5 Lopes earn All-WAC; Cissell named top coach

Five Grand Canyon women's soccer players earned All-WAC honors while Lopes head coach Chris Cissell was named WAC Coach of the Year.

GCU junior forward Marleen Schimmer was named to the All-WAC first team and Jaycee Iranshad earned a spot on All-WAC second team by a vote of confrence coaches. Midfielder Brenna Alderson and goalkeeper Jordan Ferguson represented the Lopes on the All-WAC Freshman Team. The five honorees are the most GCU has collected in one season and the second straight year that two Lopes landed on the All-WAC Freshman Team.

Chris Cissell – WAC Coach of the Year

Coach Cissell earns his third WAC Coach of the Year honor in four seasons and becomes the second GCU head coach to win the award, joining Stevie Gill (2014).

Cissell is also the first GCU coach to be named Coach of the Year in his first season with a program.

"I feel very honored and blessed to have my colleagues and friends within this great conference think of me for this prestigious honor," Cissell said. "Thank you to President Brian Mueller, Jamie Boggs, Nick Ojea and the entire GCU administration for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to serve and lead this awesome GCU soccer family. And thank you to our staff – Edgar Anzaldo, Ben Parman, Matt Robinson, Clarke Curfman – and all of our great student-athletes for believing in me and buying into our new culture, ideas and tactics."

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cissell had to wait 409 days to coach his first GCU game after being hired in December of 2019. He inherited a program that had won four games and scored 14 goals in 19 games in 2019. Cissell and the Lopes turned that around for 31 goals in 16 games this season. It is the second-highest GCU goal total in a Division I season and came with 34 assists, a GCU record for DI or DII.

The Lopes started the season 0-5 but turned it around in the final month and a half of the regular season, finishing 6-1-1 in the last eight games while earning the No. 3 seed in the WAC Tournament. The seven wins in WAC play are tied for the most in program history while the No. 3 seed is the highest the Lopes have earned since becoming eligible for postseason play in 2017.

Marleen Schimmer – All-WAC First Team

Schimmer joined the Lopes in the summer of 2020, transferring from Arizona State and was in charge of leading the GCU offensive attack. She becomes the fourth transfer to earn an All-WAC award for the Lopes and the first to make the first team.

"Schimmy is a very special talent and is very deserving of this prestigious honor," Cissell said. "Marleen has had a very special season and we are excited to have her in our soccer family and see what she will do in the future here at GCU."

Schimmer scored four goals this season and tied for the team lead with four assists while appearing in 12 games with 11 starts. Her 54 shots led the team while her 20 shots on goal were second most by a Lope.

She scored her first goal on the game-winning penalty kick against Utah Valley on Feb. 20 and scored her second on a free kick against Seattle U on March 13. Two of Schimmer's assists came on corner kicks in back-to-back games against California Baptist on April 1 and 3. She also added a 30-yard strike that bent into the top corner against the Lancers in a 4-0 GCU win.

Jaycee Iranshad – All-WAC Second Team

After scoring three goals in her first two seasons at GCU, Iranshad exploded for seven goals to lead the team in scoring and earn her first All-WAC honor.

"Jaycee is a very talented player and very deserving of this honor," Cissell said. "Jaycee is extremely versatile and has played in numerous roles this season. She has had a very special season and we are excited to have her in our soccer family and we can't wait to see what she will do in the future here at GCU."

Iranshad scored her first two goals of the season against Pac-12 opponents Arizona and Arizona State and didn't look back. She appeared in all 16 games with 14 starts and started played in multiple positions in the midfield and attacking side of the field.

Her 28 shots on goal led the team and her .609 shots-on-goal percentage was a career high. She converted her first career penalty kick against UT Rio Grande Valley on March 18 and scored a goal in three straight games from March 25 to April 1.

Brenna Alderson – All-WAC Freshman Team

Alderson came to GCU from nearby Gilbert after breaking Perry High School's career scoring record with 53 goals and led GCU freshmen in goals, points, shots and shots on goal.

"Brenna is a very hard-working and extremely coachable player and is very deserving of this honor," Cissell said. "Brenna has enjoyed a very successful season and we are excited to see what she will do in the future here at GCU."

Alderson was in the starting lineup in the season opener and has appeared in all 16 games this year with six starts. She recorded her first collegiate assist and point at home against Arizona State and scored her first goal at Seattle U on March 11. At Chicago State on March 27, Alderson scored two goals in the second half leading the offense to a 4-0 win.

Jordan Ferguson – All-WAC Freshman Team

Ferguson stepped into the starting lineup in the second half of the season and was an integral part of the turnaround for the Lopes.

"Jordan is very talented and has a great team-first mentality," Cissell said. "We are proud of Jordan and the season she has had. We are excited to have her in our soccer family and we can't wait to see what she will do in the future here at GCU."

Jordan, the younger sister of GCU defender Tyler Ferguson, led the WAC with a 0.68 goals against average and a .857 save percentage. Her six goals allowed were the lowest in the conference and she became the first GCU goalkeeper to save over 80% of her shots in the Division I era. She made 36 saves, including eight saves in two home wins over CBU.

Ferguson won her first career start against Seattle U on March 13 and finished the regular season with a 6-1-1 record. Her first of three shutouts came in a 3-0 win against UTRGV and she was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week on April 5. Ferguson ended the season with 4-0 and 2-0 shutouts against California Baptist and New Mexico State while making a combined 13 saves.

Hannah Edwards – All-WAC Honorable Mention

Edwards was a consistent starter for the Lopes in the defensive back line for the Lopes while also contributing on the offensive end late in the season.

"Hannah has been a consistent defender all season for us," Cissell said. "Edwards has been a great senior leader for our team and for our defense and has shown the ability to score on offense. She has had a great career at GCU and she is very deserving of this honor."

Edwards started in 15 of 16 games this season while logging the most minutes on the team with 1,234. For her career Edwards ranks second in starts (72) and minutes played (6,391). Against Chicago State on March 25, she scored her first career goal off a corner kick that was part of a 6-1 win. On senior day Edwards scored again on a penalty kick against California Baptist in the 4th minute.

The Lopes will host this year's WAC Tournament and face sixth-seeded Chicago State at 7 p.m. Tuesday in GCU Stadium.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Brenna Alderson

Hannah Edwards

Jordan Ferguson

Tyler Ferguson

Jaycee Iranshad

Marleen Schimmer

Related Videos