Jason Walker, UP Sports Information Director
Great Falls, Mont. - With just five matches left in the regular season, the University of Providence women's soccer team sits just two points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Cascade Conference. The Argos have four points, just behind Warner Pacific and tied with Evergreen State. Despite the 1-8-1 overall record, Providence can make a move as the toughest part of the schedule is behind it. Wins garner three points in the standings and the chance to pick up points this weekend at home against Bushnell (Ore.) and Corban (Ore.) is right in front of the Argos.
Providence will host both the Beacons and Warriors at 1 pm at Argo Field Friday and Saturday, respectively. Bushnell comes in winless through 12 matches in 2022 and has been outscored 55-9 on the season. Dejah Wallot leads the Beacons with three goals and three assists with 11 shots on goal. Madison Bender has allowed all 55 opposing goals in net with a goals per game average of 4.58. After spending the last two weeks on the road, Providence Head Coach Heather Blandford says the team is excited to be home for the first time in three weeks, "After two weeks away our team is excited to be at home playing in front of our home crowd. We used this week to get healthy, refocus, and hit the reset button going into the final few weeks of conference play. We are excited to get back out there and compete."
The Argo men also return home to the friendly confines of Argo Field looking to continue the improvement they have seen in recent weeks. Head Coach Will Hander came from Bushnell this season to Great Falls and is looking forward to seeing his old team. The Argos are winless on the year but looking to change that against Bushnell and (RV) Corban. The Beacons sit just ahead of the Argos in the CCC standings with a 1-7 league mark and enter the match 3-9-1 overall. Bushnell has scored 13 more goals than the Argos this fall, 18-5, but has also allowed 39 which is 11 more than Providence has given up. Caleb Burk has a team-high 9 goals for Bushnell while Diego Montes Carrera has seen 34 balls go past him in goal with a save percentage of 59.5 percent. Hander echoes Coach Blandford in saying there is no place like home, "I am excited to be back home for our games this weekend. The guys did a good job while on the road and it will be nice to play a match in front our fans on our home pitch."
Men's matches are set to follow the women's matches with all games streaming live at upargos.com along with live stats to follow. Fans are asked to wear pink in support of breast cancer research with the first 100 students with ID from Providence able to receive free food at a food truck during the Friday matches.
