Lopes play No. 14 Creighton four minutes shy of draw

Sunday, August 27

Omaha, Neb.

5:00 p.m.

Grand Canyon

0-2-0

Creighton

1-1-0

OT 3

OT 4

Grand Canyon

Creighton

Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky

8/27/2017 7:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

Bluejays score in game's 106th minute

By: Josh Hauser

OMAHA, Neb. - For the second time in as many matches, the Grand Canyon men's soccer team allowed an overtime goal, dropping a tough decision to No. 14 Creighton at Morrison Stadium on Sunday night. The golden goal came in the 106th minute for the Bluejays, ending the match just four minutes shy of a scoreless draw.

Head coach Schellas Hyndman noticed a marked improvement from Friday.

"We've grown a lot just in two days. I saw a much better team commitment. Our players on the field fought for every ball. Creighton is definitely a good team and they put us back on our heels. I was pleased with our energy and staying committed to our structure and our game."

Creighton's goal came on its 12th corner kick opportunity of the evening. Off of a kick coming in from the left side, the Bluejays' Marios Lomis snuck into the box and delivered a powerful header to the left side of the net, past the outstretched arms of GCU's goalkeeper Corey Marques. Standing at 6-foot-2, the lengthy Lomis had just checked into the contest moments before scoring the game-winning goal.

"Creighton dominated the corner kicks and shot opportunities," Hyndman said. "It got to the point where we just concentrated on tying. Then we give up a corner kick and they brought in a big boy just for the purpose of a mismatch."

The Lopes spent most of the evening on the defensive. Creighton's shot attempts outnumbered GCU's 23-5, although only three of the Bluejays' shots were on target.

In the first 45 minutes, Grand Canyon's defense used a bend-don't-break mentality. Creighton was able to fire off nine shots, but only one was on goal and it was stopped on a nice diving tip-away by Marques. Another close call came on a cross from the right wing that found an open forward on the left side of the goal, but the shot hit the left pole and bounced harmlessly out of bounds.

GCU's best opportunity of the first half -- not by coincidence -- featured the same duo that scored the season's first goal on Friday. Charlie Keating fed Niki Jackson deep in the box and Jackson was able to get off a header. It didn't have quite enough gusto behind it, as it went left of the goal.

In the 57th minute, freshman Marco Afonso fired off Grand Canyon's only on-goal shot attempt of the night. Afonso spun to beat a defender and took a shot from 10 yards outside the box that split two defenders. The Bluejays' goalkeeper Michael Kluver dove and came up with the save.

Moving into overtime, Grand Canyon was treading on dangerous waters in the 96th minute. A Creighton forward worked his way into a one-on-one opportunity deep in the box, but Marques was able to come up with a big save to keep the game going.

Another close call came early in the second overtime, when Jackson was taken down on a border-line tackle inside the box. The Lopes protested for a foul which would have resulted in a potentially game-winning penalty kick, but the official allowed play to continue.

"The message to our team is, you played one of the best teams in the country to an overtime game," Hyndman said. "We have some things we need to take care of in practice. But if we continue to play with the courage you showed tonight, the ball will start bouncing our way."

The Lopes next match comes at Big Ten opponent, Wisconsin, this coming Saturday in Madison. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. MST. Grand Canyon's home opener is set for Thursday, Sep. 7 vs. Evansville, coming at 7 p.m. from GCU Stadium.