Women's Soccer Wallops Chaminade, 7-2

Saturday, September 24

Honolulu, HI

4 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Chaminade

Marina Nesic playing with the Serbian "A" team.

9/24/2011 6:33:00 PM | Women's Soccer

By: Joel Horn

Freshman midfielder/forward Cheyenne Hayden (Winnetka, CA, El Camino Real) and junior midfielder Marina Nesic (Koceljeva, Serbia, Nada Dimic Zemun) both scored a brace to lead the Grand Canyon University women's soccer team to a 7-2 win over Chaminade University in a Pacific West Conference tilt today at St. Louis Field in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

The Antelopes improved to 3-3-1 overall, 2-0-0 in the PacWest. The Silverswords fell to 1-5-0, 1-1-0.

Hayden scored both of her goals in the match's first 21 minutes. Her first was in the third minute. It was the first goal of her college career and came in her second career start. Both of her goals were unassisted.

Sophomore forward Veronica Nikas (Scottsdale, AZ , Veritas Prep) made the score 3-0 in the 42nd minute, and senior forward/defender Julia Anglin (Goodyear, AZ , Desert Edge, Scottsdale Community College) headed in a ball from senior defender Holly Benson (Tempe, AZ, Corona del Sol) to give the 'Lopes a 4-0 halftime lead. It was Nikas' first goal of the season and Anglin's second. Her first was scored in last Saturday's 2-0 win over PacWest rival Dixie State College at the GCU Soccer Field in Phoenix.

Chaminade got on the scoreboard in the 55th minute when freshman midfielder Shannon Wright received a ball from another freshman midfielder, Lisa Tagalin, and put it in the back of the net.

Nesic, the 2010 PacWest Player of the Year, scored her third goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 64th minute.

Wright scored another goal, her second of the year, on a penalty kick in the 71st minute.

Nesic then notched her second goal of the match in the 73rd minute to make it 6-2, GCU. She came off the bench after spending all day Thursday and Friday traveling from Europe, where she played in qualifying-round matches for the 2013 European Championship against England and The Netherlands with the "A" team in her native Serbia.

Serbia tied England, No. 6 in the world in the current FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking, 2-2 before losing 6-0 to The Netherlands, which is ranked No. 13. Serbia is ranked No. 43. Nesic has played for the Serbian "A" team since 2005. She has played 22 international games. She is a starting midfielder and is the youngest player on the team.

The 'Lopes' final tally came in the 76th minute, when Anglin returned the favor by assisting on a goal by Benson.

Sophomore goalkeeper Cat Lena (Tucson, AZ, Salpointe Catholic) made her third start of the season for GCU and played the first half and got her second win. Senior Stephanie Phillips (Tempe, AZ , Corona Del Sol , Washington State University), last year's PacWest Newcomer of the Year, took over in the second half. Both keepers made one save.

'Lopes Head Coach Stevie Gill played 18 players.

GCU had an incredible 32-7 advantage in shots in the contest, including 18 in the second period, as well as an 18-4 edge in shots on goal.

The 'Lopes took six corner kicks; the Silverswords had none.

GCU's next game is on Tuesday, when it takes on defending PacWest champion BYU-Hawai'i (4-0-0, 1-0-0) in Laie.

GCU 7, Chaminade 2

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