RAIDER MEN'S SOCCER (9-3-3, 5-3-2 CCC)
2:30 p.m. Friday – vs. Walla Walla (3-7-3, 3-4-3) | Live Stats
1 p.m. Sunday – vs. Warner Pacific (6-6-2, 4-5-1) | Live Stats
TICKETS | LIVE STREAMS

ASHLAND – There is a lot left to be decided entering the final weekend of the Cascade Conference men's soccer regular season, and postseason implications abound for Southern Oregon as it enters must-win mode at Raider Stadium's Laurel Field.

Only half of the eight-team CCC Tournament field has been set with SOU (9-3-3 overall, 5-3-2 Cascade Conference) slated to host Walla Walla (Wash.) (3-7-3, 3-4-3) at 2:30 p.m. Friday and Warner Pacific (6-6-2, 4-5-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday – the teams currently occupying the last two playoff spots. The Raiders currently sit alone in fourth place, but they could finish as high as second and as low as eighth on the table. That depends on their ability to snap a four-game winless streak, as well as how things shake out around the rest of the circuit.

Either way, they'll be in the CCC Tournament starting with the quarterfinal round on Nov. 7 at Medford's Lithia & Driveway Fields. The semifinals are set for Nov. 9 and the championship for Nov. 11.

IN THE RANKINGS: SOU fell out of this week's NAIA National Selection Committee Top 25 poll, but the news wasn't all bad. Despite a disappointing two-week stretch, the Raiders are still No. 31 in the national RPI and No. 5 in the West Region Area Ratings Committee poll. Those markers would currently put them on the bubble to return to the 40-team NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2023, and they can still qualify automatically by winning the CCC Tournament. The only CCC team left in the Top 25 is No. 8 Rocky Mountain (Mont.), which secured a national bid by clinching the conference regular-season championship last week, its first in a full season since sharing the 2017 title with SOU.

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW: Coming off back-to-back home losses, the Raiders were staring down a third consecutive defeat with a 2-0 deficit last Friday at Bushnell before tying the game in a matter of 90 seconds – getting goals from Jonathan Gaspar in the 61st minute and Agustin Gannat in the 62nd. They secured a 2-2 draw, then plucked another point from Corban on Saturday in a dramatic 1-1 tie. The game was scoreless until 1:21 remained, when Gaspar fed Mustafa Daggig for the go-ahead goal, but Corban responded with just 11 seconds left as Christ Ramirez finished a corner kick with a header.

BRIEFLY:

• The Raiders have gotten their 24 from just seven different sources, but, unlike last year, all are healthy with the postseason upcoming. Ariel De Dios Cruz leads the team with six and JP Warnell has five. Warnell and Gaspar (4 goals, 1 assist) lead the team with two game-winners apiece, while Mustafa Daggig – who had a goal and an assist last weekend – is two goals away from becoming the seventh Raider ever to tally 20 in a career.
• The Raiders will finish the regular season unbeaten on the road for the first time in team history at 7-0-2. They've dropped three in a row at home, however – another program first – after entering the active stretch with a 50-7-4 record at Raider Stadium under head coach Davie Carmichael.
• At least some of the recent frustrations can be chalked up to bad luck. The Raiders have out-shot opponents in three of their last four games while going 0-2-2. On the season, they're averaging 6.5 shots on target compared to opponents' 4.8.
• Redshirt-freshman keeper Daniel Espinosa owns a 78.5% save rate.
• SOU will be attempting to finish with a winning CCC record for the 10th consecutive full season.

ABOUT WWU: The Wolves stand in eighth place and are on the brink of clinching a CCC Tournament spot for the first time in the team's 11 seasons as part of the conference. Prior to this season, they'd only notched seven victories and no draws in conference play during their history. Their most impressive results were draws on the road against Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho, though they've played seven in a row at home entering the weekend. Paulo Tostado has scored seven of their 10 goals; they've conceded 26. SOU is 10-0-0 in the all-time series.

ABOUT WPU: The seventh-place Knights lost a good chunk of the team that heated up right around this time a year ago – finishing fourth in the CCC regular season before winning the tournament and advancing to the NAIA quarterfinal round. Following a slow start, they've won four of their last five matches, most recently scoring a key 3-2 victory against Carroll (Mont.). Luis Gonzalez and Jose Robles head the attack with four goals apiece, helping the Knights outscore opponents 22-15 on the season. Their goalkeepers, both of whom see regular action, are combining for a stellar 76% save rate. The Raiders are 7-3-3 in the series and 2-0-3 in the last five matchups.