No. 25 RAIDER MEN'S SOCCER (12-2-0, 8-1-0 CCC)
4 p.m. Friday – vs. Oregon Tech (8-3-3, 6-2-2)
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ASHLAND – The Cascade Conference men's soccer title is Southern Oregon's to lose with two weeks to go in the regular season, and all the work left for SOU to finish the job will be done at Raider Stadium.

The Raiders (12-2-0 overall, 8-1-0 CCC) will play out the remainder of their CCC schedule in Ashland, starting with Friday's 4 p.m. game against rival Oregon Tech (8-3-3, 6-2-2). The Owls represent the first of a few considerable obstacles facing the Raiders on the road to their first championship in five years: Of the four opponents they have yet to play, three of them would be in the postseason if it started today. On the other hand, second-place College of Idaho – which enters the week two points back on the table at 7-1-1 – has only one remaining opponent currently in the playoff picture.

Friday is the first ever Latino Night for the Raiders, in partnership with SOU's Latino Student Union, Latino/a/x Programs, and the Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion. It will feature a taco truck, a beer garden and Latin music.

NAIA TOP 25: After more than a month on the outside, the Raiders were back in the NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll Wednesday at No. 25 on the strength of their active five-game winning streak. They were No. 24 in the Sept. 6 poll – making their first appearance since 2019 – but had been out ever since. No other CCC teams are among the Top 25, though College of Idaho is receiving votes.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: SOU banked two quality 1-0 victories on the road last week, first at Providence (Mont.) then at Carroll (Mont.). Evan Norconk scored in the 17th minute at Providence after Sky Charley-Bolyard headed Adrian Villegas' corner kick in his direction for an uncontested strike. Villegas also assisted the lone goal at Carroll in the 17th minute, using a free kick to set up Bryan Mendoza's first goal at SOU. The Raiders dominated the ball in both outings, surrendering just one shot on goal all weekend. They accumulated a 21-9 combined advantage in shot.

BRIEFLY:

• The Raiders' goals-allowed average of 0.71 leads the CCC, and their average in conference games is down to 0.33 goals allowed. In CCC play, Casey Ruvolo has faced fewer shots than any other full-time keeper but made 25 saves and allowed just three goals for a league-leading .893 save percentage. SOU's total of eight shutouts is tied for the sixth-highest in the NAIA.
• Adrian Villegas' assists last week were his eighth and ninth of the season; no one else in the CCC has more than six, and only nine NAIA players have reached double figures. He also owns nine goals, tied for the second-highest total in the conference, and is one goal and one assist away from the second 10-10 season in Raider history; he also had the first, going for 10 goals and 11 assists in 2019. The next goal he scores would be the 30th of his career and tie teammate Alan Gaytan for SOU's all-time lead. He has already recorded more career assists (22) than any player in Raider history. The senior has had goal involvements five games in a row and in nine of SOU's last 10.
• Evan Norconk's total of eight goals ranks sixth in the CCC and marks a new career high for the junior, who has 17 in his career. He'd tallied in three consecutive games after his goal at Providence.
• Eight different Raiders have registered game-winning goals. Villegas (4) and Norconk (2) are the only ones with multiple.
• Since the start of 2017, SOU is 37-4-2 at Raider Stadium. The Raiders have only played three of their 14 games this year in Ashland, winning each of them.

ABOUT OREGON TECH: Led by head coach Sean McManamon, an SOU alum and a former member of Raider head coach Davie Carmichael's staff, the Owls stand in a third-place tie after taking second a year ago. They're riding a four-game unbeaten streak in which they have outscored opponents 16-5. Andrew Pasang, their All-CCC junior forward, leads the team with eight goals and six assists, and keeper Ryan Solis has a save percentage of .806. SOU is 7-1-1 overall in the series and erased a two-goal deficit to win last year's matchup 3-2 in Klamath Falls.