GCU reaches WAC Tournament championship

Friday, November 12

4:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

15-3-0, 9-2-0

San Jose State

10-7-3, 7-2-2

San Jose St.

Grand Canyon

11/12/2021 7:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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Top-seeded Lopes will face No.2 seed Seattle U in WAC final

By: Sierra Smith

The top-seeded Lopes won the revenge match against San Jose State in the WAC Tournament semifinal with a convincing 4-1 win and advanced to the championship match that'll be played Sunday at 1 p.m against Seattle U, who beat Air Force Friday night in the other semifinal match.

This is the first time a WAC Tournament host has made it to the championship game after bringing soccer back to the WAC in 2013.

The first goal of the match didn't come until the second half in the 56th minute when junior forward and first team All-WAC selection Shaun-Chris Joash scored on a left-footed strike past the Spartans' goalkeeper. The goal was assisted by senior defender Esai Easley and fifth-year forward Rey Gaytan.

In the 75th minute, Gaytan extended GCU's lead to 2-0 with a hustle play beating the San Jose State defender to the ball, then firing a shot to the bottom-right corner of the goal.

San Jose State cut the lead in half as Willy Miranda struck the ball from outside the 18-yard penalty box into the right side of the net.

GCU's junior forward Cameron Weller scored his seventh goal of the season and pushed the lead to 3-1 at the 82:13 mark. Fifth-year midfielder Marco Afonso set up the play by dribbling down the right side and crossed it to sophomore forward Maximilian Moeller in the middle of the penalty box, then Moeller sent one more pass over to Weller at the far post for the finish.

Fifth-year midfielder Justin Rasmussen scored his team-leading and career-best ninth goal of the season off the double assist from Easley and senior midfielder Marios Andreou.

Although he wasn't in the goals column this match, GCU's Afonso played a great game and created many of the offensive opportunities for the Lopes.

"We saw what we've expected from him all season long. For me, man of the match," head coach Leonard Griffin said about Afonso. "His work rate, his committment to defend, he did some fantastic things in the attack but when he's going like that, he's hard to stop. I'm really happy for Marco and his contribution to this win tonight."

The Lopes have one day to rest and recover, then they will be back at GCU Stadium at 1 p.m. for the WAC Tournament championship.

"Our focus between these matches is beat them in the interval, can we recover, can we get in the training room and rehab," Griffin said. "We're going to work our hardest here in this interval to make sure our bodies are ready to go come 1 o'clock Sunday in front of hopefully a fun, exciting crowd.