4 p.m. Saturday – SOU at The Master's (Calif.)
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ASHLAND – Going into Davie Carmichael's fourth season as head coach, the Southern Oregon University men's soccer team's transformation is all but complete.

Not that there was anything wrong with the results when Biniam Afenegus was handed the keys to a brand new program in 2015 and turned the Raiders into Cascade Conference champions by their third season. But the physical, bully-ball style his teams became known for has been replaced by a highly-skilled, possession-oriented roster that Carmichael hopes can make the Raiders contenders at the national level, too.

"It's the deepest squad in every position we've had and it feels like we've been building up to it for a while," Carmichael said. "Right now we're just trying to manipulate a formation that allows us to get our best boys on the pitch, and that part's been tough."

Carmichael's teams have gone 34-9-5 overall and 24-3-3 in conference action. This one is trying to get the Raiders back to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2018 after last year's got through just four of 10 scheduled CCC contests and five overall due to protocols related to Covid-19 exposure.

"The boys are sharp and I think are used to dealing with some adversity at this point," Carmichael said. "Hopefully they're a little hungrier than most teams because of what they know they missed out on a few months ago."

PRESEASON POLLS: The Raiders were picked third in the CCC preseason coaches' poll behind the usual suspects, Corban and Rocky Mountain. Those three teams have occupied to top-three spots in some order each of the last three seasons, and in the spring Corban won the West division and Rocky won the East. Those divisions – which were put in place temporarily to limit travel and potential exposure to Covid-19 – are gone, and SOU will again play one game against each of the other 13 teams in the conference. Corban was the CCC's lone representative in the NAIA Top 25 preseason poll at No. 20, and Rocky is receiving votes.

LAST SEASON: SOU is following up on 4-1 overall and 3-1 conference recofds. The Raiders won two against Bushnell, split with Warner Pacific and took a non-conference game off of NCAA Division II foe Humboldt State (Calif.). Cumulatively they outscored their opponents 9-2, and they didn't lose any starters over the offseason.

FIRST UP: The Raiders tuned up with a 3-2 exhibition victory over Humboldt last week, getting goals from Noah Addie, Alan Gaytan and Junior Rivas. They'll open in earnest at 4 p.m. Saturday at The Master's (Calif.), a member of the Golden State Athletic Conference that went 3-6-2 last spring. SOU is scheduled to play next week at Raider Stadium, hosting Simpson (Calif.) on Thursday and William Jessup (Calif.) on Saturday. Per new SOU policy, all fans 12 and older will be required to show proof of vaccination against Covid-19 or a negative test upon entry, and masks will be required at all times regardless of vaccination status.

POSITION-BY-POSITION
FORWARDS: In their third seasons with the team, wingers Alan Gaytan and Sam Walker have solidified their roles in the Raiders' attack. Both have earned All-CCC recognition twice – Gaytan with nine goals and five assists in 24 career games, and Walker with eight goals and seven assists in 25 career games.

Adrian Villegas, who debuted with Gaytan and Walker in 2019, is used in a variety of roles across the top, but regardless of position is one of the craftiest creators in the conference. As a freshman, he earned NAIA All-America honorable mention status after compiling the top statistical season ever for a Raider with 10 goals and 11 assists.

All three could lead the Raiders in goals, and Carmichael has one more player who he believes fits into that category: Luis Navarrete, a 6-foot transfer from Wenatchee Valley C.C. (Wash.) who delivered 10 goals and five assists over 12 games as a sophomore. Throw in junior Noah Addie (15 career goals), who led the teams in goals three years ago, and Evan Norconk, who debuted as a freshman in the spring, and the position is rich with options.

"They're still young and fresh in that group but really sharp, and they're a lot more experienced than they were a couple years ago," he said. "I also think Navarrete has really stabilized things for us, and with the style we want to play he's going to make everyone better."

MIDFIELDERS: Junior Rivas (5 goals, 6 assists career), a veteran of 56 games at SOU, is the captain and leader of the midfield, setting the tone and tempo according to Carmichael. New at holding-midfielder, though, is one of the best players he says he's ever coached: Joao de Santos, a Brazilian who transferred to SOU prior to last season from Fresno C.C. (Calif.) but didn't get to debut until the season finale.

"He gives us so much comfort there," Carmichael said. "It completely changes our team."

Villegas can also shift to midfield, as can second-year players Sky Charley-Bolyard and Moises Hernandez from the defense. The Raiders have additional depth in a handful of returners, including Izaiha Bruce, Jack Fecteau, Austin Mahoney, Isaias Monjaras and Renee Resendez, a starter from 2017-19 who is expected to return soon after missing last spring.

DEFENDERS: Carmichael worries transitional defense could be a weakness due to an influx of players new to the rotation, but the back line won't lack for talent. Back for his fourth season, junior Zak Woolley is now a two-time All-Cascade Conference second-team selection and has been part of 26 shutouts. With him on the field, opponents have averaged less than three shots on goal per game against the Raiders.

He'll be a central defender along with two promising freshmen: Elijah Garriss, who redshirted the spring but starred this summer on the Portland Timbers U23 team and can also play forward; and Brad Thomas, a freshman who accumulated high-level playing experience in New Zealand since graduating in 2019. Charley-Bolyard will also be in the mix.

"We have a lot of depth at that position and we might just going to have to figure out who fits best for each particular game," Carmichael said. "But one thing is, they're all pretty versatile and we can move them around."

At right and left-back, the Raiders will likely start Hernandez and Carlos Diaz. Hernandez was arguably SOU's best creator as a true freshman midfielder/forward during the spring, recording two goals and two assists, and when the Raiders transition into their attack he can become a midfielder again. Diaz, now a senior, started all five games in his first season with the team, as did Omar Navarro-Ramirez, who also returns as a senior.

GOALKEEPERS: Senior Liam Kalhagen is the incumbent starter for the Raider in goal. In his first season with the job, he and the Raiders gave up just two goals. In 440 minutes of work, the 6-foot-5 product of Camas, Wash., faced 42 shots and made 12 saves.

SOU's other option is Anthony Armenta, a junior in his second season with the Raiders. Though he played just 11 minutes in the spring, he proved himself as a full-time starter at Lane C.C. in 2019 with a 0.83 goals-allowed average.

"They're both solid and have different attributes," Carmichael said. "That's another position where it could just be dependent on what kind of game we're up against."