COMING UP: vs. Northwest, Friday, 2:30 p.m.; vs. Evergreen State, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Both weekend games from the OIT Soccer Field will be streamed live on the Owls Sports Network, with Live Stats for both matches available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – NORTHWEST: League play begins the way it ended in 2024, with a match-up against Northwest – who topped OIT, 4-1, in last season's the regular-season finale. The Eagles (3-1-1) are on a 4-match unbeaten streak, including wins at OUAZ and Linfield, averaging three goals per match. All-CCC forward Matthew Ludlow (6 goals) and Ryan Anderson (1 goal) are the top players up top, with midfielder Nick Rivera (4 assists) the top distributor and Caleb Corpuz anchoring the defense. Newcomer Bailey Hopkins (1.45 GAA) handles the duties in goal. It is the 26th meeting, with NU holding a 14-9-2 series lead.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EVERGREEN: Day 2 of the conference opening weekend features Evergreen making their annual trek from Olympia, Wash., to the Basin. The Geoducks (0-3) enter the weekend after dropping matches to George Fox, Puget Sound and Warner Pacific – as the three foes have outshot the Greeners, 45-17. Newcomer Marvin Sea (1 goal) has joined returning starters Sage Scheuerell (1 goal), Kolby Juarez (1 assist) and defender Jonas Olvera Calderon in the lineup, with two keepers – Tom Cole (2.00 GAA) and Gabriel Wilhelm (4.00 GAA) sharing duties. Evergreen holds a 11-9-3 series edge, but the Owls have won 6-straight meetings.
 
LEAGUE SCHEDULE UPON US: The 2025 Cascade Conference soccer schedule opens on Thursday in Montana, as 13 teams battle for eight spots in the CCC Championships, set for early November in Medford. The table has one fewer team this season, as former league foe, Multnomah, dropped athletics – allowing each team to play one extra non-conference counter. With the change, Walla Walla and Warner Pacific are now travel partners, with Providence the lone team without a travel partner. The regular-season champion and tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships.
 
HOME FIELD SUCCESS: Since the OIT Soccer Field was transitioned from natural grass to an artificial turf surface in 2017, the Owls have posted a 40-12-7 record on their own pitch. Since 2020, Tech has dominated foes, recording a 31-7-6 home record.
 
DEFENSE LEADS TECH: The calling card for the 2025 Hustlin' Owls through five matches is the play of the defense – surrendering just two goals in 450 minutes played. OIT has limited all five opponents to 10 shots or fewer, with keeper Harvey Bolland making 11 saves on 13 shots on frame, recording a .846 save percentage – posting three shutouts. The Owls have not allowed a second half goal, with the opposition failing to find the net during the final 84 minutes of the five matches.
 
QUALITY TRIP TO THE DESERT: An early excursion to Arizona was key to the development of the Hustlin' Owls, as OIT earned positive results in matches at Arizona Christian and Park Gilbert. Against ACU, Tech dominated the run of play – getting a first half goal from Sylver Schweiger and adding a second half strike from Moises Lopez Carillo – while the defense was dominant in the 2-0 victory. Against Park, the match was played between the 18s for most of the contest, with Harvey Bolland posting a second-straight clean-sheet for Tech in the scoreless draw.
 
UNBEATEN STARTS: With the 1-0-1 trip to Arizona, Tech improved to 2-0-3 on the season – the fourth time since the inception of the program in 2008 that the Owls sit unbeaten through five contests. The 2022 club began the year with a 3-0-2 record, the 2021 squad opened 6-0, with the 2019 team opening the season with a 5-0-2 mark.
 
SPEAKING OF TIES: The 0-0 draw at Park Gilbert was the third tie the Owls have recorded in 2025 and the 31st tie in program history. Of the 31 draws – 11 have finished with a 0-0 score, 13 have ended with a 1-1 score, while Tech and their opposition have ended a game with a 2-2 score seven times.
 
OUTSTANDING EFFORT IN FRIENDLY WITH GONZAGA: Tech closed out their non-league schedule with a rare exhibition match against a Division I foe – traveling to Spokane to face Gonzaga. The Owls left it all out on the field, playing the West Coast Conference side to a scoreless first half – with keeper Harvey Bolland making five saves in the opening 45 minutes – before the Bulldogs scored two goals in an 8-minute stretch of the second half to claim a 2-0 win.
 
THE LINE-UP AND IRON MAN: Two players for the Hustlin' Owls – keeper Harvey Bolland and centerback Cooper Hunt – have played all 450 minutes during the 2025 season. The duo are two of seven players who have started each game, with Bolland and Hunt joined by Sylver Schweiger, Ben Bradshaw, Anthony Aguiar Casillas, Patrick Chan and Bridger Meyer.
 
INSIDE THE CCC: Heading into the first weekend of CCC play, Bushnell holds the top record at 6-0, with both Southern Oregon (5-0-1) and Eastern Oregon (3-0-2) playing competitive schedules, while Warner Pacific (4-1) rides a 4-match win streak. On the flip side, Walla Walla has yet to play a countable match. This weekend, along with OIT and SOU hosting Evergreen and Northwest, Carroll heads to Rocky Mountain for their travel partner game, College of Idaho and EOU are off to Walla Walla and Warner Pacific, with Corban and Bushnell both headed to Providence.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: Goals – Bodo Calderon (WPU) 9, Omar Barajas (BU) 9, Matthew Ludlow (NU) 6, Ariel De Dios Cruz (SOU) 6, Two Players with 4; Assists – Barajas 5, Nico Rivera (NU) 4, Caleb Primo (BU) 4, Henry Lopez (EOU) 4, Aaron Lawson (RMC) 4; Points – Barajas 23, Calderon 19, De Dios Cruz 13, Ludlow 12, Giovanni Agogliati (BU) 12; Shots – Barajas 26, Ludlow 21, Papa Yansane (SOU) 20, Irwin Leon (SOU) 20, Calderon 19; Goals Against Average – Anthony Lemus (EOU) 0.33, Harvey Bolland (OIT) 0.40, Casey Ruvalo (SOU) 0.50, William Haverfield (BU) 0.54, Juan Munoz Navarrette (CAR) 0.75.
 
NEXT WEEK: OIT begins a stretch of five road matches in their next six contests over a four-week period, traveling to Ashland next Friday (Sept. 26) for a date with rival Southern Oregon.