Lopes head to Texas for 2 weekend games

Friday, October 21

Houston, TX

5:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Houston Christian

10/20/2022 4:32:00 PM | Men's Soccer

GCU begins three game road trip Friday at Houston Christian

By: Nick Macdonald


Grand Canyon Lopes (4-5-3, 1-1-2 WAC)	at	Houston Christian Huskies (5-5-5, 1-2-3 WAC)	UTRGV Vaqueros (4-6-3, 2-3-1 WAC)
		Friday, Oct. 21 5:30 p.m.(Phoenix time)	Sunday, Oct. 23 10 a.m. (Phoenix time)
Game Notes		Watch Live Stats	Watch Live Stats

GCU begins a three game road trip this weekend in the state of Texas as it faces Houston Christian Friday evening and UTRGV Sunday morning.

After a 12 day break, GCU is back on the pitch for two games this weekend, both of which are on the road in Texas.
The Lopes look to build off their last two outings in which they defeated Utah Valley 2-1 Oct. 7 and tied 0-0 with California Baptist Oct. 9. GCU earned four points in the WAC standings that weekend and see themselves in a tie for seventh with Houston Christian in the WAC standings.
Sophomore Leon Schmidt was named WAC Defensive Player of the Week Oct. 11 for his play against Utah Valley and California Baptist. He saved eight shots (four in each game) and tallied a shutout against the Lancers.

The Lopes rebounded from a one point weekend Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 with a four point weekend Oct. 7-9 with a 2-0 win over Utah Valley and a 0-0 draw versus California Baptist. GCU has since been off and will be playing for the first time in 12 days at Houston Christian.
Six of the 10 teams in the WAC make the WAC Tournament next month. Houston Christian is currently tied for fifth with six points while UTRGV is in fourth with seven. The Lopes are in seventh with five points.
GCU faces the top of the WAC standings to close out the regular season. After its Texas trip, the Lopes travel to third place Seattle U Oct. 28 before returning Oct. 30 to host second place San Jose State. It closes out the regular season Saturday, Nov. 5 at home versus first place Air Force.

Sophomore goalie Leon Schmidt was named WAC Defensive Player of the Week Tuesday, Oct. 11 for his play at home versus Utah Valley and California Baptist.
He stopped four shots in each match as GCU went 1-0-1 that weekend. He earned his first shutout as a Lope in the 0-0 draw against California Baptist.
The Hamburg, Germany, native is second in the conference in saves per game (4.12), fifth in save percentage (.702) and sixth in total saves (33). He has a 3-3-2 record as the Lopes' goalkeeper.

Senior forward Shaun Joash, the WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, is filling up the stat sheet during the second half of the season. He has tallied seven points in his last three games played with three goals and an assist.
Joash has five goals and four assists for the year and is currently tied for third in the WAC in total points with 14. He has two goals, one assist, five shots and four shots on goal in WAC play.

Houston Christian enters with an even .500 record of 5-5-5 while holding a 1-2-3 conference mark.
The Huskies started the season 1-3-2 before winning four of their next seven matches to move to 5-3-5.
Houston Christian has dropped it's last two, both of which were on the road. The Huskies hold a 3-1-3 record at home as opposed to a 2-4-2 showing on the road.
Bryant Farkarlun is among the top goal scorers in the country, ranking 17th in goals (8), 10th in points (21) and 28th in points per game (1.40).
Goalie Alex Aitken is eighth in the nation in total saves with 65 and is 25th in saves per game with a 4.33 mark.
The Vaqueros have won two of their last three matches and enter Friday with a 4-6-3 record. They currently are in fourth place of the WAC standings with the top six teams earning a trip to Riverside, California, for the WAC Tournament in November.
UTRGV is 3-1-2 at home as opposed to a 1-5-1 showing on the road. Prior to the Air Force home match Friday, it last played at home Oct. 9.
Both Yusuf Cueceoglu and Jan Engels have seven points with both players with two goals and three assists.

The Lopes travel to Seattle Friday, Oct. 28 for the final road game of the regular season. It returns home two days later for an afternoon match vs. San Jose State at 1 p.m.
GCU's final regular season match is Saturday, Nov. 5 vs. Air Force at 7 p.m. The Lopes will honor its nine seniors and graduate students prior to the match.