PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Grand Canyon women's soccer team opens the 2017 season this weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the Lopes face Texas Tech and New Mexico for a pair of games at the UNM Soccer Complex. GCU and the Red Raiders match up for a 4 p.m. (MST) game on Friday, August 18 before the Lopes take on tournament host New Mexico for a 10:30 a.m. match on Sunday morning.
Live stats will be available for both games, while Sunday's game will be broadcast live on the Mountain West Network.
The Lopes and the Red Raiders meet for the first time in program history, as Texas Tech is the only Big 12 school on the GCU schedule this season. TTU played Denver in a preseason exhibition and won, 2-0.
Last season, Texas Tech was 9-9-2 and 2-6-0 in Big 12 conference play. The Raiders earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but dropped the opening match to Utah, 1-0. TTU returns its 2016 leading scorer, Jade King, who tallied six goals and an assist for 13 points.
Sunday's game marks the second time that GCU and UNM meet on the field, as the Lobos claimed the inaugural meeting last season. Senior goalkeeper
Blakely Fraasch tallied three saves in last year's matchup, while the New Mexico goalie had two.
The Lobos were 9-7-3 in 2016 and 2-3-1 in the Mountain West. New Mexico defeated San Diego State, 2-1, to end the 2016 season and did not earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos return top goal-scorer in Claire Lynch, who had eight goals for 16 points.