'Lopes Win, End Bay Area Trip Undefeated and Unscored Upon

Wednesday, September 22

Belmont, CA

2:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Notre Dame de Namur

Cordero Young

'Lopes Win, End Bay Area Trip Undefeated and Unscored Upon

9/22/2010 10:06:51 PM | Men's Soccer

By: Joel Horn

Four and zero.

Four, as in four wins on their eight-day trip to the Bay Area.

Zero, as in zero losses on the trip -- and zero goals scored against them.

The Grand Canyon University men's soccer team improved its season record to 5-0-1 overall, 4-0-0 in the Pacific West Conference today by beating Notre Dame de Namur 2-0 in Belmont, Calif. The Antelopes, the defending PacWest champions, are flying back to Phoenix tonight in sole possession of first place in the conference and with a No. 8 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's NCAA Division II West Region poll.

In the first three games on the trip, at Dominican University of California, at Academy of Art and against Hawai'i-Hilo in a neutral-site game in Belmont, GCU outscored its opponents 13-0. Tonight's game against the Argonauts wasn't so easy. In fact, it wasn't easy at all.

Entering the game, Notre Dame de Namur was tied with Hawai'i Pacific for second place in the conference with a 2-0 record. The Argonauts were 9-2 overall and were on a four-game winning streak. They are a very aggressive team, leading the conference in both corner kicks (31, two more than the 'Lopes) and offsides calls (17), and having the second-highest number of shots (80, seven less than GCU). They're also good defensively, having allowed just five goals this season.

Junior midfielder Cordero Young (Orlando, FL/Central Christian Academy, Tyler Junior College) made it six goals allowed in the 12th minute when senior midfielder/forward Harvey Martinez (Miami, FL/Coral Gables, Marshalltown CC) passed the ball through the defense and Young shot in past a charging keeper.

It was Young's fifth goal of the season, all of which came on this trip, and it was incredible.

"The first goal against Notre Dame was perfect timing in the 12th minute," Head Coach Petar Draksin said. "It was a great ball from Harvey Martinez played into space into Codero Young, who came flying across the field on a diagonal run and shot it into the lower corner far post from 20-25 yards out. We couldn't have drawn it up better. It was just a fantastic goal, and a perfect time to give us some room to breathe.

"Saying that, Notre Dame was at home in front of their fans, and they're an excellent team. We tactically prepared ourselves for a must-win situation in the fourth game of a very long trip. In so many ways, midfielders and defenders do not get enough credit. The credit always goes to forwards, who score the goals, or goalkeepers, who make the saves. That's just the way it works in soccer.

"On that note, I want to mention some players that really stepped up this past week. Harvey Martinez in midfield has been very solid, making things happen for us. Obviously Cordero Young scoring five goals in four games. Pat Perkins scored two goals against Hilo at a crucial time. We cannot forget our stellar defense of Joao Vieira at holding midfield, and I can't say enough about these two young men, Chris Green and Nick Sykes. They have been incredibly solid and sharp in front of our goalkeeper, Ben Paneccasio. Another young man that played big for us in his first start at center defense, which is actually his natural position but I've been working him slowly into the lineup, is Maximilian Aust. He was solid in the air, on the ground. He had a great performance against Notre Dame.

"As for the team, we all know that only six-seven players can't win games. I cannot say enough good things about our young men, their commitment to the program to be successful. They played their hearts out."

Sophomore forward Kyle Ciliento (Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle, Saint Mary's College of California) made the score 2-0 in the 66th minute when he got a great chip from senior forward Pat Perkins (Bremerton, WA/Bremerton, Olympic College) and tapped it into the net. It was the seventh goal of goal and 15th point of the season for Ciliento, last season's PacWest Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, putting him one ahead of HPU's Chance Bukoski for the conference lead in goals and three ahead of Bukoski in points.

"Kyle scoring the second goal in the 66th minute kind of took the air out of them," Draksin said. "It's devastating when you give up a second goal in a game being battled the way this one was."

The game got really rough toward the end, with yellow cards being issued in the 79th, 85th and 88th minutes. A total of 25 fouls were called in the game.

Senior goalkeeper Ben Paneccasio (Sydney, Australia/Rosebank College, Tyler Junior College) recorded his fourth straight shutout on the trip. The 2009 PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year and Newcomer of the Year is well on his way to a repeat performance, leading the conference in goals-against average, save percentage, shutouts and shutouts per game.

The Argos outshot the 'Lopes, 14-8, and had a whopping 9-1 edge in corner kicks.

GCU's next game is against BYU-Hawaii (2-2-0 overall, 1-1-0 PacWest) on Sept. 30 at the GCU Soccer Field.

"Now were're getting ready for the home stretch of four games," Draksin said. "Our attitude is one game at a time, don't overlook anyone, and we're very fortunate that we're getting scoring from all different areas and different players. That makes it difficult for other teams to shut us down.

"We're glad to be home."

Box score

###