TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

SPRINGFIELD – Southern Oregon bowed out of the Cascade Conference Championships presented by U.S. Bank on Wednesday night, leaving behind standing water at Les Schwab Sports Park after a downpour and a 1-0 loss to College of Idaho in the semifinal round.

The Yotes (14-5), seeded No. 3 in the tournament, struck in the 40th minute before conditions turned too miserable as Payton Mongelli assisted Alexa Rierson.

The No. 2-seeded Raiders (12-5-2) lost for the second time in their last 12 games. Both blows were dealt by the Yotes.

Rierson's goal ended their shutout streak at 599 minutes. Their unbeaten streak – extended by Tuesday's scoreless quarterfinal draw with Rocky Mountain (Mont.) that concluded triumphantly in a shootout – ended at six games.

Advancement would've given SOU an automatic bid in the 40-team NAIA national tournament. The bid instead goes to C of I, which will meet regular season champion Oregon Tech in Friday's title game.

The Raiders are still in position to be hopeful about receiving an at-large bid to the national tourney. The field will be announced Monday. In Wednesday's final NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll, they were receiving votes at No. 32 overall. And in the last Modified RPI that was released on Oct. 20, they were No. 38. The final RPI, set to be finalized Friday, will heavily influence the NAIA Soccer Championships Selection Committee.

Considering the conditions, SOU's inability to find a goal against C of I could be forgiven. Only five shots on goal were recorded between the teams all game. Passes routinely stopped short of their intended destinations due to the aforementioned standing water on the artificial turf.

SOU accumulated a 14-11 advantage in total shots. C of I's Shae Waters made three saves to preserve the shutout.