The Grand Canyon University men’s soccer team today announced their 2013 spring schedule, their first heading into the Division I Western Athletic Conference. The Antelopes are coming off a successful 2012 campaign as they advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16, claimed their fifth Pacific West Conference title, and posted a 15-3-2 overall record in their final season at that level.
The ‘Lopes will play against three Division I teams throughout the spring and will also see action against a talented alumni squad and NAIA-member Embry Riddle.
“These are five quality games that I am looking forward to,” said head coach Petar Draksin. “They will certainly give our young men a test and we are looking to play some guys that have not gotten enough time on the field in previous two years. This is their chance to prove themselves. I feel very good going in to it and I’m excited about the spring season. I believe we will be very competitive.”
GCU will open the spring slate with two games on the road, as they travel to Las Vegas to take on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. and Northridge, Calf., for a contest at Cal State Northridge on March 2 at 7:30 p.m.
“As always, we put UNLV on the schedule because it has been a tradition of ours to play them in the spring,” Draksin said. “It is always a very challenging game. It has been since the early 1990’s since we have last played Cal State Northridge. They are traditionally a postseason team from Division I, so we are excited to go back to their campus and restart the relationship between our programs.”
GCU will return home to the GCU Soccer Field for the remainder of their spring games as they host their annual Alumni Game on March 30 at 6 p.m., the University of New Mexico on April 6 at 8 p.m. and Embry Riddle on April 20 at 6 p.m.
April 6 will also see two neutral site games played on the GCU Soccer Field, with UC Riverside scheduled to play at 9 a.m. against New Mexico and at 3 p.m. against FC Tucson (PDL).
“We will play our alumni group, which has quite a few excellent players that have graduated throughout the years, so we expect them to have a strong squad,” added Draksin. “New Mexico has been a powerhouse in Division I over the last few years. We also played them in the spring last year. And we will end the season with Embry Riddle, who has come a long way and made the NAIA national tournament for the first time this past season and was also ranked in the top 25.”
GCU Men’s Soccer Spring Schedule
Date Time Opponent Location
February 23rd 5:00pm Saturday Univ. of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
March 2nd 7:30pm Saturday Cal State Northridge Northridge, CA
March 30th 6:00pm Saturday Alumni Phoenix, AZ
April 6th 8:00pm Saturday Univ. of New Mexico Phoenix, AZ
April 20th 6:00pm Saturday Embry Riddle Phoenix, AZ