CCC STANDINGS | SOU STREAMING | OIT STREAMING

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – This weekend, the playoff hopes of the University of Providence men's soccer team hangs in the balance. Currently, in a three-way tie for the eighth and final spot in the CCC tournament, the Argos go on the road for final two games of the regular season to punch a ticket to the postseason.

While a number of scenarios could place the Argos in or out of the postseason, a few things are known for sure. Most importantly, UP is 0-2 on the season against the other two teams tied for the eighth spot, Carroll College and the College of Idaho, meaning just about any tiebreaker scenario won't favor the Argos.

Two losses would guarantee UP not making the playoffs, while any kind of result for the Argos and two losses each for Carroll, College of Idaho, and Eastern Oregon would put UP in. Even if the Argo win both games, they could still end up on the outside looking in.

One potential scenario that would have UP winning both games but not making the playoffs would be a potential four-way tie with CC, COI, UP, and The Evergreen State College for three playoff spots. Were that to happen, Carroll and the College of Idaho would hold a head-to-head advantage over UP and TESC. The Argos and Evergreen would then go to the next tiebreak, goals allowed in conference play, where TESC currently holds a 2 goal advantage over UP.

All that calculation craziness is for Sports Information Offices to figure out. For the players, the point simply is this – if they lose both games they have no chance, if they win both they have a good chance.

The good news is that one of UP's opponents will be a team the Argos have never lost to; the bad news is that the other is a team tied for second in the conference.

First up will be that tougher opponent, Southern Oregon University (9-6-1, 9-1-1) on Friday, October 27 at 5:30 p.m. MST. The two teams are 1-1 all-time against each other with SOU winning last season's contest 3-1.

The Raiders are built on defense, ranking first in the NAIA in Total Shutouts with 9 goose eggs to their name. SOU has only allowed 3 goals in conference play, and 2 of those goals came in the team's only conference loss, a 2-0 defeat to (11) Corban.

Trying to break down that defense, will be one of the nation's best goal scorers, Argo senior Christoffer Bisbo. The forward is 12th in the NAIA in Goals per Game (1.000) and has scored in 7 of the 12 games he's played in.

Following the late game in Ashland, Oregon, the Argos will get less than 24 hours to get ready for Oregon Tech (6-7-1, 5-5-1), a team the UP program is 3-0 against all-time, but that currently sits 1 point ahead of the Argos in the CCC standings.

OIT is also a  defense first  team, that has been opportunistic on offense. In the team's 11 conference games, the Owls have given up 11 goals, while scoring 20. No single player has scored more than 4 goals on the season and 23 of the team's 26 goals have been assisted.

The last time the two teams faced, the Argos won a home game 3-1 while outshooting the Owls 24-8. Senior forward Christopher Chavez scored UP's second goal in that game, but the other two came from now graduated players.

That game will start at 1:00 p.m. MST in Klamath Falls, Oregon on October 28.