GCU travels for 2 WAC matchups


Grand Canyon Lopes (4-2-1)	vs	California Baptist Lancers (1-7-1)	CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (1-6)
		Friday, Oct. 4 3:30 p.m. (PHX)	Sunday, Oct. 6 6 p.m. (PHX)
Match Notes		Live Video Live Stats	Live Video Live Stats

The Grand Canyon men's soccer team travels to California to take on two conference opponents this weekend. The Lopes take on California Baptist on Friday at 3:30 p.m. (PHX) at CBU Soccer Field before traveling to CSU Bakersfield to compete on Sunday at 6 p.m. GCU is coming off a 1-0 win against Incarnate Word in its WAC opener at home.

Both matches will be broadcast live on the WA C Digital Network.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

SHUTOUT SQUAD: GCU has recorded a shut out in every win so far this season. The Lopes have held four opponents scoreless, three home and one on the road. The four shutouts put the 2019 team on pace to match last season's nine shutouts, the most a GCU team has recorded since the 2010 squad shutout 10 teams. Sophomore goalkeeper George Tasouris has been in goal for all three shutouts, having recorded 24 saves this season. Tasouris was named WAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and has the team tied for 29th nationally in save percentage at .830.
THE 500 CLUB: With the win in the Lopes' season opener over Northern Kentucky, head coach Schellas Hyndman became the fifth Division I coach in NCAA history to earn 500 collegiate career wins. Hyndman is one of only two active DI coaches with 500 career wins, only eight behind South Carolina's Mark Berson.
YASUDA STRIKES EARLY: Senior midfielder Tosh Yasuda has scored two of the Lopes' six goals this season, both coming within the first three minutes of a match. Yasuda's first career goal came in the season opener versus Northern Kentucky at 1:53 for GCU's first goal of the season. He scored again at UC Riverside at 2:18 for the Lopes' only goal of the match.

SCOUTING

California Baptist opened 2019 with a 1-1 draw at IUPUI before recording a 4-0 win at Purdue-Fort Wayne. Since, the Lancers have lost seven straight matches for a 1-7-1 record. The team's first loss came at home to UC Riverside when they fell 2-1 to the Highlanders. The Lopes have also faced off against UC Riverside, ending in a 1-1 draw in Riverside, Calif.

The Lancers played on the road in their WAC opener at Seattle U, where they fell 2-0 to the Redhawks to start the season 0-1 in the WAC.

Forward Tete Vacas leads the CBU offense with eight points this season. The junior has scored three goals in 2019 against IUPUI, Purdue-Fort Wayne and Duquesne. Albert Escuin has started all nine games for CBU in the goalkeepers box. The senior has tallied 46 saves to lead the WAC this season. Head coach Coe Michaelson is in his fourth year with the Lancers, currently holding a 109-81-20 record as the CBU head coach.

GCU leads the series against CBU 12-2-1.

CSU Bakersfield is 1-6 on the season after falling in two close matches to ranked opponents. The Roadrunners fell to then-No. 10 Duke on the road in their second match of the season, putting up one goal on the ranked team to fall 2-1. CSU Bakersfield also pushed then-No. 7 Saint Mary's into overtime on Sept. 13 before falling 3-2. The Roadrunners are on a three-match losing streak after dropping their WAC opener at San Jose State 3-2 on Saturday.

CSU Bakersfield is set to play UNLV on Friday before taking on the Lopes Sunday night.

Senior Niklas Korber ranks fourth in the WAC with four goals so far this season. The midfielder leads the Roadrunners with nine points this season, after recording goals against both Duke and Saint Mary's, as well as putting up a two-goal game at Sacramento State. Defensively, the goalkeeper position has been split between junior Detre Bell and senior Rodrigo Sarmiento. Bell started the last two matches for the Roadrunners, recording nine saves and allowing four goals.

The Roadrunners lead the series between the two teams 24-6-1.

LAST TIME OUT

GCU shut out Incarnate Word in its home opener last Saturday.
Sophomore midfielder Marios Andreou scored his first goal of the season in the 79th minute to give the Lopes a 1-0 win.

WHAT'S NEXT

GCU returns home to take on San Jose State next Friday at 7 p.m.

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

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

SCOUTING

LAST TIME OUT

WHAT'S NEXT

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marios Andreou

George Tasouris

Tosh Yasuda

Grand Canyon University Athletics