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EUGENE, Ore. - The Bushnell University men's soccer team is postseason bound once again, earning a berth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament that begins Saturday at Lithia & Driveway Fields in Medford, Oregon.
 
The Beacons are making back-to-back tournament appearances for the first time in program history and just their third overall appearance in the CCC Championships. Bushnell owns a 1-1-2 record all-time in tournament play and has advanced to the semifinal round in each of its previous two appearances.
 
No. 6 seed Bushnell (10-3-5, 6-3-3 CCC) will face No. 3 seed Southern Oregon (11-3-3, 7-3-2 CCC) in a quarterfinal contest scheduled for 4:00 pm Saturday. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in Eugene during the regular season.
 
Despite entering the tournament with the third-best overall record among the eight-team field, the Beacons slipped to the sixth seed after closing the regular season with consecutive losses against the conference's top two teams. The tightly contested CCC standings saw just two points separate the third and sixth seeds.
 
Bushnell enters postseason play as one of the conference's most balanced teams. The Beacons rank second in the CCC with 35 goals and 33 assists while also boasting the conference's second-best goals-against average at 0.89, a mark that ranks 20th nationally in the NAIA.
 
The Beacons' offensive depth has been a major strength throughout the season, with a conference-best 15 different players finding the back of the net. Junior Joan Remo Morales leads the team with six goals, while junior Brady Housley has added five scores. Housley ranks first in the CCC and 12th nationally with nine assists and is fourth in the conference with 19 total points.
 
In goal, junior Aaron Lowry has delivered a standout first season in a Beacon uniform. Lowry ranks third in the CCC and 29th nationally with a 0.88 goals-against average.
 
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Southern Oregon enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season unbeaten over its final four matches to secure 23 conference points.
 
The Raiders rank fifth in the CCC with 27 goals and 20 assists while allowing less than a goal per game, posting the league's third-best goals-against average at 0.97.
 
Junior Ariel De Dios Cruz leads the Southern Oregon attack with six goals, tying Remo Morales for sixth in the conference. Senior JP Warnell and junior Jonathan Gaspar have each contributed five goals on the season. In net, redshirt freshman Daniel Espinoza ranks fourth in the CCC with a 0.97 goals-against average.
 
Southern Oregon is making its 10th consecutive appearance in the CCC Championships and has captured tournament titles in 2015 and 2018. The Raiders were eliminated in last year's quarterfinal round, falling 2-0 to Rocky Mountain.
 
AROUND THE CCC
Regular-season champion Rocky Mountain (13-0-3) secured the conference's first automatic berth to the NAIA National Championship after claiming the CCC title. The tournament champion will receive the conference's second automatic bid. If Rocky Mountain wins the tournament as well, the second bid will be awarded to the tournament runner-up.
 
Saturday's quarterfinal slate also includes:

• No. 2 Carroll vs. No. 7 Oregon Tech, 4:00 pm
• No. 4 Eastern Oregon vs. No. 5 College of Idaho, 4:00 pm
• No. 1 Rocky Mountain vs. No. 8 Warner Pacific, 7:00 pm

With a balanced attack, one of the conference's stingiest defenses, and postseason experience on its side, Bushnell will look to continue its historic run on Saturday and earn a spot in the CCC semifinals.