COMING UP: at Simpson, Friday, 2 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Friday's from the Sacramento River Valley will be streamed live via the Simpson YouTube Channel, with Live Stats of the Sky Cup clash available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
MULTIMEDIA: All photos from the 2024 season will be posted online via the OIT Men's Soccer Flickr Page, while highlight clips will be posted online via the OIT Men's Soccer YouTube Channel.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SIMPSON: The Owls close out their non-league schedule on Friday the home schedule on Wednesday, traveling to regional rival Simpson in the second leg of a home-and-home series. The Redhawks (0-2) had a successful 6-8-4 campaign a year ago, including a 5-4-3 record in California Pacific Conference play – but have dropped their first two matches in 2024 (4-2 loss to OIT, 3-0 loss at College of Idaho, with a third match-up at Eastern Oregon abandoned in the second half due to lightning). Senior all-conference midfielder Michel Hampe (11 goals) is the go-to player – and scored one of the two goals in the first meeting with Tech, with 6-foot-2 forward Dylan Sides and defender Gilberto Ceja both key components. New keeper Jesus Montoya has started both matches, but posts a .429 save percentage.
 
HISTORY BETWEEN TECH AND SIMPSON: 2024 marks the sixth-straight season that OIT and the Redhawks will meet on the pitch, with the Hustlin' Owls taking an 8-match unbeaten streak into Friday's contest. Tech is 3-3-1 on Simpson's home pitch, with the two teams playing to a 2-2 draw in the last matchup in Redding during the 2022 season.
 
NEW TRAVELING TROPHY: Both schools will have something to play for this season, as the Owls and Redhawks have unveiled the Sky Cup – a traveling trophy between the teams. The winner of the season series – via aggregate scoring – will claim the Sky Cup and retain the trophy until the following year. Tech heads into Friday's game with a 4-2 edge in the aggregate score.
 
AGAINST THE CAL PAC: Simpson is one of five current (or prior) members of the California Pacific Conference to play OIT, with the Owls 16-5-3 against the rival league to the south. Tech was a perfect 4-0 against former member, Sierra Nevada, while recording a 2-0 mark against Menlo before the Oaks moved to the Great Southwest Athletic Conference (and then to the NCAA Division II). OIT and UC-Merced played to a pair of draws, while the Owls dropped their lone match-up against Embry-Riddle (now in the GSAC).
 
TALE OF TWO MATCHES: A trip to a scorching Los Angeles (temperatures were near 110 degrees throughout the weekend) saw the Hustlin' Owls finish with a 1-1 record – a pair of completely different matches. Last Thursday at The Master's, Tech earned a 2-0 victory – limiting the Mustangs to 10 total shots, with Ryan Solis earning his second shutout of the season, posting five saves. Two days later, Hope International took 17 shots in a 3-0 victory, with two of the scores coming off a shot rebound.
 
PUSHING FORWARD: The opening goal at The Master's was the first in the OIT career of defender Bridger Meyer. The transfer had pushed up into the midfield and was the benefactor of a stolen pass by Wolfgang Alvarado and drove a 35-yard shot past an out-of-position Mustangs keeper. Meyer has been key to Tech's success, playing in all 360 minutes this season.
 
KNOCKING IT HOME: The Owls got their first goal off a set piece in California, as Ben Bradshaw earned his second collegiate goal and first since the 2022 season. Kevin Rodriguez played a corner kick to the back post, with Cash Cota heading the ball to the middle of the 6-yard-box, where Bradshaw flicked home the counter.
 
A THEME IN THE STARTING 11: Tech has been consistent with their starting 11 this season, as nine players have heard their name introduced prior to a contest. The trio of Cooper Hunt, Bridger Meyer and Ryan Solis have played all 360 minutes this season, while Wolfgang Alvarado, Lennyn Solis, Kevin Rodriguez, Andrew Pasang, Sylver Schweiger and Patrick Chan have started four-straight contests.
 
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 37-10-4 record on their own pitch. Since 2020, Tech has dominated foes, recording a 28-5-3 home record, including a 1-0 mark this year. With the win over Simpson, Tech extended their goal scoring streak at home to 22 matches – dating back to a 2021 loss to Southern Oregon.
 
OWLS PICKED FIFTH IN CCC POLL: Coming off their third-straight trip to the Cascade Conference Tournament semifinals, Oregon Tech was picked fifth out of 14 teams in the 2024 CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Aug. 7 by the league office. Tech received 128 voter points from the 14 league coaches following an 11-5-3 season, with the club returning a pair of All-CCC performers. Defending CCC regular-season champ, Southern Oregon, earned eight first-place votes and took the top spot with 216 voter points, while CCC Tournament champ, College of Idaho grabbed five first-place nods, placing second with 182 points. Warner Pacific (163) and Carroll College (149) placed third and fourth in the tabulation, with the Owls well ahead of sixth-place Evergreen State (109).
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Last week, the CCC had a mixed bag of results – as Multnomah swept Pacific Union and Lewis & Clark, College of Idaho defeated Simpson, Bushnell topped Pacific Union and Rocky Mountain earned a win over Division II MSU-Billings. On the flip side, both Corban and Evergreen State lost to Division III teams and Carroll played MSU-Billings to a draw. The final weekend of non-conference play has Eastern Oregon, Carroll and Southern Oregon heading to California for matches, with Corban, Warner Pacific, Northwest and Multnomah all playing Division III foes.
 
MCMANAMON CLOSING IN: With the victory over The Master's, head coach Sean McManamon improved his career record to 27-9-3 – the second-most wins in program history. The third-year skipper is five victories away from setting a new OIT men's soccer coaching wins record, as Matt Munhall won 31 games from 2012-18.
 
RECORD BOOK: Three players are currently ranked among the Top-20 the OIT all-time career record book. Andrew Pasang is No. 2 all-time in goals scored (24), assists (18), total points (66) and game-winning goals (8), ranking No. 6 in total shot attempts (111); Ryan Solis is No. 4 in shutouts (9) and goalie wins (11), ranking No. 9 in saves (73); with Kevin Rodriguez No. 10 in assists (10).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The 13-game Cascade Conference regular-season begins next weekend in the Basin, as Tech opens Friday vs. rival Warner Pacific and Saturday vs. Multnomah – with both matches at 2:30 p.m.