COMING UP: vs. Arizona Christian, Thursday, 1 p.m.; vs. The Master's, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All home men's soccer matches will streamed on the new Cascade Sports Network streaming platform (https://www.cascadesportsnetwork.com/oregontech/) – which will feature games from 11 of the 13 soccer playing schools in the conference. Live Stats will continue to be available through OIT's SIDEARM Stats Portal - https://oregontechowls.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary.
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – ARIZONA CHRISTIAN (1-1-1) | 3RD ALL-TIME MEETING | LAST MET IN 2025 (OIT 2, ACU 0)| SERIES TIED 1-1: Tech opens up Labor Day Weekend early, hosting Arizona Christian on Thursday – the first time the Owls have met the Firestorm away from the Phoenix metro. ACU played Westcliff to a draw, lost to Warner Pacific and toppled Nelson to open the season, as the club is looking to build off a 10-6-3 record in 2025. Three of the top scorers from 2025 are back, as Jose Garcia (2 goals, 1 assist) had 10 goals last year, Raul Aranda (1 goal) had seven goals, with Josh Flanagan (2 assists) recorded five goals and three assists.  Also back is keeper Emiliano Vega (1.33 GAA), as ACU looks to avenge a 2-0 loss to OIT from 2025.
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – THE MASTER'S (0-2) | 3RD ALL-TIME MEETING | LAST MET IN 2024 (OIT 2, TMU 0) | SERIES TIED 1-1: The weekend closes against The Master's, as the Mustangs head to Oregon in search of their first win of 2026. TMU dropped a 3-1 decision to Stanton and fell 5-0 to Division I Cal State-Northridge, with their lone score an own goal. The Mustangs have a completely new unit – having to replace the top seven scorers (including 14-goal scorer Trent Rickard) – with Michael Masimago (2 goals, 1 assist in 2025), Zach Bates (3 assists in 2025), Braden Krusoy (3 assists in 2025) and Jo Yakota (3 assists in 2025) the top returners. In goal, newcomer Franco Barba (4.00 GAA) has played the first 180 minutes this season. Tech has played TMU twice in California – a 2-0 loss in 2018 and a 2-0 win in 2024.
 
AGAINST THE GSAC: The matchups with Arizona Christian and The Master's pits the Cascade Conference against the Great Southwest Athletic Conference (formerly the Golden State Athletic Conference) – a league that has evolved over the past 15 years, as 12 different schools have left the circuit for either the NCAA Division I or II – with the league grabbing multiple former members of the California Pacific Conference. Against current GSAC members, the Owls are a combined 3-5-4 – with the Owls yet to meet La Sierra, Life Pacific or Soka.

AUGUST GAMES: Tech played games in August for the 16th time in 19 seasons (the 2009 and 2021 seasons opened in September, while the 2020 season was played in the spring of 2021). The Owls are 8-9-7 all-time in August games – including a current 13-match unbeaten streak, dating back to the 2019 season.
 
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 45-12-8 record on their own pitch. Since 2020, Tech has dominated foes, recording a 36-7-7 home record, including a 4-0-2 mark in 2025 and a 1-0 mark this season.
 
TWO DRAWS IN THE DESERT: For the first time in program history, the Owls completed a long road trip (to Southern California or Arizona) unbeaten, earning back-to-back 2-2 draws at Benedictine Mesa and Embry-Riddle. OIT saw the opposition hold a 28-21 edge in shots and a 7-5 edge in corner kicks – but Tech made the played needed to secure points in both contests.
 
SPOONER IMPRESSES: Heading into the season, head coach Sean McManamon pointed to Cannon Spooner as one of the more improved players on the squad. Spooner has lived up to the billing, posting assists in each of the first two matches of the year, before scoring the Owls first goal against Embry-Riddle, heading home a long free kick in the 83rd minute. He is the lone OIT player to record at least a point in each of the first three contests.
 
COTA SCORES LATE: The Owls were on life-support late in the Embry-Riddle match, trailing 2-0 with less than eight minutes remaining. After the aforementioned goal from Cannon Spooner, Tech peppered the net with six shots in six minutes, before a last-minute cross to the back post found Cash Cota, who slotted home the equalizer to earn OIT a point. It marked the fifth goal in the career of the junior.
 
THE DISTRIBUTOR: In junior college, Kevin Alvarenga led the CCCAA in assists during the 2024 season, recording 16 helpers. The first-year Hustlin' Owl has started quickly, posting a pair of assists in Sunday's draw with Embry-Riddle, while adding a goal in Friday's draw at Benedictine Mesa – with his four points tied for the team scoring lead.
 
MULTIPLE GOALS IN THREE STRAIGHT GAMES: Tech has found their offensive rhythm early in the season, scoring 2-or-more goals in each of their three matches. It marks the first time since the final four games of the 2023 season that the Owls have rattled off more than 3-straight matches with multiple goals.
 
CONSECUTIVE DRAWS?: For the first time in program history, the Hustlin' Owls recorded draws in back-to-back matches. The 2-2 decisions were the eighth and ninth times an OIT match ended at 2-2, with Tech playing 11 matches ending in a 0-0 score, 14 matches ending at 1-1, with one match finishing at 3-3.
 
OWLS PICKED SEVENTH: The Hustlin' Owls were picked seventh in the 2026 Cascade Conference preseason poll, accumulating 94 voter points from the 13 league coaches. The four CCC squads that advanced to last season's NAIA Tournament claimed the top spots – Eastern Oregon (149), Carroll (148), Warner Pacific (147) and Rocky Mountain (133), followed by College of Idaho (116) and Southern Oregon (114) – with OIT hosting each of the sides this season in Klamath. The first NAIA Top-25 poll was released last Wednesday, with Warner Pacific ranked No. 8.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: The CCC got quality results against non-league teams, as Southern Oregon won at Embry-Riddle (2-1), Northwest stopped OUAZ (2-1), with Bushnell playing a quality Stanton team to a scoreless draw. The league saw their first losses of the year, as Stanton topped Warner Pacific (2-1) and Saint Martin's defeated Walla Walla (5-0). This week, along with OIT and SOU hosting Arizona Christian and The Master's, Eastern Oregon and Carroll head to Indiana for matches vs. Indiana Tech and Spring Arbor, College of Idaho travels to California for three matches, while Bushnell plays a rare four-match week – against Simpson, Pacific Union, Lincoln and Pacific.
 
RECORD BOOK: Entering the 2026 season, only one player ranks among the OIT Top-20 in the career record book, as Dalton Rideout enters the season No. 19 in program history in goals scored (9).
 
NEXT WEEK: Tech closes out the non-conference schedule with a road date at Pacific Union on Sept. 11, before starting the 12-game Cascade Conference schedule, Sept. 18-19 at Evergreen and Northwest.