ASHLAND – Elimination was not technically on the table when the Southern Oregon men's soccer team launched a save-our-season campaign with 11 minutes left against Warner Pacific, but the successful operation caused a drastic shift in the Raiders' postseason outlook on Sunday at Laurel Field.
WIth
Felix Valenzuela Paz's equalizer in the 80th minute and
Jonathan Gaspar's game-winner in the 87th, SOU came back to defeat the Knights, 2-1, and stole third place in the Cascade Conference standings on the final day of the regular season.
A loss would have left the Raiders (11-3-3 overall, 7-3-2 CCC) as the No. 6 seed in next week's CCC Championships presented by U.S. Bank. It would have also resulted in a precipitous drop in the NAIA's RPI rankings. They started the week at No. 31 in that poll, a spot that puts them on the bubble to receive an at-large bid for the 40-team national tournament.
Instead, they'll face No. 6 seed Bushnell in the CCC Tournament quarterfinal round – set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Medford's Lithia & Driveway Fields – with a chance to further strengthen their resume as they attempt to return to the NAIA playoffs for the first time in three years.
Trailing 1-0 against WPU (6-8-2, 4-7-1), they got their spark from some unlikely sources. After
Jose Mondesi Munoz stole possession from the Knights on the defensive side of the field, senior
Zach Browning – who had just checked in moments earlier for his first appearance in two weeks – brought the ball down the right sideline on the counter and sent it skipping into the box. Two marked Raiders let it pass by to reach an open Valenzuela Paz, and he scored on the first touch.
Before that moment, neither Browning nor Valenzuela Paz had a goal involvement this season.
More pressure created the second goal, as
Mustafa Daggig took a ball off a Knights defender and brought it into the box with numbers. He found Gaspar in the center, and the All-CCC midfielder used a few dribbles before turning and striking with his left foot from eight yards out to put the Raiders in front.
The game-winner was Gaspar's third in conference play in the 85th minute or later. He'd also assisted Daggig for the lone goal in Friday's game against Walla Walla (Wash.).
Felix Mendoza tallied for WPU in the 34th minute, taking a long pass from Alfredo Jimenez and converting in transition. Knights keeper Owen Purvis made that goal stand until late with 10 saves.
The Knights will defend their 2025 CCC Tournament title as the No. 8 seed.
