COMING UP: at Pacific Union, Friday, 1 p.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Live Video and Live Stat links, if available, will be posted at OregonTechOwls.com.
 
OPPONENT INFORMATION – PACIFIC UNION (0-4) | FIRST MEETING: Tech closes out the preseason schedule, making the drive to the Napa Valley for a meeting at Pacific Union. The Pioneers are searching for their first win, as the club has been outscored 10-1 in their four counters – road losses to Hope International, La Sierra, Corban and Bushnell. Returners Jake Boyd and Domonic Cavin lead the team, with Yousufu Siaway (1 goal) and Isaiah Flores (1 assist) posting the only points on the year. Youssef Mahrish (2.50 GAA, .643 save%) has played all 360 minutes in goal. It is the first-ever match-up between the sides.
 
WILL THERE BE A CAL PAC?: Pacific Union is a member of the California Pacific Conference, a league in 2019 had 15 members, but has dwindled over the last few seasons. UC Merced joined the Division II; Embry-Riddle, Soka, La Sierra, Benedictine Mesa and Park Gilbert all joined the Great Southwest Athletic Conference; Cal Maritime dropped athletics; Marymount, Antelope Valley, St. Katherine and Providence Christian each closed; while Tuesday, Simpson became the newest member of the Cascade Conference. Along with PUC, Westcliff and Stanton are the only remaining full members (Northern New Mexico competes in basketball).
 
UNBEATEN STARTS TO SEASON: The 2026 season marks the fifth time an OIT team has opened a season unbeaten through five matches. The 2022 team started 3-0-2, the 2021 team won their first six matches, while both the 2019 team (5-0-2) and 2025 team (4-0-3) were unbeaten through seven contests.
 
DRAWS AND MORE DRAWS: The season of ties continued, as the Owls became the 22nd Cascade Conference team to play to four draws in a season with the back-to-back 0-0 finishes. OIT has a string of 4-straight draws – the first time a CCC school has recorded more than two consecutive draws since the league records were established in 1995. The games were the 34th and 35th draws in program history, with Tech playing 11 matches ending in a 0-0 score, 14 matches ending at 1-1, nine games ending at 2-2, with one match finishing 3-3.

CLEAN SHEET EARNS HARWOOD WEEKLY AWARD: The Tech defense stood out in the doubleheader over Labor Day weekend, as keeper Noah Harwood kept two high-powered offenses out of the net, earning Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The redshirt freshman faced 24 shots, including eight on frame – stopping all eight shots on goal. Harwood currently leads the NAIA with three shutouts on the season and dropped his goals against average to 0.80.
 
BACK LINE STELLAR: While Noah Harwood earned the defensive award from the league, equally impressive was the back line for the Owls. Center back Eric McGuire was stellar marking up the top offensive threats, while outside backs Yahir Ramos and Sammy Villalta kept the wingers in check. Arizona Christian's top scorer, Jose Garcia, was limited to one shot, while The Master's top scorer, Trent Rickard, who has averaged over a goal per game played in his career – did not have a shot on frame.
 
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 45-12-10 record on their own pitch. Since 2020, Tech has dominated foes, recording a 36-7-9 home record, including a 4-0-2 mark in 2025 and a 1-0-2 mark this season.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE: Last week, along with Tech playing The Master's and Arizona Christian to draws, Southern Oregon topped ACU and tied TMU during their trip to the region. Both Eastern Oregon and Carroll headed to the Midwest – with EOU going 0-1-2 in games in Ohio and Michigan, while Carroll dropped two matches in Indiana – while Evergreen and Bushnell each claimed wins over Pacific. This week, Rocky Mountain travels to South Dakota for two matches (South Dakota Mines and Dakota Wesleyan), Evergreen and Northwest host Simpson, with Walla Walla traveling to Linfield.
 
CCC STANDINGS: Corban 2-0-0, Southern Oregon 3-0-1, Bushnell 4-0-2, Northwest 1-0-1, Evergreen 1-0-2, Rocky Mountain 1-0-2, Warner Pacific 2-1-1, Oregon Tech 1-0-4, Carroll 1-2-1, Eastern Oregon 0-1-2, College of Idaho 0-3-1, Providence 0-2-0, Walla Walla 0-2-0.
 
CCC LEADERS: Goals Scored – J.P. Warnell (SOU) 4, Joan Remo Morales (BU) 3, 6 Players with 2; Assists – Brady Housley (BU) 4, 6 Players with 2; Shot Attempts – Luis Gonzalez (WPU) 19, Henry Lopez (EOU) 13, Nicolas Sanchez (CAR) 12, Joan Remo Morales (BU) 12, Jose Robles (WPU) 10; Goals Against Average – Rylan Davidson (CRB) 0.00, Aaron Lowry (BU) 0.46, Bailey Hopkins (NU) 0.50, Tom Cole (TESC) 0.63), Jonathan Flores (WPU) 0.67; Shutouts – Noah Harwood (OIT) 3, Rylan Davidson (CRB) 2, 4 Players with 1.
 
RECORD BOOK: Currently, two players rank among the OIT Top-20 in the career record book, Noah Harwood is No. 10 in keeper shutouts (3) and Dalton Rideout is No. 19 in program history in goals scored (9).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Owls open up the CCC schedule on the road, traveling to Washington for matches at Evergreen State (Friday) and Northwest (Saturday).