ASHLAND – Two days after being shut out at Raider Stadium for the first time since 2018, No. 23-ranked Southern Oregon's efforts to dismiss that performance as an aberration were convincing in Saturday morning's 5-0 blowout of Arizona Christian.
Mustafa Daggig made more history as the Raiders bumped their nonleague record to 3-1 after peppering the Firestorm (1-2) with 26 shots. Daggig, the sophomore forward who two weeks ago became the first Raider to ever start a year with consecutive two-goal games, bookended the attacking efforts with his fifth and sixth goals of the season. In doing so he has already matched SOU's single-season record for most games with multiple scores, a mark established just last fall by NAIA All-American Adrian Villegas.
Alex Hjulmand, Ariel De Dios Cruz and Emi Rojo notched their first goals of the season to account for the rest of the offensive punch.
Ryosuke Tanaka's deflection of a defender's pass led to the go-ahead goal in the 24th minute. He redirected it right to Daggig, who split a pair of defenders and chipped a 15-yarder over ACU keeper Emiliano Vega's outstretched hands. Hjulmand made the score 2-0 just 18 seconds before halftime, taking Daniel Palomino's cross from the left side for a short strike that skipped off a defender's foot and in.
De Dios Cruz got the third goal in the 67th minute by following his own penalty kick that Vega initially saved. Six minutes later, Rojo got the ball out of the scrum and fired a 20-yard rocket that struck the crossbar before finding the net.
Daggig's capper was a centered 10-yard header made possible by a long cross by David Moore from the right corner.
Tanaka, Palomino and Moore each got credits for assists.
SOU was firmly in control of possession throughout with 13 on-target shots, including three more from Daggig. The Firestorm didn't generate their first shot until the second half and finished with two on goal, both saved by Casey Ruvolo.
Dating back to last season, the Raiders have scored three-plus goals in their last nine victories. They play their final nonleague game Sept. 13 at Westcliff (Calif.) before opening Cascade Conference play Sept. 20 in Ashland against Multnomah.