PHOENIX, Ariz. – Returning from a two week break from competition, the Grand Canyon women's soccer team heads on the road to begin Western Athletic Conference play. The Lopes (3-8-1, 0-0 WAC) will face UTRGV (5-5-2, 0-0 WAC) on Friday night at 5 p.m. in Edinburg, Texas before traveling to Las Cruces, New Mexico to play New Mexico State (6-6-1, 0-0 WAC) at Noon on Sunday.
This weekend's games represent the first two of seven conference match ups. Following the conclusion of the regular season, GCU will play host for the 2017 WAC Tournament at GCU Soccer Stadium.
Scouting UTRGV
For the fourth time in history, the pair will square off within the Western Athletic Conference, as the Lopes hold a 2-1 all-time series advantage over the Vaqueros.
UTRGV began 2017 with a pair of wins over Prairie View A&M and Sam Houston State at its own tournament. The Vaqueros won a third-straight game over Texas A&M Corpus Christi before falling to Stetson and Lamar.
Since then, UTRGV is 2-3-2, most recently with a 6-0 victory over Texas Lutheran. Last year, UTRGV was 10-8-1 and 2-5 in the WAC. They fell to UMKC in the WAC Tournament, 4-1.
Scouting New Mexico State
The Lopes own a 4-1 all-time series advantage over the Aggies. New Mexico State is 6-6-1 on the year with a recent win over Arizona Christian on Monday.
The Aggies started 2017 with victories over UTEP, New Mexico, Grambling State and Alcorn State and a tie with Northern Illinois. NMSU then went on to lose four-straight matches. Since, the Aggies have beaten Northern Arizona and Arizona Christian and fallen to Houston and SMU.
Last year, NMSU was 5-13-2 and 2-3-2 in conference play. They fell to Utah Valley, 2-0, in the first round of the WAC tournament.
For more information on GCU women's soccer, follow the Lopes on Twitter (
@GCU_WSoccer), Instagram (@GCU_WSoccer) and Facebook (
Grand Canyon University Women's Soccer).