COMING UP: at Southern Oregon, Friday, 2:30 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Friday's match at Southern Oregon will be streamed live on SOU's SIDEARM Video Portal, with Live Stats available through the OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal.
 
SCHEDULE UPDATE: Next Saturday's match at Rocky Mountain will now be played at 1 p.m. (MDT) / 12 p.m. (PDT) – to accommodate travel plans for the OIT women's team.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SOUTHERN OREGON: Friday afternoon, the Owls begin a tough stretch of matches (5-of-6 on the road), beginning at rival Southern Oregon. The Raiders (7-0-1, 2-0 CCC) are off to an outstanding start, outscoring their opponents, 24-5 – recording a perfect 4-0 mark on their own pitch – while not allowing more than one goal in a match this year. Corban transfer Irwin Leon (7 goals, 1 assist) and newcomer Ariel de dios Cruz (6 goals, 1 assist) have provided the scoring punch, with CCC Defensive Player of the Year, Tristan Skeritt and All-CCC midfielder Daniel Palomino (3 goals, 2 assists) providing key experience. All-America keeper Casey Ruvolo (0.63 GAA, 16 saves) is among the top shot stoppers in the league.
 
HISTORY OF THE RIVALRY: Since Southern started their men's soccer program in 2015, the Raiders have had success on the pitch against OIT – recording a 9-2-2 all-time record against the Owls. Both Tech wins have come in the postseason, with both wins in overtime – including a 2-1 victory in last season's Cascade Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The Hustlin' Owls are looking to snap a pair of marks in Ashland, as Tech is 0-4 all-time against the Raiders on SOU's pitch, with OIT searching for their first-ever goal at Raider Stadium.
 
STUDENT VS. MENTOR: Friday's match-up in Ashland features OIT head coach Sean McManamon squaring off against his mentor, SOU manager Davie Carmichael. McManamon, who was an All-CCC pick at SOU in 2016 and 2017, was an assistant for Carmichael at Southern from 2018-21 – combining for a 49-12-6 record. Head-to-head, Carmichael has the upper hand, recording a 3-1-1 mark against McManamon.
 
UNBEATEN STARTS: With the perfect weekend against Northwest and Evergreen, Tech improved to 4-0-3 on the season – the second time since the inception of the program in 2008 that the Owls sit unbeaten through seven contests. The current squad joins the 2019 team that began 5-0-2 with unbeaten records through seven matches. The 2021 holds the school mark for most consecutive wins without a loss to open a season, beginning 6-0.
 
2-0 STARTS TO CCC PLAY: For the fourth time in the last five seasons and sixth time ever – the Hustlin' Owls opened conference play with back-to-back victories. Tech won their first two matches in CCC action in 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 – with the 2016 team beginning conference play 5-0 and the 2023 team starting 3-0.
 
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 42-12-7 record on their own pitch. Since 2020, Tech has dominated foes, recording a 33-7-6 home record, including a 2-0-1 record at home in 2025.
 
FLETCHER NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: A banner weekend defensively, with some offense mixed in netted OIT junior Reece Fletcher this week's Cascade Conference McDonald's Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, presented by the UEN Network. Fletcher was an anchor in the back for the Owls, allowing a combined nine total shots in the wins over Northwest and Evergreen. Offensively, Fletcher scored the first goal in both matches – including the game-winning tally against Evergreen, pushing his season total to three goals.
 
DOMINANT DEFENSE PACES OWLS: Tech has turned to their defense for their early season success – keeping opposing offenses away from the box. Through the first seven outings, no OIT opponent has taken more than 10 shots in a game, while the Owls have surrendered just three total goals – posting four shutouts on the year – and top the NAIA in goals against average (0.43).
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH OFFENSIVELY: Through seven games, eight different players have scored at least one goal for the Owls, but no player has posted more than three goals on the season. Along with the sold week from Reece Fletcher, Tech got two goals from junior Dalton Rideout, moving into the No. 19 spot on the all-time OIT goals list with nine goals. The Owls also got goals from Sylver Schweiger and Kasey Smith on Friday, with Ben Bradshaw scoring a goal in Saturday's win.
 
INSIDE THE CCC: Three teams finished the first weekend of conference play with 2-0 marks – OIT, Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon – while two teams (Bushnell and Carroll) won their lone matches. In addition, Walla Walla claimed their first CCC win since 2019, upsetting College of Idaho, 4-3. This week, Providence heads for games at Walla Walla and Warner Pacific, Rocky Mountain and Carroll are off to Northwest and Evergreen, while C of I and Eastern host Bushnell and Corban.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: Goals – Bodo Calderon (WPU) 10, Omar Barajas (BU) 10, Irwin Leon (SOU) 7, Ariel de dios Cruz (SOU) 6, Matthew Ludlow (NU) 6; Assists – Barajas 5, Caleb Primo (BU) 5, Nico Rivera (NU) 4, Henry Lopez (EOU) 4, Aaron Lawson (RMC) 4; Points – Barajas 25, Calderon 21, Leon 15, de dios Cruz 13, Ludlow 12; Shots – Barajas 30, Papa Yansane (SOU) 28, Leon 28, Calderon 26, Ludlow 24; Goals Against Average – Harvey Bolland (OIT) 0.43, William Haverfield (BU) 0.46, Juan Munoz Navarrette (CAR) 0.60, Anthony Lemus (EOU) 0.60, Casey Ruvalo (SOU) 0.63.
 
TEAM LEADERS: As a team, Tech is tied for the league lead in goals against average (0.43), ranking No. 2 in shutouts (4), No. 6 in assists (9), No. 7 in shots per game (11.3) and goals per game (1.71), ranking No. 9 in corner kicks (16).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Hustlin' Owls continue a tough stretch of five road games in six contests – making the long trip to Montana for games at Carroll (Oct. 2) and Rocky Mountain (Oct. 4).