WAC title would perfectly add to perfect record

Saturday, April 17 | 1 p.m. | WAC Tournament championship | Las Vegas


No. 1 seed Grand Canyon Lopes (8-0)	vs	No. 6 seed Air Force Falcons (6-4-1)
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LAS VEGAS – If Grand Canyon men's soccer was only chasing a NCAA tournament bid, a strong argument could be made that the undefeated Lopes have done enough to merit a spot in the reduced 36-team field.

But as GCU plays Air Force for the WAC Tournament championship on Saturday, the Lopes are not motivated or comforted by the national status of their No. 16 ranking in the coaches' poll or No. 6 standing in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).

"It's massive for us," GCU senior defender Esai Easley said of the 1 p.m. championship game at UNLV and on ESPN+. "We're so close to having a trophy and this is the last season for (head coach) Schellas (Hyndman), so it's only fitting to win the game.

"We're in a good position, but if we lose this game, anything can happen. It's up to the people deciding. It's 100% a must-win game."

Alexis Canales

The Lopes (8-0) won a 1-0 home game against Air Force (6-4-1) on March 6 during the Falcons' four-game losing streak. Since then, Air Force turned around its season for a five-game winning streak to reach the championship as a No. 6 seed, the reverse scenario of GCU's 2018 tourney title as a No. 4 seed when Air Force was No. 1.

The Falcons beat San Jose State, the No. 3 seed, on penalty kicks Tuesday and shut out offensively dynamic UT Rio Grande Valley, the No. 2 seed, on Thursday to reach the championship game.

"A lot of us talk about playing as a family and as a unit, but these guys live it 24-7 for years," said Hyndman, who ranks second for wins (511) among active coaches and is retiring after this season. "Air Force played better (Thursday) than when we played them.

"There's a lot at stake. We're sitting a wonderful spot for the RPI, but nothing is more comforting than to win the conference so we're going with the mentality that we need to win this game to go to the NCAA tournament."

Three GCU starters – Easley, junior goalkeeper George Tasouris and junior midfielder Marios Andreou – also started on the 2018 WAC Tournament champions. They have been a part of four consecutive WAC Tournament shutouts, including Thursday's 2-0 semifinal win against Seattle U.

But the Lopes strive to convert more offensively than they did in the first Air Force game, when senior forward Justin Rasmussen made the only goal on 14 shots in GCU's 1-0 victory.

"We know Air Force is a strong team and we're not going to underestimate them," Lopes senior midfielder Tosh Yasuda said. "This is a moment that we've been waiting all season for. We've had a lot of adversities with COVID and injuries and it's all been boiling up to this point. We're going to leave it all out there and come off the field with no regrets."

GCU is one of seven undefeated teams in the nation, but Lafayette is the only other undefeated, untied team.
GCU vs. Seattle U (WAC Tournament)

"It's a final, but we're not going to play the occasion," Lopes sophomore midfielder Hugo Logan said. "We're just going to play the game."

Hyndman put the team through Saturday training, just as he has been doing for 37 years as a collegiate head coach. Even after a 511-167-60 record, the Hall of Fame coach is relishing this last run.

"I think about how I'm really lucky to have been in this sport my whole life," Hyndman said. "How many people wake up every morning and have a soccer ball to kick around? That's been special. I recognize how special that is.

"For it to end in a season like this where we're competing for a WAC Tournament championship and we've won the regular-season championship, I appreciate and understand every moment. When I think of all my coaching and playing, the one memory I have is when I was a freshman in college and we won a national championship. We have that opportunity."

Saturday, April 17 | 1 p.m. | WAC Tournament championship | Las Vegas

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Players Mentioned

Marios Andreou

Esai Easley

Hugo Logan

Justin Rasmussen

George Tasouris

Tosh Yasuda

Grand Canyon University Athletics