ASHLAND – For the first time since the middle of last fall, the Southern Oregon University men's soccer team was receiving votes when the latest NAIA Top 25 coaches' poll was released Wednesday by the national office.

The Raiders got off to a 2-0 start with road wins last week at Simpson (Calif.) and Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). They're home for the first time this week, facing The Master's (Calif.) (1-2) on Thursday and Arizona Christian (1-1-1) on Friday at Raider Stadium's Laurel Field. Both matches start at 1 p.m.

The only Cascade Conference team among the Top 25 was Warner Pacific, which fell 12 spots to No. 20 on the heels of a 2-1-1 start. Eastern Oregon and Rocky Mountain (Mont.) joined SOU in the receiving votes category.

The Raiders will get a big test on Thursday against a Master's squad that routed College of Idaho, 7-1, behind All-American Trent Rickard's four goals earlier this week.
 

RANK	LAST	SCHOOL [1st-place votes]	RECORD
1	9	Oklahoma Wesleyan [5]	2-0
2	5	Georgia Gwinnett [3]	2-0-1
3	6	Indiana Tech [2]	3-1
4	7	William Penn (Iowa) [1]	1-0-1
5	3	MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) [2]	1-1
T-6	14	Cumberland (Tenn.)	3-0
T-6	2	WVU Tech (W. Va.) [3]	0-0-2
8	20	William Carey (Miss.) [2]	4-0
9	11	Life (Ga.)	2-1
10	18	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	1-1
11	15	Keiser (Fla.)	1-0
12	13	Bethel (Ind.)	1-1-2
13	17	John Brown (Ark.)	2-0
14	4	Cumberlands (Ky.)	1-1-1
15	24	Rio Grande (Ohio) [1]	3-0-1
16	19	Indiana Wesleyan	3-0-1
17	1	Grand View (Iowa)	0-1-1
T-18	12	LSU Shreveport (La.)	2-1
T-18	16	Ottawa (Kan.)	1-1-1
20	8	Warner Pacific (Ore.)	2-1-1
21	25	Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	2-0-1
22	RV	Faulkner (Ala.)	3-0
23	22	Grace (Ind.)	2-2
24	RV	Union Commonwealth (Ky.)	2-0
25	RV	Xavier (La.)	2-0

Receiving Votes: Baker (Kan.), Benedictine (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.), Central Methodist (Mo.), Clarke (Iowa), Dalton State (Ga.), Eastern Oregon, Harris-Stowe State (Mo.), Holy Cross (Ind.), LSU Alexandria (La.), Madonna (Mich.), Mid-America Christian (Okla.), Milligan (Tenn.), Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Southeastern (Fla.), Southern Oregon, Spring Arbor (Mich.), St. Thomas (Fla.), Stanton (Calif.), Tennessee Southern, Westcliff (Calif.)