OPENING KICK: The Snow College men's soccer team will travel up to Kennewick, Washington, to take on Pacific Northwest Christian College Thursday at 4:30 p.m. MDT to kick off a stretch of games that will include all of the Badgers' remaining away games. They will then travel to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to take on No. 20 North Idaho College, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. MDT.
The Badgers are coming off a successful weekend to close out their opening home stand, picking up two wins over Colorado Northwestern Community College, 1-0, and Salt Lake Community College, 1-0, bringing them to No. 7 in the nation.
This is the Badgers' first win against SLCC in the regular season since 2018, when the Badgers won 3-2 in Ephraim. In that game, the Badgers put up 11 shots and saved seven, giving the Badgers the one-goal win.
KNOW YOUR FOE: PNWCC currently sits at 0-2 on the year, with both games being conference play. They've suffered losses to NIC (6-0) and the College of Southern Idaho (2-1). The Badgers are 4-0 all-time against the Gladiators, with all four wins being shutouts.
Last year, the Badgers won the meeting at home 13-0, which was the second-most in program history following their meeting the year before, where the Badgers won 21-0. Snow College won the second meeting last year 1-0, in Kennewick, Washington.
The Badgers have scored a total of 41 goals against PNWCC.
Max Mayer scored three goals against PNWCC last year, with
Jack Burman scoring two and
Ryan Henry scoring one as well.
Snow College played NIC for the first time in conference play last year, with the two teams splitting the regular season games. NIC took the first meeting in Ephraim 4-0. The Badgers later traveled up to Coeur d'Alene and won the second meeting 2-1. They met a third time in the first round of the Region 18 Tournament, where the Badgers won 1-0, to advance to the Region 18 Title game.
It was a Henry assist to Mayer for the lone goal scored in the Region 18 Tournament.
Mathias Christensen recorded 11 saves over the course of all three meetings with the Cardinals.
RECORD WATCH: Christensen currently sits at 80 saves through his career as a Badger and is fourth on the all-time leaderboard. Christensen recorded five saves over the last weekend and pitched two shutouts, bringing his career total to eight. He needs 19 more saves to take the record from Jason Myers, who set the record during the 2018-2019 seasons.
LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers opened up this pair of games against CNCC. Snow College started on the offensive, putting two shots up within the first five minutes.
The Badgers didn't let off the gas as
Isaac Stanley sent the ball across the 18-yard box to
Max Mayer, who popped the ball up and out for
Carter Archuleta to slam it home on the left side of the CNCC goal in the 13th minute. It was Archuleta's first goal of the year, making the score 1-0.
In the 21st minute, Snow College was assessed a red card, leaving them to play the rest of the game a man down.
The Badgers finished the first half with nine shots, with four being on net and one scoring. The Spartans had two shots of their own, with neither making their way on net.
Both teams came into the second half matched on the field, with neither team able to find an offensive footing. Snow College was able to create some chances in the final minutes before closing out the game and winning 1-0.
Snow College finished the game with 14 shots, six of which were on net.
Mathias Christensen finished the game with one save on the Spartans' only shot on net. The Badger defense held CNCC to four total shots.
Following the victory over CNCC, the Badgers took on the Bruins. The Badgers met SLCC in the Region 18 Championship to close out last year, winning that meeting 2-1.
The Bruins started the first half holding the majority of possessions and keeping pressure in the Badgers' zone. Both teams found shots and chances throughout the first 45, but neither was able to convert, finishing the half 0-0.
The Badgers put up five shots, with four of them being on net, compared to the Bruins' seven shots. Christensen saved one shot in the first half in the 17th minute.
In the second half, SLCC got off to a strong start, putting a pair of shots up early. Both defenses were holding strong, bending but not breaking.
Eventually, the Badgers were able to break through, scoring the lone goal of the game in the 76th minute off the foot of
Francisco Madeira with the assist from
Kade Davis. The goal was set up by a Badger throw-in to Davis, who sent the ball across the 18-yard box, allowing Madeira to be one-on-one with the goalie and poke the ball through his legs for the score.
SLCC had a couple of chances to tie the game up, and none came closer than in the 86th. The Bruins had a one-on-one header chance against Christensen, who was able to get to the corner of the goal and stop the shot from going in. The Badgers were able to hold on and close out the game, winning 1-0.
The Badgers were outshot by the Bruins 16-7, with SLCC putting four shots on net to the Badgers' five. Defensively, Christensen had four saves and recorded his third shutout in a row to open conference play.
Snow College currently sits at 5-1 and No. 9 in the NJCAA men's soccer rankings. They also sit in first place in the SWAC with a 3-0-0 conference record.
UP NEXT: The Badgers will stay on the road as they head to Twin Falls, Idaho, Sept. 25 to take on CSI at 3:30 p.m. The Golden Eagles are 3-3 to start the 2025 season and are 3-0 in SWAC play.
Snow College will then travel to Reno, Nevada, to take on Truckee Meadows Community College, Sept. 27 at 2:30 p.m. MDT. TMCC is 1-4 on the year and sits at 0-2 in conference play. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.
