WAC champs set for tournament


Grand Canyon Lopes (12-8, 6-4 WAC)	at	UC Irvine Anteaters (11-5-3, 5-1-1 Big West)
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In just its second Division I postseason-eligible season, the Grand Canyon men's soccer team is in the NCAA tournament. The WAC Tournament champions travel to Irvine, Calif., for a Thursday night matchup with UC Irvine, which received an at-large bid out of the Big West Conference. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. (Phoenix time).

The Lopes bring the nation's second-longest active win streak (six) into the tournament. GCU won its final three regular-season games before sweeping the WAC Tournament with three consecutive 1-0 victories.

No. 9 Stanford awaits the winner of Thursday's match for a Sunday round-of-32 match in Stanford, Calif.

The match will be streamed on BigWest.tv.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

POSTSEASON LAUNCH: The men's soccer team becomes GCU's second sport to qualify for an NCAA tournament as a full team (women's golf). For the program, which began in 1985, it is making its eighth postseason trip with six coming at the NCAA Division II level and one as an NAIA school. The Lopes won the Division II national championship in 1996.
TASOURIS MAKING HEADLINES: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper George Tasouris has been one of the nation's top goalkeepers throughout the season, but he proved it on the elevated stage of the WAC Tournament. Tasouris and the GCU defense did not allow a single goal in the tournament's three matches. He made a WAC Tournament-record 22 saves and was named the tourney's MVP. Tasouris also was named National Player of the Week by College Soccer News. Tasouris leads the nation with an .870 save percentage. Tasouris is featured here.
CALL IT A STREAK: The Lopes have won six consecutive matches for the first time in their Division I era. GCU started the streak against Utah Valley on Oct. 26 and carried it through the WAC Tournament. The Lopes have the second-longest active win streak in the nation, trailing only Kentucky's eight consecutive wins.
SHUTOUT SQUAD: GCU recorded its ninth shutout victory of the season against San José State in the WAC Tournament title game. The Lopes previous Division I record for shutouts in a season came last year, and it was only four. GCU is one of 25 teams nationally to record nine or more shutouts.
CHASE FOR 500: Head coach Schellas Hyndman is sitting at 499 career wins, just one shy of the 500-win milestone. Hyndman is looking to become just the fifth NCAA Division I head coach to reach the milestone. He has the second-highest win total among active Division I coaches.

SCOUTING

UC Irvine went 5-1-1 in Big West Conference play to claim the regular season title. The Anteaters, however, lost in penalty kicks to UC Davis in the first round of the Big West Tournament. The Anteaters' No. 23 RPI was good enough to earn them an at-large bid into the tournament and a first-round home match.

GCU and UC Irvine each played Utah Valley and Loyola Marymount this season. GCU defeated Utah Valley twice in overtime, while UC Irvine fell to the Wolverines 2-1 at home. GCU and UC Irvine handled Loyola Marymount with the Lopes winning 1-0 and the Anteaters winning 2-0.

Senior forward Ivan Canales leads UC Irvine offensively with 10 goals and five assists on the year. He was named Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

The programs met twice previously with the Anteaters winning both matchups, most recently a 1-0 win in Irvine, Calif., in 2016.

LAST TIME OUT

George Tasouris and the defense led the Lopes to three consecutive 1-0 wins in the WAC Tournament, as the Lopes claimed their first conference title and first Division I postseason bid.
In its march through the tournament, GCU defeated No. 5 seed Utah Valley, No. 1 seed Air Force and No. 6 seed San José State.

WHAT'S NEXT

The winner advances to the NCAA tournament's round of 32 to take on No. 9 Stanford on the road Sunday.

For more GCU men's soccer news, notes and numbers, click here to view the match notes and click here to view the media guide.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

SCOUTING

LAST TIME OUT

WHAT'S NEXT

Next Event

Players Mentioned

George Tasouris

Grand Canyon University Athletics