6 p.m. Saturday – SOU at Life Pacific (Calif.) | Stream | Stats
10 a.m. Monday – SOU at No. 23 Westcliff (Calif.) | Stream | Stats

ASHLAND – The Southern Oregon University women's soccer team, on paper, has never been more set up for success than it is heading into Saturday night's 2026 opener.

Eight starters, six of whom received All-Cascade Conference recognition, return along with 10 others who were part of the most successful roster in team history – one that outscored its opponents 59-17 combined, went 10-1-1 in the conference, set a new program wins record of 14, and celebrated SOU's second-ever NAIA Tournament advancement.

If 2025 taught the Raiders anything, it was that they should know better, after being picked to finish in the middle of the CCC pack, than to trust paper. They've been served a reminder already with three of their all-stars unavailable to start the season due to injury.

Jenni Rosenberg, the reigning CCC Coach of the Year entering her 14th season, will get a good feel for where the Raiders stand early with visits to two Top 25 opponents in the first week of play.

"It's interesting, because even when you have a big group back, you never know how much new leadership and people being out here and there will change the way things look on the field," Rosenberg said. "We look different right now, but it's refreshing. We know the talent that's on this team and the kids stepping into new roles are doing a good job."

PRESEASON POLLS
College of Idaho, which won its third consecutive CCC championship last season with two more points than the Raiders, is favored to win it again with nine of 13 first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll. Eastern Oregon, the only conference team that defeated the Raiders in 2025, was picked second and SOU third in the 13-team circuit. In the preseason edition of the NAIA Top 25, the Raiders received votes at No. 32 overall. They're seeking their first Top 25 ranking since 2019. C of I stood at No. 10 as the only other CCC squad to receive votes.

FIRST UP
The Raiders will start their schedule with four non-conference road games in eight days. The headliners of that slate initially appeared to be their trips to No. 23 Westcliff (Calif.) and No. 3 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). That was before their first opponent, Life Pacific (Calif.), dominated a 3-0 decision against Westcliff on Wednesday night. SOU plays LPU on Azusa Pacific's campus in Azusa, Calif., at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Raiders are home for the first time Sept. 11 to play their final non-conference game against Simpson (Calif.) at 11 a.m.

LAST SEASON
The Raiders went 14-3-3 overall and 10-1-1 in the CCC in 2025, giving them their top winning percentages ever in both categories. As the No. 2 seed in the CCC Tournament, they were eliminated in the semifinal round by Eastern Oregon in penalty kicks before receiving an at-large qualifying bid to be part of the 40-team NAIA Tournament field. There, they used PKs to get past Morningside (Iowa) in the first round and fell to No. 7-ranked host Grace (Ind.) in the second. They'd been unbeaten in 14 of 15 games that preceded the loss. They were No. 21 in the final NAIA RPI ranking and No. 32 in the postseason NAIA coaches' poll.

POSITION BY POSITION
FORWARDS: A wealth of experienced playmaking enabled the Raiders to score almost twice as many goals last year (59) as they had in any of the previous four seasons. The good news is that many of their top attackers are back, including seniors Abby McKean (15 goals, 3 assists), who supplied the second-most goals in SOU single-season history, and Brooklyn Hayes (10 goals, 4 assists), who became the 10th player in team history to reach double figures before missing SOU's final six games with an injury. McKean was an All-CCC first-team pick, and the bad news is that she'll be on the shelf to begin the fall. The Raiders hope to get her back by the start of conference play.

They have another budding star at forward in Tori Lasch (5 goals, 3 assists), the CCC's 2025 co-Newcomer of the Year. Ava Johnson, who totaled seven goals and two assists across her first two seasons, is back with an increased workload, as is sophomore Sierra Sam Fong (1 goal, 1 assist). Iman Hamzic, a freshman from Boise, Idaho, will be another featured player.

"I'm super excited for that group, and knowing that we have several players who have proven they can finish is a good feeling," Rosenberg said. "It's neat to watch them develop together."

MIDFIELDERS: Johnson and Lasch could also be featured in the midfield when they aren't playing as center-forwards, but the main connector is junior holding-midfielder Sierra Betzler. An All-CCC honorable mention recipient a year ago, Betzler has started in all 35 of her appearances since arriving as a freshman and only came off the field in three of those.

"Sierra might not have the big numbers, but she's a special talent and a huge part of who we are," Rosenberg said. "She covers the defenders' backs all the time and is just such a great holding-mid."

Two more freshman midfielders expected to make immediate impacts are local products: prep all-stars Brycelin Endikrat of North Medford High and Autumn Jackson of Crater. Jackson leans toward the defensive side, while Endikrat will have her eye toward the attacking side next to sophomore Macie Yannoni, who started 18 games as a true freshman and supplied a goal and four assists. Freshman Miley McNamee, sophomore returners Isabella Amoth and Lilly Patrick, and junior newcomer Alia Villa have also gotten preseason reps.

DEFENDERS: Dependable back lines have been a signature of Rosenberg's teams, only one of which has allowed more than one goal per game since 2017. Last year's was particularly sturdy, and three starters are back – the lone exception being four-year starter Miller Bertani, SOU's first-ever CCC Defensive Player of the Year. The Raiders' other staple at center-back, Payton Puppe-Wotipka (1 goal, 4 assists), returns alongside senior All-CCC outside back Kaylah Bresee (5 goals, 2 assists) and junior Carter O'Shea (2 goals, 3 assists), who started all 20 games as a sophomore.

Elsa Voegele, a freshman from Truckee, Calif., will slot into the vacant center-back spot, where O'Shea can also fill in if necessary. One more freshman, Ella Anguiano, from Gilroy, Calif., will see time on the outside early as Bresee works her way back from injury.

"I'm feeling really good about those defenders, and we have the right people in place to bring those freshmen along," Rosenberg said. "They're clean, hard workers and figuring out organization quickly. It's a focused group."

GOALKEEPERS: The reigning CCC co-Goalkeeper of the Year, senior Brittany Standley, was part of 11 shutouts while running an 81% save rate last season. She didn't even have a keeper kit until the day before the team's opener, when she was called into emergency action due to injuries. Now Standley's availability this season is in question due to her own injury, but the player for whom she stepped in, Boise product Ashlyn Fuss, is ready to step up as a redshirt-freshman.

"Ashlyn has just now gotten totally healthy and ready to go, but she's very talented," Rosenberg said. "(Assistant coach) Dave DeVinna does such a great job with our keepers – we've always ended up with good ones – and I know he is going to help her along."

Esme Barnes, an Ashland native who has transferred from Southern Utah for her senior season, is behind Fuss in addition to sophomore Australian Issy Rutherford.