OPENING KICKOFF: The Snow College men's soccer team is kicking off Scenic West Athletic Conference play against Utah State University Eastern. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the Snow College Soccer Complex in Ephraim. Snow College is currently ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA men's soccer ranking.

The Badgers are coming off their first loss of the season to Otero Junior College, 3-0. It was the first time the Badgers had met the Rattlers in program history. After the win, the Rattlers moved to No. 19 in the NJCAA rankings. 

KNOW YOUR FOE: USUE is coming into the matchup sitting at a record of 1-0-1 after drawing their game against Casper College 3-3 to open up the 2025 season and winning against Central Wyoming College, 5-1. 

Both the Eagles and the Badgers are coming into this game with a week's rest. The Badgers lead the all-time head-to-head record 14-8 against the Eagles. Snow College won both of its games against USUE last year, taking the first matchup in Price 3-1 and winning at home 1-0. 

The Badgers are 6-4 at home against the Eagles and have won four of five of the last meetings in Ephraim. 

LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Otero Junior College 3-0. The matchup took place at a neutral site in Taylorsville. It was the Badgers' last non-conference match before they start Scenic West Athletic Conference play. 

The Badgers came into the game 2-0-0 after hosting an invitational the week before, beating Northwest College 2-1 and No. 18 Western Nebraska Community College 3-1. 

The Rattlers entered the contest 0-2-0 after falling to both No. 1 Iowa Western Community College 5-1 and No. 2 Indian Hills Community College 7-0. Otero was receiving votes in the preseason poll but wasn't ranked at the start of the season. 

Otero started the game hot, scoring the first goal four minutes into the game, putting the Badgers on their back foot early. The Rattlers kept their foot on the gas, scoring again in the 17th and 42nd minutes to bring the score to 3-0 entering half. 

The Badgers faced 10 shots, six of which were on net in the first half, saving three of them. On the flip side, the Badgers were only able to put up one shot on net with four total shots. 

In the second half, the Badgers found their footing defensively, holding the Rattlers to two shots and saving both. Snow College wasn't able to find the net in the second half, putting two shots on net, with both of them being turned away by the Otero goalkeeper.

UP NEXT: The Badgers will continue SWAC play at home next week, taking on Colorado Northwestern Community College Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The Spartans are 0-2-1 entering SWAC play. They drew their season opener against Gillette College 3-3. They recorded their losses against Mohave Community College 3-0, and College of Southern Nevada 2-1. 

Snow College will continue playing at home Sept. 13 against Salt Lake Community College, kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. The Bruins are 0-1-2 to start the year, with their draws coming against WNCC 1-1 and Otero 0-0. Their lone loss came against Northwest College 1-0. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.