COMING UP: at Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, Medford – Sunday vs. Southern Oregon, 4 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: For fans unable to travel to the Rogue Valley, Sunday's match with Southern Oregon will be carried live online through Table Rock Sports. Live Stats will be available for both contests through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
TOURNEY INFORMATION: After a nine-year run in Springfield, the Cascade Conference Championships has changed venues – with the 8-team event heading to Medford and the Lithia & Driveway Fields Complex. Quarterfinal games will be played on Fields 11 and 13, with the semifinal and championship games to be played in the stadium at Wheeler Field. Tickets for each day are $12.00 for adults, $7.00 for students/seniors and $5.00 for youth – with fans purchasing tickets through the CCC Online Platform receiving a $2.00 per ticket discount.
 
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 two co-hosts face off in the opening round, as No. 7-seed OIT meets No. 2-seed Southern Oregon. The Raiders (12-4-2) dropped out of the NAIA Top-25 for the first time this season after closing the season. SOU has outscored opponents 36-14, recorded a 128-61 edge in shots on frame and doubled their opponents in corner kicks (105-54). 2023 CCC Defensive Player of the Year Casey Ruvolo (0.78 GAA, 9 shutouts), along with Tristan Skeritt (2 goals, 1 assist) and Josue Ghiessy Bivgeghe (1 goal) anchor the defense, while Franco Fasoli (5 goals, 1 assist), Mustafa Daggig (8 goals), Kaito Nakayama (2 goals, 8 assists) and Evan Norconk (3 goals, 4 assists) pace the Raiders offensive attack.
 
FIRST MEETING: The two teams met two weeks ago (Oct. 25), with the clubs playing to a 0-0 draw. OIT had an 11-5 edge in total shots, with both keepers making four saves. The Owls had two chances inside the final five minutes to claim victory – but a Lennyn Solis 18-yard free kick clanged off the left post, while Raiders keeper Casey Ruvolo stopped a 1-on-1 breakaway chance by Dalton Rideout in the final seconds.
 
HISTORY VS. SOUTHERN: SOU has held the upper hand in the series with Tech, posting a 9-1-2 all-time record – with the Owls lone win and overtime victory in 2019. Sunday's match is the fourth postseason contest – with the Raiders earning a 2019 quarterfinal victory (1-0) and a 2023 semifinal win (4-2), while OIT played Southern to a 2-2 draw in the 2021 semifinals – advancing in a penalty kick shootout.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY: The Owls have qualified for their eighth-straight postseason appearance, including NAIA National Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022. Tech has reached the tournament semifinals 3-straight years – winning the crown in 2021, losing the championship game in overtime in 2022, while reaching the semis in 2023. OIT has a 5-5-2 all-time record at the CCC Championships and a 5-6-3 all-time postseason record.
 
INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT: Eight teams will converge on Medford, looking to secure an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships. Regular-season champion, Carroll College, brings a 5-match win streak to the Rogue Valley – with leading scorer Alfie Snow (11 goals) helping the Fighting Saints clinch their first-ever NAIA bid. 2022 champ Warner Pacific earned the No. 3 seed, behind the play of Pedro Calderon (12 goals), while Eastern Oregon earned their highest finish – going 4-1-3 over their final eight matches to take fourth. College of Idaho takes a 7-match unbeaten streak (4-0-3) into their Sunday match vs. EOU, while Rocky Mountain dropped from third to sixth in the standings following a Sunday loss to Bushnell. Rounding out the field is Multnomah, as the Lions and the CCC's leading scorer, Paul Einero (13 goals) used a draw at C of I on Saturday, to clinch their first-ever playoff bid. The highest remaining seed will play the lowest remaining seed in Tuesday's semifinal, with the remaining two teams facing each other – with the winners playing for the conference title on Thursday.
 
MCMANAMON SETS ALL-TIME WINS RECORD: With the Owls victory on Friday at Evergreen State, head coach Sean McManamon broke the all-time OIT wins record for a men's soccer head coach. McManamon heads into the CCC Championships with a 32-15-10 mark in three seasons with the Owls, surpassing the previous record of 31 wins, set by Matt Munhall from 2012-18.
 
GUTSY GOAL: Friday's win was not an easy one – as the Owls played the final 59 minutes at a 10-vs-11 disadvantage due to a red card for a hard tackle. Tech weathered the storm, eventually breaking through inside the final 10 minutes. Off a counter attack, Cash Cota pounced on a rebound at the back post, driving home the game-winner – providing OIT the necessary three points to clinch a postseason bid.
 
PASANG TIES ASSISTS RECORD: The Owls played without three starters on Saturday and dropped the regular-season finale at Northwest. However, Andrew Pasang assisted on OIT's lone goal, a 90th minute strike by Merrick Tambio, the 20th all-time assist by the senior, tying the career assist mark first established by Brock Rideout.
 
VAGABONDS: The trip to Washington was not a simple one for Tech, as both the home venues at Evergreen State and Northwest were unplayable due to a deluge of rain. Friday's match vs. TESC was moved 30 miles north to Puyallup, competing at the Washington Premier FC complex, while Saturday's match vs. NU was moved south to Bellevue at Bellevue CC. Instead of competing on grass, both new venues featured an artificial surface.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Owls rank No. 3 in the conference in shutouts (5), ranking No. 5 in shots per game (13.89) and goals against average (1.39), No. 8 in fouls per game (11.72), No. 9 in corner kicks per game (4.50), No. 10 in assists per game (1.22) and No. 11 in goals per game (1.44). Individually, Ryan Solis is No. 3 in shutouts (5) and No. 6 in goals against average (1.39), with Andrew Pasang No. 10 in shots attempted (38).
 
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), assists (20), total points (78) and penalty kick conversions (7), ranking No. 2 all-time in game-winning goals (9) and No. 3 in total shot attempts (143); Ryan Solis is No. 2 in shutouts (12), No. 3 in goalie wins (16) and No. 4  in saves (107); with Kevin Rodriguez No. 10 in assists (10).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: If the Owls win, the squad will play on Tuesday night in the semifinal round at either 4 p.m. or 7 p.m.