Home streak ends amid injury bug

Sunday, October 13

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

4-4-3, 1-2-2

Seattle U

7-3-3, 4-0-1

Seattle U

Grand Canyon

10/13/2019 10:26:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Paul Coro

Box Score GCU-SU PHOTO GALLERY

GCU loses 1-0 to Seattle U with 5 starters out

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

The 13th of October has been unkind and unlucky to the Grand Canyon men's soccer team.

The Lopes lost 1-0 to Seattle U at GCU Stadium, the team's first home loss since a year ago on the same date.

The unlucky part extended far beyond a number this time. GCU (4-4-3, 1-2-2 WAC) came into the game with four starters out injured, only to lose a fifth one to injury during pregame warmups.

Despite that, the Lopes kept themselves in position to hand the second-place Redhawks (7-3-3, 4-0-1) their first conference loss until a Seattle goal in the 62nd minute went unanswered.

"I told the team after the game, 'You guys fought really hard,' " GCU head coach Schellas Hyndman said after a six-match home unbeaten streak ended in front of 984 fans. "They really did. We did a lot of things really well. They were a better team than us. But if you take five starters out from them, how would it have been?"

The game was decided in a blip when the Redhawks midfielder Hal Uderitz found reserve midfielder Cody Buchanan unmarked on the right side of the box. He spun and fired at close range with a blast that was hard enough to glance off GCU sophomore goalkeeper George Tasouris' hand and still find the net.

GCU only has allowed a 1.0 opponent scoring average with Tasouris in net this season but the offense could not repeat Friday night's two-goal effort.

"It's a tough loss," said Lopes junior defender Ariel Aguas, who was a standout Sunday night. "We are trying to start on the right path. I think all the work that we're putting in at practice is going to show up at one point. We just have to keep patient. We have a lot of guys injured. We are trying our best and, like Coach says, we're fighters and just have to keep pushing through.

"The attitude is always 100 percent. We're trying to play hard from the first minute to the 90^th minute for this school that has given us everything."

Seattle outshot GCU 12-9 with twice as many on goal (6-3) but the Lopes still had their chances. Early in the game, the defense had to stave off the Redhawks' attacks, as Seattle repeatedly got behind the GCU defense with long balls. Some of Tasouris' five saves helped stave off those threats until the Lopes got their bearings and salvaged a decent scoring chance when junior forward Jamie Delor's header went wide right in the 43rd minute.

GCU put itself in better scoring positions early in the second half with three corner kicks within two minutes and a ball that caromed off the Redhawks goalkeeper's hands without a Lope getting to it.

"Our issue is scoring goals and being a constant threat," Hyndman said. "You saw a few minutes here where we were very patient and kept the ball. Then when we just run and then we constantly bounce balls off our knees and lose balls off the sidelines. We just have to play with a little more confidence and just realize that as long as we have the ball, they don't."

GCU kept pressure on Seattle but a 20-foot free kick by Aguas went right in the 73rd minute and one of the Lopes' best scoring chances came off another corner kick with a shot by senior defender Austin Day being deflected in a crowded box in the 83rd minute.

The injuries did give opportunities to see GCU players' advancements with the first starts of the season for freshman forward Will Clark, sophomore midfielder Alexis Canales, sophomore defender Tyler Hughes, sophomore forward Calvin Kissi and the continued improvement of program newcomers such as Aguas, who has become one of the team's most reliable players after transferring this year from Phoenix College.

"I'm getting more comfortable," Aguas said. "I like it and the confidence that the coach has given to me is unbelievable. I'm believing more in this group. I'm home."