Go WEST young man (and NORTH)

[Kuiper]

FINAL:  Redlands 0 - Chapman 0

Kind of an upset, or at least a disappointing performance for Redlands.  Chapman has proven itself capable, though, especially at home and when it's motivated (which is not always the case).  If anything, Chapman looked a little more dangerous than Redlands, but neither side had a lot of clear chances.  In fact, when there is only one shot on goal the whole game  for either team (it was by Redlands), it's either a pretty dreadful game or both teams are working hard and playing swarming defense.  There was a little bit of both in this game.

[Kuiper]

Some other games in Region X that caught my eye tonight:

Occidental 4 - Cal Lutheran 2

Oxy went out to a quick 2-0 lead by the 19th minute, but allowed Cal Lu back in the game and it was tied 2-2 in the 63rd minute.  Lewis Park, however, rescued the team with a brace in the 78th and 89th minute to make it look more comfortable than it was.

Azusa Pacific 3 - CMS 2

Unlike St. Francis, which is getting waxed every game in its first year transitioning from D1, Azusa Pacific is 8-4-2 and has won 4 straight games against SCIAC opponents.  In this case, however, CMS used the game as a scrimmage and played a mostly rotated squad, with lots of freshman playing and upperclassmen who had been out with injuries or who hadn't gotten minutes this year.

Fun fact:  Dave Blomquist, Azusa Pacific's long-time head soccer coach who was a D3 All-American at Wheaton back in its heyday, became Azusa Pacific's all-time winningest coach with this victory, which is #181 in his 16 year career there.

La Verne 2 - Pomona-Pitzer 0

Kind of a typical La Verne game.  They are just a little bit more clinical in front of goal than their opponent.

Whittier 2 - Caltech 1

Caltech probably thought they had salvaged a tie when they got the tying goal in the 79th minute, but Whittier found the game-winner in the 86th in a game where I think both teams were kind of wilting under the hot afternoon sun in Pasadena.

Lewis & Clark 1 - Pacific 1

Despite getting their first win in decades this year, Lewis & Clark is never going to be unhappy with a tie.  A point is a point.  In this case, however, the tie had to feel like a win and a loss for Pacific.  Dylan Weinstein scored the tying goal with 41 seconds left in the game.  It is Weinstein's 4th goal of the season, which is tied for the all-time lead for goals in a season for Lewis & Clark!

[Kuiper]

Two ASC games played in Abilene, Texas tonight on different campuses, but both under less than ideal weather conditions.  East Texas Baptist @ Hardin-Simmons and Mary Hardin-Baylor @ McMurry.

There is a saying in Texas that if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes.  That was definitely true today.  In the mid-afternoon, it was apparently 86 degrees according to the Hardin-Simmons play-by-play guy.  Then a severe thunderstorm moved in with lighting and rain and both games were delayed an hour.   By the time they started playing, however, it had dropped into the 50s and the wind was pretty fierce at times.  The combination of the delay, the wind, and the cold, wet conditions likely affected both games.

Hardin-Simmons 2 - East Texas Baptist 1

This game was the Jaxon Shaffer show as he scored both goals early in the game before the wind picked up and turned the game into a messy affair.  Shaffer is aggressive and has difference-maker qualities.  I'm not saying he's the only reason for the team's turnaround, but he missed the first 7 games of the season (presumably because of injury), plus the one following his first game back.  In those 8 games without Shaffer, Hardin-Simmons was 1-7.  He's played in 5 of the last 6 games and in those games the team is 4-1.  Shaffer has 5 goals in his 5 games.  Hardin-Simmons is now 4-2 and in second place in the ASC.

Mary Hardin-Baylor 1 - McMurry 0

This game was nothing like the game in Belton one week ago that UMHB won 6-0.  The weather and a more realistic game plan (plus a first half red card and a McMurry GK and defense that collectively stood on their heads against something like 25 shots in the second half alone) kept McMurry in the game at home until UMHB was awarded a somewhat controversial PK with about 11 minutes to go to win the game.  They stay a perfect 6-0 in the ASC and 10-2 overall.

[Kuiper]

Here are some games tonight in Region X that caught my eye:

UC Santa Cruz 3 - Redlands 1

For the first time in 17 years, UC Santa Cruz beats Redlands!  They took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half, but Redlands equalized late in the first half to go into the half 1-1.  It stayed there until Santa Cruz scored in the 73rd and 80th minutes to run away with it.  This was not a conference game for Redlands, but they put out a first choice lineup and played a short bench.  Santa Cruz was just better.  Redlands is still undefeated in the SCIAC, but they will take a tumble in the rankings and in the NPI, since Santa Cruz was ranked #131.  UCSC is only 5-3-4, but they are a team where you never know what you're going to get from them.  Maybe it's all the travel they have to do, but when they are on, they can hang with most teams.

Trinity 1 - Berry 1

Trinity held on to a 1-0 lead for most of the second half, but Berry equalized in the 77th minute.  It was what has become a fairly typical refrain in Trinity games.  Their offense seems to run out of ideas sometimes and their defense isn't airtight enough to protect a slim lead.  Berry has the most points in the  SAA right now, but they have played 1-2 more conference games than the teams that trail it.  It doesn't have any signature wins (unless you can call beating Roanoke in Salem a signature win), but it keeps games close.  That was kind of their recipe to winning the SAA tournament and playing in the NCAA's last season as well.

Southwestern 2 - Oglethorpe 1

Southwestern probably should have won this by more, but they weren't particularly clinical in front of goal.  Nevertheless, there are no style points and they remain on pace to win the SAA if they can take care of business v. Berry on Sunday.

Colorado College 3 - LeTourneau 0

CC wins its 5th in a row, scoring all three of its goals in the second half.

Whitman 2 - Lewis & Clark 0

L&C is no longer an easy out.  They're learning to scrap on defense.  This game was tied 0-0 at half and was 1-0 for most of the second half when Whitman got a second on a shot from almost the midfield line in the 89th minute chipped over the GK's head while L&C was hunting for the equalizer.

Pacific Lutheran 2 - George Fox 1

Similar to the Whitman victory, this was a closer game than it should have been based on their records.  The teams were tied up 1-1 for a long time before PLU's Connor O'Brien scored his second goal of the game in the 84th minute.

[Ron Boerger]

Oglethorpe's goal in the 42nd minute was the first yielded by Southwestern since the 43rd minute of a 3-1 win over Lynchburg on September 6th. 

[BTXCru18]

809'(+/- a few seconds) shutout streak. Wow!

Oglethorpe's goal in the 42nd minute was the first yielded by Southwestern since the 43rd minute of a 3-1 win over Lynchburg on September 6th. 

[Kuiper]

I don't have time to do a full write up on games, but these two at least merit a mention

FINAL:  CMS 5 - Occidental 0

James Gomez had a hat trick for CMS leading them to a dominating performance over Oxy.  It was one of those games where Oxy might have kept the score more respectable, but it just wasn't their day and the coaching staff knew it, emptying the bench.  Ironically, CMS emptied its bench too, but Gomez was one of their bench players, so that didn't exactly make it an even match.  Gomez has been coming off the bench recently and I think that has helped him get going.  He seems better going after legs that are not quite as fresh.

FINAL:  Mary Hardin-Baylor 0 - Hardin-Simmons 0

The teams played to a stalemate, which effectively keeps UMHB on top of the ASC.  Unlike East Texas Baptist, UMHB had the players to keep Jaxton Shaffer mostly in check, limiting him to two shots, neither on goal.

[Kuiper]

Some results in Region X that caught my eye this afternoon:

Lewis & Clark 2 - Whitworth 0

They did it again!!!!  Whitworth is down this year, but they beat Pacific Lutheran and Linfield the last two games by identical 1-0 scores.  After beating Whitworth 2-0 in Spokane, Lewis & Clark beat them again 2-0 in Portland, scoring early in both halves for their second win of the season (and just about the last four decades).  The two teams appear to have developed a sort of rivalry, getting into a dustup in the 70th minute that resulted in 5 yellows, 3 to Whitworth players and 2 to L&C players, although maybe it's just that Whitworth was so frustrated to have found itself down 2-0 again.  Lewis & Clark even rotated its keeper in the second half to allow a senior backup to play who had barely gotten any playing time in four years, which Whitworth might have seen as the ultimate disrespect.  Lewis & Clark is still in last place in the NWC, 1 point behind Whitworth and Linfield, who each have two games in hand on Lewis & Clark, but the teams are tied on wins and Lewis & Clark plays Linfield, which could determine which team finishes last in the NWC.

Southwestern 2 - Berry 1

Southwestern went to halftime with a 2-0 lead, on goals scored a little over a minute apart, and held on for the win over Berry.  Berry is still technically in second place in the SAA on points, but Southwestern, Rhodes, and Trinity all have two games in hand and they are all undefeated, whereas Berry has two losses.

Trinity 1 - Oglethorpe 0

For as disappointing as this season has been for Trinity, they are still on a 10 game unbeaten streak and grinded out another win against Oglethorpe on a 9th minute goal by Eduardo Parra (his team-leading 7th). 

Pacific Lutheran 1 - Pacific 0

Whitman 2 - Linfield 0

Nothing exciting to report from either match.  Both PLU and Whitman hold serve as the 1 and 2 in the NWC and no one else is realistically within shouting distance.

Colorado College 2 - Austin 0

CC remains unbeaten in the SCAC in a victory where the margin of victory should have been much higher.  Colorado outshot Autin 25-0 and 12-0 on goal.  Credit to Austin's backup keeper though.  The starter went out in the 9th minute and Jayson Baldwin came on to play the last 81 minutes and made 10 saves to keep Austin in the game.

Concordia (TX) 1 - St. Thomas 0

Colorado College is 6-0 and the only team in the national conversation from the SCAC this season, but Concordia is 5-0 and right behind Colorado College after scoring a goal in the 2nd minute against St. Thomas and holding on the rest of the game.  Concordia and Colorado College don't meet until the second to last game of the regular season on 10/30 in Round Rock, TX, which might be the deciding game for the SCAC regular season championship.  Round Rock happens to be where the SCAC tournament took place last season, when Texas Lutheran knocked out Colorado College in the championship game, so it won't be happy memories when they meet Concordia.

[Ron Boerger]

Concordia (TX) 1 - St. Thomas 0

Colorado College is 6-0 and the only team in the national conversation from the SCAC this season, but Concordia is 5-0 and right behind Colorado College after scoring a goal in the 2nd minute against St. Thomas and holding on the rest of the game.  Concordia and Colorado College don't meet until the second to last game of the regular season on 10/30 in Round Rock, TX, which might be the deciding game for the SCAC regular season championship.  Round Rock happens to be where the SCAC tournament took place last season, when Texas Lutheran knocked out Colorado College in the championship game, so it won't be happy memories when they meet Concordia.

I was going to make a remark about CC having to play on an unfamilar turf surface in Round Rock, but further investigation showed the Tigers installed turf at their own Stewart Field in 2019.  CTX has apparently chosen the turf field in Round Rock over an available grass championship field immediately adjoining.   

[Kuiper]

With Hendrix already departed for the SCAC and Southwestern and Millsaps joining them in 2027, Maryville's announced departure for the CCS (while affiliating somewhere else for football) suggests that the SAA is unraveling.  That could bring Trinity back to the SCAC

Maryville announces it is leaving SAA to go back to the CCS

Coker noted that Maryville's decision to join the SAA in 2024 was appropriate at the time, but changes across the conference have prompted the College to reassess its long-term alignment.

"While the SAA was the right conference choice for Maryville in 2024, we believe the CCS is the best option for us now and for the future," Coker said. "We were honored to join and compete amongst the SAA's institutions, and we wish the conference all the best, moving forward."

Since Maryville first committed to the SAA, the conference has experienced membership changes. Hendrix College withdrew from the conference in 2025, while Southwestern University and Millsaps College will step away at the conclusion of this academic year. These shifts have led to a geographic footprint that presents additional considerations for team travel and scheduling.

[Kuiper]

Region X - Poll 6 - October 20, 2026
Rank   School   Prev   W-L-T
1   Southwestern University   NR   11-1-1
2   Colorado College   NR   11-2-1
3   University of Redlands   NR   8-2-5
4   Pacific Lutheran University   NR   10-2-2
5   Claremont-McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges   NR   8-4-3
6   Whitman College   NR   10-2-2
7   Trinity University (Texas)   NR   6-2-5
8   University of Mary Hardin-Baylor   NR   10-2-1

[Kuiper]

Region IX - Poll 6 - October 20, 2026
Rank   School   Prev   W-L-T
1   St. Olaf College   NR   13-0-2
2   Saint John's University   NR   13-1-2
3   Luther College   NR   8-2-2
4   Gustavus Adolphus College   NR   8-3-2
5   Wartburg College   NR   8-2-3
6   University of Wisconsin-Platteville   NR   7-4-2
7   University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire   NR   5-3-5
8   University of Wisconsin-Whitewater   NR   9-2-4

[Ron Boerger]

With Hendrix already departed for the SCAC and Southwestern and Millsaps joining them in 2027, Maryville's announced departure for the CCS (while remaining affiliated with the SAA for football) suggests that the SAA is unraveling.  That could bring Trinity back to the SCAC

While true, it's worth noting that after the Southwestern announcement, SCAC commissioner Hanberry was interviewed and stated he was happy with a 12-member conference and had no plans or desire to seek additional members. 

We also can only assume that the Scots will remain affiliated with the SAA for American football.  If anyone else leaves, and that seems pretty likely, there's not a lot to be gained by staying.