KLAMATH FALLS – An unprecedented comeback gave the Southern Oregon men's soccer team a 3-2 victory over Oregon Tech and new life in the Cascade Conference on Friday afternoon at OIT Soccer Field.
For the first time in the program's eight-season history, the Raiders rallied to win after facing a two-goal deficit by scoring three unanswered. In the process, they ended their archrivals' 15-game regular-season unbeaten streak that dated back to the Owls' 1-0 loss at SOU 364 days ago.
Kaden Barker scored a remarkable deciding goal fitting for the occasion in the 74th minute. On a counter, the sophomore from Bend took the ball from beyond midfield, shed a defender off his back and streaked into a 35-yard missile of a strike that left OIT keeper Joel Witts no chance while finding the upper-right pocket.
The Raiders, who dropped their first two conference contests last week in Washington, improved to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the CCC. The Owls (3-1-2, 2-1) – last year's CCC co-champions – had given up fewer than two goals in each of their previous 16 home games dating back to 2019.
Barker's first career goal was perhaps even less stunning than the sequence of events that left the score leveled at 2-all. The Owls got on the board a minute into the game when Cade O'Neill took a shot out of a scrum that deflected off a Raider defender and snuck into the net, and O'Neill made it 2-0 in the 10th minute by volleying in Andrew Pasang's cross from the corner.
Adrian Villegas reenergized the Raiders in the 33rd, rebounding
Tybalt Thornberry's miss to take a shot from the top of the box that nicked the crossbar and bounced in. Four minutes later,
Alan Gaytan lined in a strike while laid out on his side to equalize.
Thornberry and
Noah Addie were credited with assists.
The Raiders totaled 10 shots and limited OIT to eight despite playing without all-conference defender
Zak Woolley and losing another defender,
Robby Running, to injury 20 seconds into the game. Barker was the reserve who came on to fill his spot.
They improved to 7-1-1 all-time against the Owls, who are now coached by former SOU player and assistant Sean McManamon.
SOU will be home next week, facing Providence (Mont.) on Sept. 30 and Rocky Mountain (Mont.) on Oct. 1. Both matches start at 2:30 p.m.
