ASHLAND – Ottawa (Ariz.) soured No. 23-ranked Southern Oregon's home debut by dealing the Raiders their first regular-season loss since last September with a 3-0 upset Thursday afternoon at Raider Stadium.
Ron Neftali put the Spirit (1-0-1) ahead in the third minute and gave them a two-goal cushion in the 54th as the OUAZ defense limited SOU to two shots on goal. The Raiders (2-1) had last been shut out at home in 2018.
Neftali's first goal was a putback from point-blank range of Ethan Castillo's shot that hit the crossbar. Castillo was credited with an assist, and Jesus Castillo set up Neftali's second score – a 23-yard strike lined up with the right post and hammer inside the left.
In the 82nd minute, Zen Courtois provided the finishing touches with a shot in space after Andrew DelGuidice poked the ball away from a Raider defender from behind and sent it to the striker.
SOU keeper Casey Ruvolo collected five saves, but his efforts were futile as the Raiders struggled to finish. They generated 13 shots, just one fewer than the spirit, and OUAZ keeper Jonathan Garcia only had to make two saves.
The Raiders' regular-season winning streak ended at 12 games. They'd been unbeaten in their previous nine home outings dating back to 2022.
SOU is home again at 9 a.m. Saturday to face Arizona Christian, which was a 2-0 winner over Northwest (Wash.) on Thursday at Raider Stadium.