Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus CSUN on September 26, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 0
M Soccer
vs CSUN
W 2-0
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Thursday, September 13
Phoenix, Ariz.
4 p.m.
Grand Canyon
1
vs
0
Loyola Marymount
Home field is GCU's bright spot
9/13/2018 7:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Paul Coro
GCU downs LMU 1-0 with strong defense
When the shadow moved over GCU Stadium's field Thursday evening, Grand Canyon men's soccer had its brightest moment.
The Lopes continue to shine brightest at home, where they downed Loyola Marymount 1-0 to move to 7-1-1 in their last nine games.
GCU (3-2) won with defense but it was a chain of players' efforts in the 63rd minute that made the difference for freshman Calvin Kissi's second goal of the season.
Lopes freshman goalkeeper George Tasouris played a brilliant game that included fending off eight LMU corner kicks. When he stepped in front of a Lion to grab one in the 63rd minute, it was the possession GCU needed to score.
The Lopes easily moved the ball to senior midfielder Alex Radilla, who dribbled toward the center circle before hitting a diagonal ball to senior Jackson Jellah on the far right side. It was the type of situation that GCU wants to target with Jellah, who sped past the Lions defender into the penalty area and sent a pass to the goalie box as he fell.
With GCU freshman forward Bert Wilton there, the LMU goalkeeper knocked the ball between Wilton's legs but Kissi was waiting to knock it into the open net.
"That's what the coaches have been looking for," Jellah said. "Every time I get a one-on-one option out wide, they also tell them pass Jackson the ball and let him run off the guys. As soon as I got the ball, that's the first thing I thought: 'Go at him.' And it worked out."
Kissi, a 6-foot forward, also scored GCU's second goal in a 2-1 season-opening upset of Wisconsin.
"Calvin's a big presence," Jellah said. "He's a big, big dude. So you know if you put it in the box, he's going to work. You can always count on Calvin to be somewhere near the box to score."
The Lopes needed Tasouris and the stellar defense more than they realized when a GCU red card put the Lopes a man down for the final 13 minutes of the game. GCU handled it so well that the Lopes had better scoring opportunities down the stretch than LMU (1-5) did with a man advantage.
Tasouris had his stiffest challenges at other moments, like five minutes before the Lopes goal. A Lion cross went high at Tasouris, who leaped to deflect the ball back. As he was falling, Tasouris knocked away the loose ball again with a LMU player approaching for a chance to score.
"The defense was under a lot of pressure," GCU head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "I thought George had a very good game. In the past, we would've struggled with all of those pressure balls coming in and he handled them very well. The players just really showed up and gave everything."
Tasouris was active in a physical first half too, punching shots wide and diving on others. He was secure in his ball-handling to deny LMU any second chances.
"The first game was a bit anxious for me," Tasouris said. "But game by game, me and my team are getting more confident.
"We all fought like lions. It was a very good game for everyone. It was a game about confidence."
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Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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The Lopes continue to shine brightest at home, where they downed Loyola Marymount 1-0 to move to 7-1-1 in their last nine games.
GCU (3-2) won with defense but it was a chain of players' efforts in the 63rd minute that made the difference for freshman Calvin Kissi's second goal of the season.
Lopes freshman goalkeeper George Tasouris played a brilliant game that included fending off eight LMU corner kicks. When he stepped in front of a Lion to grab one in the 63rd minute, it was the possession GCU needed to score.
The Lopes easily moved the ball to senior midfielder Alex Radilla, who dribbled toward the center circle before hitting a diagonal ball to senior Jackson Jellah on the far right side. It was the type of situation that GCU wants to target with Jellah, who sped past the Lions defender into the penalty area and sent a pass to the goalie box as he fell.
With GCU freshman forward Bert Wilton there, the LMU goalkeeper knocked the ball between Wilton's legs but Kissi was waiting to knock it into the open net.
"That's what the coaches have been looking for," Jellah said. "Every time I get a one-on-one option out wide, they also tell them pass Jackson the ball and let him run off the guys. As soon as I got the ball, that's the first thing I thought: 'Go at him.' And it worked out."
Kissi, a 6-foot forward, also scored GCU's second goal in a 2-1 season-opening upset of Wisconsin.
"Calvin's a big presence," Jellah said. "He's a big, big dude. So you know if you put it in the box, he's going to work. You can always count on Calvin to be somewhere near the box to score."
The Lopes needed Tasouris and the stellar defense more than they realized when a GCU red card put the Lopes a man down for the final 13 minutes of the game. GCU handled it so well that the Lopes had better scoring opportunities down the stretch than LMU (1-5) did with a man advantage.
Tasouris had his stiffest challenges at other moments, like five minutes before the Lopes goal. A Lion cross went high at Tasouris, who leaped to deflect the ball back. As he was falling, Tasouris knocked away the loose ball again with a LMU player approaching for a chance to score.
"The defense was under a lot of pressure," GCU head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "I thought George had a very good game. In the past, we would've struggled with all of those pressure balls coming in and he handled them very well. The players just really showed up and gave everything."
Tasouris was active in a physical first half too, punching shots wide and diving on others. He was secure in his ball-handling to deny LMU any second chances.
"The first game was a bit anxious for me," Tasouris said. "But game by game, me and my team are getting more confident.
"We all fought like lions. It was a very good game for everyone. It was a game about confidence."
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Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
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