LA GRANDE – A first-half red card proved costly for Southern Oregon in a 1-0 loss to unbeaten Eastern Oregon on Saturday night at Community Stadium.

EOU's Henry Lopez scored the game's lone goal in the 54th minute, skipping a through the defense a free kick that he took from just outside the box on the left side and sent to the far post.

The Raiders (9-3-2 overall, 4-3-1 Cascade Conference) played a man down for the final 53 minutes after Papa Yansane was sent off. They produced only four shots and didn't put any on goal against the Mountaineers (10-0-4, 7-0-2), who preserved their seventh clean sheet of the season.

Senior keeper Casey Ruvolo kept SOU in the game with six saves.

Seeking their first regular-season title in team history, the Mountaineers have a four-point lead on second-place Carroll (Mont.), which has one game in hand.

The Raiders have road woes to blame for their current fourth-place standing. They're 0-3-1 away from Ashland in conference play.

They'll hold their final homestand next weekend, facing Corban on Friday and Bushnell on Saturday.