COMING UP: at Simpson Tri-Match (Redding, Calif.) – vs. Park-Gilbert, Thursday, 12 p.m.; vs. Simpson, Saturday, 12 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both matches from the Sacramento River Valley will be streamed live via the Simpson YouTube Channel, with Live Stats of both matches available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: All photos from the 2024 season will be posted online via the OIT Women's Soccer Flickr Page, while highlight clips will be posted online via the OIT Women's Soccer YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – PARK-GILBERT: OIT will meet their fourth-straight Great Southwest Athletic Conference opponent, squaring off with Park University-Gilbert on Thursday afternoon. The Buccaneers (1-1) opened the year with a 6-0 loss to College of Idaho, before rebounding for a 1-0 victory against Soka. The Bucs, who finished 2023 6-7-3 as members of the California Pacific Conference, return a pair of all-conference players – forward Emma Alvarez (7 goals, 1 assist in 2023) and defender Alli Meisel (2 goals, 1 assist) – with the team also returning midfielder Dani Mares (3 goals, 1 assist) and Alicia Ypina (2 goals, 1 assist). Park will have a new keeper, as Morgan Trail (3.00 GAA, .538 save pct in 2024) has started both games this season. The two teams met for the first time last year in Arizona, with Park scoring a pair of goals off set pieces in a 2-0 victory.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SIMPSON: The non-conference schedule ends with a familiar foe, as the Lady Owls meet Simpson of the California Pacific Conference. The Redhawks (1-2) will face their fourth CCC opponent – dropping 1-goal decisions to Southern Oregon and Warner Pacific, while topping Bushnell, 1-0. SU returns four All-Cal Pac selections from last season's 8-6-4 club – including leading scorer Chloe Tague (9 goals, 1 assist in 2023), who has both Redhawk goals this season. Also back is all-league defenders Izabella Baez and Paola Montoya (2 assists in 2023), as is keeper Kiah Gridley (1.29 GAA in 2023), who has a .857 save percentage through three matches. OIT puts a 25-match unbeaten streak on the line vs. Simpson, holding a 23-0-2 all-time mark – though the two teams have played consecutive scoreless draws.
 
OFF TO CALIFORNIA: The Lady Owls head to Redding this weekend for a pair of matches, marking the 22nd time in 25 seasons that Tech has played in Northern California. During that stretch, OIT is a combined 30-12-2 in the region – including a 11-1-2 all-time record in Redding. During the 25-year window, the only season the Owls did not play in the Golden State was in 2011.
 
NEUTRAL SITE MATCHES: Thursday's game with Park-Gilbert marks OIT's 12th all-time regular-season neutral site match-up, with the Lady Owls 6-3-2 all-time record in the 11 previous neutral site games. Tech has played 14 matches on Simpson's home pitch – recording a 11-0-2 mark against the Redhawks, while dropping the lone neutral contest, a 2005 loss to Menlo.
 
A TOP-25 WIN: Tech closed out their trip to California with one of the biggest wins in program history – a 3-2 decision at No. 11-ranked Hope International. It marked the Owls sixth win against a Top-25 team and first since the 2021 – when OIT earned wins over No. 2-ranked Spring Arbor, No. 12-ranked Aquinas and No. 18-ranked Eastern Oregon. HIU was the fourth highest-ranked opponent the Owls have toppled, defeating No. 6-ranked EOU in 2019, No. 9-ranked Westmont in 2020, along with the victory over SAU in the 2022 NAIA quarterfinals.
 
HOT, HOT, HOT: The trip to the Los Angeles metro was an uncomfortable trip for all, as the area was locked in a rare September heat wave – with temperatures climbing above 110-degrees. To beat the heat, Thursday's match-up at The Master's was moved to a secondary venue – with the start time moved later in the evening to help with the scorching temperatures.
 
JACOBSON HONORED BY THE CCC: Facing a Top-25 foe for the first time this season, the Owls got a huge boost from Kiana Jacobson late in the contest with Hope International – taking a cross from Brianna Lewis just outside the box – flicking home a one-timer into the left corner of the net for the eventual game-winner. For her efforts, the senior was named Cascade Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career and currently ranks among the Top-10 in the CCC in goals scored.
 
LEWIS IN A SHARING MOOD: Senior midfielder Brianna Lewis has been key to the early season success by the Lady Owls – recording an assist in each of the last three matches. Lewis has equaled her season total from 2023 and currently is tied for the CCC lead in assists.
 
FIRST GOALS: Of the four goals scored by the Lady Owls in California, three of the strikes were made by first-year OIT players. Against The Master's, freshman Raeah Raymondo scored off a cross from Brianna Lewis for her first goal of her collegiate career, while against Hope International, transfer Caneel Corpuz drove home a cross from Chloe Cook to tie the score vs. the Royals, with freshman Jaylee Curran driving home a 30-yard free kick just before halftime to give the Owls a lead.
 
SUCCESS ON THE TURF: During the 25 seasons of women's soccer at OIT, the Lady Owls are 108-58-18 in matches played in Klamath Falls. Since the school installed turf at the on-campus venue in 2017, Tech has been dominant, recording a 39-4-7 mark, including a 1-0 record in 2024 – riding a 5-match unbeaten streak.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: With one week left in the non-conference schedule, 10 of the 13 teams in the league have records of .500 or better – including Southern Oregon (3-0) and College of Idaho (2-0-1) leading the way. Last week, Providence went to California and earned four points – topping Life Pacific and played Providence Christian to a draw, while Multnomah defeated Lewis & Clark and astern Oregon stopped Whitman. Carroll played two Division II opponents, earning a draw vs. Black Hills State, Corban lost to George Fox, with Bushnell defeating Pacific Union but losing to Simpson. This week, Bushnell, Evergreen State, Multnomah, Warner Pacific and Corban all meet Division III teams, Eastern Oregon and C of I host UC-Merced, with Southern Oregon traveling to D-II Stanislaus State.
 
RECORD BOOK: Two players rank within the Top-20 of the OIT career record book. Forward Kiah Wetzell sits at No. 15 in goals scored (14) and No. 16 in total points (34), while keeper Sydni Nakamura is No. 3 all-time in shutouts (12), ranking No. 6 in goalie wins (15) and in saves (120).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Lady Owls open up the 12-game CCC schedule at home, hosting Warner Pacific (Sept. 20) and Multnomah (Sept. 21) – with all home games set for 12 p.m. starts.