COMING UP: vs. No. 25 Southern Oregon, Friday, 2:30 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Fans unable to make it to the Basin for Friday's match-up vs. SOU can watch it live online via the Owls Sports Network, with Live Stats available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: All photos from the 2024 season are available online via the OIT Men's Soccer Flickr Page, while highlight clips will be posted online via the OIT Men's Soccer YouTube Channel. In addition, full home game replays are available on the Owls Sports Network under the Live tab.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SOUTHERN OREGON: The final home game of the 2024 season pits the Owls against their rivals from Ashland, as No. 25-ranked Southern Oregon makes the drive over the hill. The Raiders (11-3-1, 8-1-1 CCC) are tied atop the league table after seeing an 8-match unbeaten streak snapped last Friday in a 3-1 loss to Carroll. SOU is among the top defensive units in the circuit, led by CCC Defensive Player of the Year, keeper Casey Ruvalo (0.72 GAA, .767 save pct) and All-CCC defender Simon Huebner. Offensively, the Raiders have scored one goal or less in 5-of-7 matches – but average two goals a game behind the play of Franco Fasoli (5 goals, 1 assist), Mustafa Daggig (8 goals), Evan Norconk (3 goals, 2 assists), Kaito Nakayama (2 goals, 7 assists) and All-CCC midfielder Sky Charley-Boylard (2 goals).
 
RIVALRY REWIND: Both the OIT and SOU programs are relatively new, with Tech starting men's soccer in 2008, with the Raiders starting their club in 2015. Over the last decade, Southern has had the upper hand in the rivalry, recording a 9-1-1 all-time record against their Basin rivals. Tech's lone win was in Klamath in 2019, as John Sarna knocked home the winner with a minute remaining in the second overtime period. In the 2021 CCC semifinals, OIT rallied from a 2-goal deficit, tying the match with 30 seconds left on a Reilly Combs goal – eventually advancing to the title game on penalties.
 
AGAINST THE TOP-25: Friday's match marks the 27th all-time game against a Top-25 opponent, with OIT a combined 2-22-2 against ranked foes. The lone wins for the Owls were both against Corban – a 2-1 victory in 2016 and a 2-0 victory in the 2022 Cascade Conference Tournament semifinals.
 
PLAYOFF PICTURE: Tech heads into the weekend in a 3-way tie for seventh-place in the CCC standings with Multnomah and Rocky Mountain – two points out of fourth-place, but two points out of tenth. With just three matches remaining, every contest is critical, as OIT holds the tiebreak edge over College of Idaho and Multnomah, but loses tiebreakers to Corban and Bushnell.
 
OFFENSE ERUPTS VS. PROVIDENCE: For the fourth time this season, the Hustlin' Owls posted 3-or-more goals in a match – scoring four goals in Friday's win over Providence. Patrick Chan scored his first goal as an Owl to open the scoring, flicking home a back post cross from Sylver Schweiger. Andrew Pasang added to his school record goals total in the second half, converting a give-and-go with Merrick Tambio, while Schweiger got into the act, heading home a Ben Bradshaw corner kick.
 
WALK-OFF GOAL: The final strike against Providence was a rare walk-off goal, as senior Logan Miller launched a ball from the right sideline just before the final horn sounded. With UP's keeper out of position, the ball eluded the net-minder and found the net, setting off a celebration. It was Miller's first goal of 2024 and his first in two seasons.
 
SOLIS STRONG IN CLEAN SHEET: In Friday's win over Providence, keeper Ryan Solis provided a brick wall – turning away eight shots on frame for his third shutout of 2024. For the senior, it was his highest save total at OIT, surpassing his previous mark of six saves, which he posted on four occasions last year.
 
PLAYING AT HOME: Since the OIT Soccer Field was transitioned from natural grass to an artificial turf surface in 2017, the Owls have posted a 40-12-5 record on their own pitch. Since 2020, Tech has dominated foes, recording a 31-7-4 home record, including a 4-2-1 mark this year.
 
HOME SHUTOUT STREAK SNAPPED: The Owls saw a school-record 27-match scoring streak on their own field snapped in Saturday's 2-0 loss to Carroll. It marked the first home shutout of Tech since 2021, a 1-0 loss to Southern Oregon.
 
SENIOR DAY: Friday marks the final home game for seven senior student-athletes on the OIT roster. Transfers Ryan Solis and Lennyn Solis will be joined by three-year player Logan Miller and four-year players Andrew Pasang, Kevin Rodriguez, Britton Ullan and Arthur Proost in a ceremony following the women's contest with SOU.
 
MCMANAMON LOOKS TO BREAK RECORD AGAINST ALMA MATER: OIT head coach Sean McManamon was a dominant force as a player at Southern Oregon – earning consecutive All-CCC honors, leading SOU to their first-ever national tournament appearance. Friday, the third-year Hustlin' Owls manager has a chance to rewrite the Tech record book against his alma mater, needing one win to becoming the winningest coach in OIT men's soccer history. McManamon has a 31-14-9 all-time record, with the win over Providence equaling Matt Munhall's 31 wins from 2012-18.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: With Carroll's win at Southern Oregon, the Fighting Saints pulled into a tie with the Raiders atop the league table with 25 points – two full games (and seven total points) ahead of third-place Warner Pacific – with both teams having three games remaining. Carroll (and Providence) play host to Evergreen State and Northwest (who SOU and OIT will travel to next week), with College of Idaho and Eastern Oregon headed to the Valley to meet Bushnell and Corban, with Warner Pacific and Multnomah making the tough trip to Walla Walla and Rocky Mountain.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Hustlin' Owls rank No. 4 in the CCC in goals against average (1.40), are No. 6 in shots per game (13.07), No. 7 in assists per game (1.40), ranking No. 9 in goals per game (1.60), fouls per game (11.13) and corner kicks per game (4.60). Individual, two players rank in the Top-10 in the league stat categories – Ryan Solis is No. 3 in shutouts (3) and No. 7 in goals against average (1.40), with Andrew Pasang No. 6 in shot attempts (32).
 
RECORD BOOK: Three players are currently ranked among the Top-20 the OIT all-time career record book. Andrew Pasang holds the all-time record for goals scored (29), total points (77) and penalty kick conversions (7), ranking No. 2 all-time in assists (19) and game-winning goals (9), ranking No. 4 in total shot attempts (138); Ryan Solis is No. 3 in goalie wins (15) and shutouts (10), ranking No. 5   in saves (100); with Kevin Rodriguez No. 10 in assists (10).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Next week, Tech heads up I-5 to close out the regular season with critical matches at Evergreen State (Nov. 1) and Northwest (Nov. 2).