OPENING KICKOFF: The Snow College men's soccer team will continue its home stand against Utah State University Eastern Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Snow College Soccer Complex in Ephraim, Utah. This game is the only matchup this week for both teams.

The Badgers are coming off of back-to-back victories over Truckee Meadows Community College (3-2) and the College of Southern Idaho (6-2).

Nefthaly Loya Veronica received the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week Award after helping lift the Badgers over TMCC and CSI.

KNOW YOUR FOE: The Badgers are 13-8 historically against USUE after adding a 3-1 victory against the Eagles in Price earlier this season. 

The Eagles are 3-2-2 in conference play entering Saturday's match. USUE is coming off a 2-1 victory over the College of Southern Idaho followed by a 2-2 draw against TMCC. 

The only Eagle victories have come against Colorado Northwestern Community College (4-1), Pacific Northwest Christian College (14-0), and CSI (2-1). 

The Badgers and Eagles both took 15 shots in their previous matchup. Six of the Badgers' shots were on goal with three finding the back of the net. Mathias Christensen faced seven shots, turning six of them away and allowing only one goal.

LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College men's soccer team tallied two more victories to their record after defeating Truckee Meadows Community College 3-2 and the College of Southern Idaho 6-2 over the weekend.

The Badgers were coming off of a 4-0 loss to North Idaho College and a 13-0 victory over Pacific Northwest Christian College from last weekend's matches. 

TMCC scored the only goal in the first half in the 8th minute. The Badgers took 16 shots in the first half, with 5 shots on goal all turned away by the Lizard goalkeeper. The Badgers limited the Lizards to 2 shots on goal with Mathias Christensen recording one save in the first half.

The Lizards committed a foul inside the 18-yard box to give the Badgers a golden opportunity to tie up the game in the 62nd minute. Jack Cook took the penalty kick and converted the foul into a goal to even the score.

The Badgers scored again on a header by Jack Burman in the 74th minute assisted by Jeffrey Smith to give them their first lead of the game. The Lizards responded and tied the game at 2 in the 80th minute.

Nefthaly Loya scored what would end up being the game-winning goal in the 86th minute on a pass from Ryan Henry. Snow College was able to salt away the remaining minutes and secure the 3-2 victory. The Badgers out shot the Lizards with 28 to 12 shots over the 90-minutes.

Snow College then hosted CSI for the first time in program history due to this season being the first season for the Golden Eagles soccer program. 

The Badgers got off to a quick start scoring in the 8th minute by Aidan Moore assisted by Smith. Loya extended the Badger lead to two after scoring in the 21st minute on an assist by Logan Funk.

The Golden Eagles scored two goals to tie up the game with the first coming in the 23rd minute and the other in the 27th minute.

Loya added his second goal to regain the lead in the 32nd minute assisted by Ansouname Camara. The Badgers walked into halftime with a 3-2 lead over the Golden Eagles.

Cook tacked onto the Badger lead on a pass from Henry in the 66th minute. In the 74th minute, the Golden Eagles received a red card to go down a man for the remainder of the match.

The Badgers took advantage of the red card and netted two more goals, with the first by Max Mayer assisted by Carlos Rodriguez in the 79th minute. Burman assisted Ragnar Fridriksson in the final seconds of the match for his first goal of the season and Snow College went on to win 6-2.

The Badgers now hold a 7-2-0 overall record with a 5-2-0 conference record. They will continue their home stand against Utah State University Eastern Saturday Oct. 5. Kickoff is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. at the Snow College Soccer Complex.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nefthaly Loya Veronica earned the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week award, the conference announced Monday. Loya played a pivotal role in the two victories over Truckee Meadows Community College and the College of Southern Idaho.

Loya scored the go-ahead goal against the Lizards in the 86th minute to go up 3-2. The Badgers ended up holding onto the lead to claim the victory over the Lizards for their fourth conference win of the season.

Loya was also successful in Saturday's matchup netting two goals in the 6-2 victory over CSI. He scored the second Badger goal to go up 2-0 in the 21st minute. 

The Golden Eagles tied the game at two before Loya scored the third Badger goal to go up 3-2 entering halftime, giving the Badgers momentum for the second half. The Badgers ended up scoring three times in the second half to claim the 6-2 victory.

UP NEXT: The Badgers will finish off their seven-game home stand against No. 2 Salt Lake Community College Thursday Oct. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. against the Bruins. The Badgers will also host CNCC Saturday Oct. 12 at 1:30 p.m. Both matches are scheduled to be played at Snow College Soccer Complex in Ephraim, Utah. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.