No. 24 RAIDER MEN'S SOCCER (10-2-1, 7-0-1 CCC)
2:30 p.m. Friday – vs. Carroll (7-2-3, 6-1-1) | Live Stats
2:30 p.m. Saturday – vs. Providence (1-10-0, 0-8-0) | Live Stats
TICKETS | LIVE STREAMS

ASHLAND – There are still three weeks left in the regular season, but the Cascade Conference men's soccer championship could very well be decided on Friday at Raider Stadium.

First-place Southern Oregon (10-2-1 overall, 7-0-1 CCC) hosts second-place Carroll (Mont.) (6-1-1) at 2:30 p.m. Friday in what looks to be the marquee matchup of the conference season. The Raiders, attempting to capture their second straight title, get a chance to take a six-point lead atop the table with a win over the Saints, and their four remaining opponents after that matchup have a combined CCC record of 5-18-7. The Saints, meanwhile, can force a first-place tie and have the same remaining schedule as SOU. The Raiders play their final home game of the regular season at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against last-place Providence (1-10-0, 0-8-0), a matchup before which they'll honor the team's eight seniors.

LATINO DAY: The Raiders' second annual Latino Day – a collaboration with SOU's Latino Student Union, Latino/a/x Programs, and the Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion – is set for Saturday. The festivities will include a beer garden, taco truck, Latin music and more.

IN THE RANKINGS: The Raiders stayed at No. 24 in last week's latest NAIA Top 25 poll, a new edition of which won't be released until next week. Carroll was the only other CCC team receiving votes at No. 36 overall. Both teams measured out better in this week's NAIA RPI ratings, which had SOU at No. 13 and Carroll at No. 16. Carroll was on top of last week's West regional ARC rating – SOU was No. 4 – but that was released before the Saints suffered a 0-1-1 road trip.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: SOU ran its CCC unbeaten streak to 17 games dating back to last season by defeating Rocky Mountain (Mont.), 2-1, and Walla Walla (Wash.), 5-0, on the road last weekend. Evan Norconk was the hero at Rocky, scoring on a second chance in the 65th minute to break a 1-1 tie. At WWU, Alex Hjulmand notched a pair of first-half goals and three different Raiders added on in the second as they dominated with 29 total shots.

BRIEFLY:

• The Raiders are outscoring opponents 18-2 in conference play. They've generated 60 shots on goal and surrendered only 20.
• Among CCC keepers, Casey Ruvolo is second in both goals-allowed average (0.6) and save percentage (.800). The reigning CCC Defensive Player of the Year is up to 20 career shutouts over three seasons in goal. He and the Raiders have turned in clean sheets five of their last six games.
• Kaito Nakayama leads the circuit in total assists (7) and assists in CCC play (5). He has also tallied two goals and recorded a point in six of SOU's last eight games.
• Mustafa Daggig and Franco Fasoli lead the team with three game-winning goals apiece. Daggig is the conference's second-leading goal-scorer with eight, but Fasoli tops the team and ranks fourth in the circuit with four during CCC play.
• Evan Norconk moved to No. 3 on SOU's career goals list with his 22nd at Rocky.
• Since Davie Carmichael took over as head coach in 2018, the Raiders are 36-3-2 at home in CCC play.
• SOU's eight-game unbeaten streak is the sixth-longest in team history. Carmichael's first SOU squad, in 2018, still has the record at 20.

ABOUT CARROLL: Led by former SOU assistant Austin Shick – who in his first season at Carroll shared 2023 CCC Coach of the Year honors with Carmichael – the Saints were in first place before losing a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss last Friday at College of Idaho and tying the next day with Eastern Oregon. They have shut out nine of their last 10 opponents (C of I scored two of its goals in the final eight minutes) behind keeper Juan Muniz Navarette, who owns a league-best .865 save percentage. Felix Billard (10 goals, 2 sasists) and Alfie Snow (6 goals, 4 assists) represent one of the circuit's top attacking combos. The Raiders won last year's matchup 1-0 in Helena and are 7-2-1 in the all-time series.

ABOUT PROVIDENCE: The Argos are not as bad as their record says: They scored two wins over Warner Pacific and Walla Walla that they later had to forfeit due to use of an ineligible player, and they've dropped four of their last five games by one-goal margins. Tomeu Nebot-Schmalfe leads the team with six goals and three assists. Defense has been an issue, with each of their last six opponents tallying multiple goals. SOU is 5-2-1 in the series and defeated the Argos 1-0 last year in Great Falls.