Come again? Lopes nab 2nd upset

Friday, August 31

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

2-0

Creighton

1-1-1

Creighton

Grand Canyon

8/31/2018 10:24:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Paul Coro

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GCU downs No. 20 Creighton 1-0 on Delor goal

By: <a href="http://gculopes.com/index.aspx?path=coro">Paul Coro</a>

Through training camp, a scrimmage and practices, Grand Canyon sophomore Jaime Delor kept trying bicycle kicks with his back on the grass and the ball never in the net.

Lopes head coach Schellas Hyndman asked him to stop for fear that Delor would get hurt.

After Delor's bicycle-kick goal gave GCU a 1-0 upset of No. 20 Creighton and a win against a top-25 opponent for a second consecutive Friday, Hyndman huddled his team and told Delor to keep riding that bike.

The comment sent the Lopes into a hopping celebration, much like the party that GCU students are making a weekly Friday night event at midfield of GCU Stadium. The Lopes upended No. 12 Wisconsin 2-1 last week and made another case for top-25 votes by beating perennial power Creighton a week after the Bluejays beat No. 11 Clemson.

"These last two weeks have really been pretty cool -- great crowds," Hyndman said after 3,402 fans watched Friday's upset. "The team is playing with so much confidence and so determined. We fought hard. This team has competitiveness. All of them are fighting for each other. There seems to be a really good team unity."

The Lopes grinded for this one, staving off Creighton attacks with stellar defense and the debut of GCU freshman goalkeeper George Tasouris. But after Lopes clears, saves and a Creighton shot off the post in the scoreless first half, GCU put more pressure on Creighton in the second half, especially on counterattacks.

In the 81st minute, Tasouris sent a goal kick past midfield. GCU freshman forward Calvin Kissi controlled the ball's high bounce off his chest and sent it toward the goal with a sideways kick down the center of the field. Creighton goalkeeper Paul Kruse and Delor raced toward the ball and each other before Kruse headed it to the side.

Delor got to the ball quicker than Kruse could retreat, using a bicycle kick effectively to send a one-bounce shot by Kruse and into the center of the goal with 9:24 to go.

"I do that a lot in practice," Delor said. "I never score. I always knew there would be a time when I would. I just saw the ball in the air and tried it. Everybody makes fun of me because I do bicycle, bicycle, bicycle."

Delor made 10 game-winning goals while playing for Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he was the nation's leading junior college scorer. Not one of those 36 goals in 23 games meant as much to him as his first one as a Lope.

"This is way higher," Delor said. "Unbelievable team. This is the reason I came here. The crowd and the fans. I love it. It's crazy."

The goal earned the win but the less-heralded defensive work of junior Austin Day, sophomore Malik Smith and senior Sam Gardner held up the shutout with Tasouris. Smith, who returned trim and determined to play this season, made crucial plays in the box while Tasouris made seven saves, including laying out for a ball after Delor's goal.

"George in the goal really showed a difference," Hyndman said. "He was like a man back there. Nothing soft was going to get in."

Six teams ranked between No. 14 and No. 23 lost this week, creating a chance for GCU to use its pair of top-25 wins to crack the Division I top 25 for the first time next week.

"Definitely, people are going to say, 'They beat Wisconsin and that's a hell of a team and now they beat Creighton and that's a pretty good team. Maybe we should think about these guys a little bit,' " Hyndman said. "It'd be nice for the boys.

"I didn't know what a steak was. I never had it in my life. When I came to the United States, somebody gave me a steak. I love steak. If we get in the top 25, I think it's like that. You fight a little harder to keep it."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.