is the only other receiving votes at No. 27 overall. The Modified RPI rankings – which are used by the NAIA Championships Selection Committee to award at-large bids for the 40-team national tournament – view the conference more favorably: SOU was No. 20 (prior to its loss) in last week's first such rankings, while Warner Pacific was No. 33 and Corban was No. 36. The next RPI will be released on Oct. 20, and the third and final comes out Nov. 12.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: The Raiders matched the longest winning streak in team history at eight games with last Friday's 2-1 overtime win at Rocky Mountain (Mont.), which Luis Navarrete ended on a perfect free kick for the golden goal in the 95th minute. Alan Gaytan had leveled the score in the 79th after SOU fell behind eight minutes earlier. A day later at Providence (Mont.), Argos attacker Tomeu Nebot Schmalfe ended the streak by scoring the first goal and assisting the second in a 2-0 decision. The numbers suggested the Raiders deserved better; they ran up advantages of 21-5 in shots, 6-3 in shots on goal and 6-2 in corner kicks but were shut out for the first time in 10 games dating back to last spring anyway.

BRIEFLY:

• Gaytan's goal at Providence was his seventh in a seven-game stretch. It was also the 16th of his career, tying him at No. 3 on SOU's career list. He owns four goals in CCC play, ranking fourth on the conference leaderboard, and his average of 4.2 shots per game tops the circuit. He and Joao de Santos have recorded three game-winning goals apiece.
• Dating back to 2019, the Raiders have produced as many or more shots and shots on goal than their opponents in 24 consecutive games. In the shots-on-goal department this season, they're nearly doubling up (72) their opponents (37), which has translated to a 19-9 goals advantage.
• SOU hasn't lost back-to-back conference games since the team's inaugural season in 2015. The Raiders haven't been shut out in back-to-back conference games since that year either.
• In its last 40 games at Raider Stadium, SOU is 33-4-3.

ABOUT WALLA WALLA: The Wolves got their lone point in a draw with George Fox during nonleague play. In CCC games, they've been outscored 28-5. SOU has won all five of its matchups with the Wolves by a combined score of 45-2. Pedro Reyes leads the team with two goals and one assist.

ABOUT CARROLL: The Raiders should be tested by the Saints, whose only CCC losses were decided by a goal apiece against first-place Corban and Warner Pacific. They tied both Northwest (Wash.) and Evergreen (Wash.) in 1-1 decisions last week as keeper Kaden Connor accumulated 11 saves. Their attack is headed by Rory Bloy (5 goals, 1 assist), Santiago Morazzani (4 goals, 1 assist) and Nick Lowrimore (3 goals, 1 assist). In the head-to-head series, the Raiders have won four straight CCC games against them.