ASHLAND – Junior goalkeeper Casey Ruvolo hadn't been busy in a few weeks, but the reigning Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Year was ready when Southern Oregon needed him on Friday afternoon at Raider Stadium.

Ruvolo preserved the No. 24-ranked Raiders' lead by stopping a penalty kick in the 31st minute of a 1-0 victory over Eastern Oregon, which made them 7-2-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the CCC. Franco Fasoli's 20th-minute strike stood as the lone goal.

Ruvolo went the previous two games without needing to make a save in back-to-back shutouts and had only faced four shots in four conference outings combined before the chance. The junior made four more saves before the afternoon was over to keep SOU unbeaten within the circuit.

Fasoli's fourth goal of the season – and his third game-winner – came via Kaito Nakayama's CCC-leading sixth assist. Off a free kick, Nakayama's quick initiation caught EOU off guard as he set Fasoli up outside of the scrum for a 20-yard shot from the right side that he lined through the defense and inside the near post.

It was the only offense the Raiders needed in their six shutout and fourth in five games. They only accumulated five shots to EOU's 15, but Ruvolo and a stingy back line made the score stand.

The Mountaineers fell to 4-2-1 and 3-1-1 in the CCC as they're unbeaten streak ended at five games. They've still never defeated SOU, falling to 0-9-1 in the all-time series, and have been blanked in all but one of the matchups.

The Raiders took over sole possession of second place with the win. They stand two points behind 5-0 Carroll (Mont.) entering Saturday's 2:30 p.m. game against College of Idaho, which dropped to 3-2 in the circuit with Friday's 3-1 loss at Oregon Tech.