RAIDER WOMEN'S SOCCER (7-1-3, 4-1-1 CCC)
12 p.m. Friday – vs. Eastern Oregon (8-4-1, 4-3-0) | Live Stats
12 p.m. Saturday – vs. College of Idaho (9-3-0, 5-2-0) | Live Stats
TICKETS | LIVE STREAMS

ASHLAND – The two best teams left on Southern Oregon's regular-season schedule come to Raider Stadium's Laurel Field this weekend with the Cascade Conference title still very much up for grabs.

The Raiders (7-1-3 overall, 4-1-1 CCC) host Eastern Oregon (8-4-1, 4-3-0) on Friday and No. 22-ranked College of Idaho (9-3-0, 5-2-0) on Saturday, starting both games at noon. All three squads are chasing first-place Rocky Mountain (5-0-2 CCC), which is positioned to end C of I's run of three consecutive championships. The Yotes' chances of a four-peat took a major hit when they lost two of their last three games – a stretch that started with their 1-0 setback at EOU.

The Raiders enter the matchups with the CCC's second-best win percentage (.750) – two points behind C of I for second place but with one game in hand. Facing these teams on the road last year, they ended C of I's 32-game CCC winning streak with a 3-2 upset of the then-No. 4 Yotes before falling at Eastern Oregon, 2-1, the next night. SOU will be attempting to avenge last year's CCC Tournament semifinal against EOU, which the Mountaineers took in penalty kicks.

LATINO DAY: In partnership with SOU's Latino Student Union, the Raiders will celebrate their annual Latino Day on Saturday. The festivities will include a beer garden, taco truck, Latin music and more.

NAIA TOP 25: This week's National Selection Committee poll included two CCC teams: Rocky Mountain went from unranked to No. 20, and College of Idaho experienced the most significant drop in the country from No. 4 to No. 22. Keiser (Fla.) retained the top spot. The Raiders were No. 44 in this week's national RPI and No. 5 in the West Region ARC ratings.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: It's no secret that SOU will need the production of two of the top scorers in program history, seniors Brooklyn Hayes and Abby McKean, to raise their ceiling down the stretch, and there were positive developments on that front in last Thursday's 3-1 win at Providence (Mont.). McKean (who missed five games due to injury) scored her first goal of the season to give the Raiders the lead in the 74th minute and Hayes provided insurance with her second in the 83rd, both taking assists from Brycelin Endrikat. Ava Johnson scored the first goal with a direct free kick as SOU improved to 6-0-2 in road games.

BRIEFLY:

• Brooklyn Hayes enters the weekend with 19 career goals, one away from becoming the seventh player in team history to record 20. Abby McKean is sitting on 18.
• Ava Johnson continued her big junior season last week by tallying for the fourth time in six CCC outings. Her overall total of seven goals (matched by teammate Tori Lasch) is third on the conference leaderboard, while Brycelin Endrikat's six assists are now tied for the CCC lead.
• The Raiders lead the CCC in goals per game (2.3) and have outscored opponents 25-6. No other team in the conference has conceded fewer than nine goals, and redshirt-freshman keeper Ashlyn Fuss has had a large say in that department with a save rate of 91.2% that tops both the circuit and the NAIA among those who have made at least 20 saves.
• Saturday's game will be SOU's third against a Top 25 opponent this season. In non-conference play, the Raiders earned draws against both then-No. 3 (and current No. 9) Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) and then-No. 23 Westcliff (Calif.). Over the last eight years, the Raiders are 7-5-3 against Top 25 opponents in the regular season.
• The Raiders went 0-1-1 during their last homestand, making them 31-9-5 at home since the start of the decade. Nine consecutive visitors have been turned away from Raider Stadium without multiple goals.

ABOUT EOU: After last year's CCC Tournament result, the Raiders are 0-3-1 over the last two years against the Mountaineers and 17-12-2 in the all-time series. They've been a thorn in SOU's side particularly on the defensive end, allowing just one goal over the last four matchups. They've outscored opponents 21-12 this season behind top playmakers Cassidy Harding (4 goals, 2 assists) and Samantha Gjersvold (3 goals, 2 assists), both underclassmen. Their two returning All-CCC forwards, Ava Henkemeyer and Peyton Jacaway, have combined for one goal.

ABOUT C OF I: Until the last two weeks, the Yotes had won a preposterous 40 of their last 41 CCC games. They graduated three all-star forwards who accounted for 110 career goals following last year's run, but they remain dangerous behind the top goal-scorer in team history, Abbi Roubidoux, who has 44 in four years with the Yotes and leads the CCC with nine this season. Freshman Rylee Russell (6 goals, 5 assists) is next in line. The Yotes are 16-13-3 all-time against SOU and the Raiders last defeated them in Ashland in 2018.