LA GRANDE, Ore. – The EOU men's soccer team gave up an own goal in the latter part of the first half, which ultimately was the deciding factor in a 1-0 loss to Southern Oregon on Saturday afternoon.

Right from the opening whistle, the Mountaineers (6-4-1, 1-4-1 CCC) had the Raiders (6-2-1, 4-1-1 CCC) against their backs. Working with space ahead of him in the sixth minute, sophomore forward Elvis Pavon fired a shot from 18 yards out that zipped passed the Raider keeper and ricocheted off the goal post. Eleven minutes later, junior forward Tyler Hoiem beat his defender and fired a shot that skipped just outside the left post.

In the 35th minute, bad luck struck on the side of EOU. Southern Oregon took a corner kick into the five-yard box, and as EOU's defense scrambled for clearance, the ball rebounded off a Mountaineer player and found itself in the back of the net for the tally.

Two minutes later, the Blue and Gold notched a chance for the equalizer. Freshman forward Oscar Munoz launched a through ball to Pavon, who then took a shot with his right foot, but again Southern Oregon's Jonathan Morales was there for the save.

In the second half, the Mountaineers pressed their men forward, dominating most of the possession. In the 81st tick, senior midfielder Robert Wilson's header deflected off the keeper's hands, and a follow-up shot by junior defender Francisco Arroyo failed to find the back of the net.

EOU owned a 17-8 shot advantage, with seven coming on frame.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
17 – Shots for EOU, seven of which were on goal.
6 – Corner kicks for the Blue and Gold.
 
UP NEXT
EOU returns to the pitch on Oct. 8 to face Multnomah. Kickoff in La Grande is set for 1 p.m.