OPENING KICKOFF: The Snow College men's soccer team will kickoff against No. 2 Salt Lake Community College Thursday at 3:30 p.m in Taylorsville, Utah.

The Badgers will continue Scenic West Athletic Conference play Saturday at Colorado Northwestern Community College. Kickoff is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. in Rangely, Colorado.

The Badgers are coming off a 3-1 victory over Utah State University Eagles to earn a 1-0-0 record in conference play.  Snow College scored a pair of second-half goals to claim the victory over the Eagles.

Luis Pantoja and Mathias Christensen each received weekly player of the week awards as a result of the team's victories against WNCC and USUE.

KNOW YOUR FOE: Snow College is 6-16-3 against SLCC historically with a 2-7-2 record when playing at Bruin Soccer Field. The Badgers went 0-1-1 last season against the Bruins. The Bruins are currently 3-0-0 with wins over Central Wyoming College, Casper College, and CNCC.

The Badgers are 19-0-0 against the Spartans all-time while scoring a total of 103 goals against CNCC since their first matchup in 2016. The Spartans are 1-2-1 with their sole victory coming against Lamar Community College.

The Bruins and Spartans faced off against each other last Saturday with the Bruins securing the victory, 7-2.

LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College men's soccer team defeated Utah State University Eastern 3-1 to claim the first Scenic West Athletic Conference win of the season.

The Badgers opened the scoring with an unassisted goal by Luis Pantoja in the 8th minute. The scoring came to a halt with no goals for either team in the first half.

Soon after the second half began, the Eagles scored a goal of their own in the 49th minute to even up the game.

Snow College scored again on a shot by Ansoumane Camara in the 56th minute. Nefthaly Loya extended the Badgers' lead with a goal in the 79th minute on a pass from Jack Cook.

Mathias Christensen defended the goal, allowing only one goal after facing seven shots on goal. Christensen earned his first win of the season as goalkeeper after raising his season save total to 10. 

The Badgers and Eagles both took a total of 15 shots in the game. USUE had one more shot on goal with a 7-6 edge over the Badgers.

Snow College now holds a 3-0-0 record overall and a 1-0-0 mark in SWAC play. The Badgers will continue conference play at No. 2 Salt Lake Community College Thursday kicking off at 3:30 p.m. in Taylorsville. 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Two members of the Snow College men's soccer team earned Scenic West Athletic Conference weekly awards. Luis Pantoja was named SWAC Player of the Week while Mathias Christensen was named SWAC Goalkeeper of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.

Pantoja, a sophomore midfielder from Magna, Utah, brought home the award due to his help in the victories over Western Nebraska Community College and Utah State University Eastern. Pantoja scored the game winner against WNCC and scored the first goal of the game against the Eagles. 

Pantoja has two goals and one assist on the year. He has started all three games for the Badgers this season. He played in nine games for the Badgers during the 2023 season and recorded four goals and two assists during the year.

Christensen, a freshman from Assentoft, Denmark, played the full 90 minutes and recorded six saves to keep the Eagles at bay before the Badgers eventually earned the 3-1 victory Saturday. 

Christensen now claims 10 saves on the season, allowing only one goal with a 91 percent save rate. Christensen has started in one game and has appeared in two games for the Badgers this season.

UP NEXT: The Badgers will host their first home conference game of the season Thursday, Sept. 19 against North Idaho College. The match is scheduled to kickoff at 3:30 p.m at the Snow College Soccer Complex in Ephraim.
NIC currently holds a 6-0-0 record on the season. The Cardinals defeated Pacific Northwest Christian College 14-0 in their first SWAC game of the year. NIC will play the College of Southern Idaho and Truckee Meadows Community College before coming to Ephraim. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.