GCU heads out on Texas road trip


Grand Canyon Lopes (4-5-1, 0-3 WAC)	vs.	UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (2-8-1, 0-3-1 WAC)	Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (3-7-1, 2-2 WAC)
		Friday, Oct. 7 2 p.m.	Sunday, Oct. 9 11 a.m.
Match Notes		Live Video Live Stats	Live Video Live Stats

The Grand Canyon women's soccer team is back on the road and will travel to Texas for the first time this season with a pair of matches against UT Rio Grande Valley and Stephen F. Austin.

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPS MEET: Last season, the Lopes were the champions of the WAC West Division while the Lumberjacks took home the Southwest Division crown. Despite both teams being top seeds in last year's conference tournament, the first-ever matchup between the two programs will be on Sunday.
GOURLEY LEADS THE WAY: Junior captain Gianna Gourley scored her seventh goal of the season against Utah Valley on Sunday and continues to lead the conference in scoring. The Las Vegas native has half of the team's goals. Only two other Lopes have scored more than one goal this year.
FACING THE VAQUEROS AGAIN: GCU and UTRGV were conference regulars, meeting every year from 2014 to the spring of 2021. That matchup resumes this weekend after not meeting last year because of the divisional format of the conference. GCU holds a 4-5 record against UTRGV with the teams splitting two games at GCU Stadium in 2020.

SCOUTING

UT Rio Grande Valley had to battle through a tough nonconference schedule that featured matches against Kansas State, TCU and Texas before the start of conference play. The Vaqueros lost the first three WAC matches before a 1-1 draw earned them their first WAC points on Sept. 25. Junior transfer Ana Recarte-Pacheco has been the clear offensive leader for UTRGV with three goals and seven points after transferring from Texas A&M Corpus Christi over the summer.

Stephen F. Austin enters this weekend with two straight wins against Sam Houston and New Mexico State to get back to .500 in WAC play and snap a six-game losing streak. Like the Vaqueros, the Lumberjacks have not played a match since Sept. 25. Midfielder Reaganne Crane has been the team's leading scorer with two goals, three assists and seven points while defensively goalie Lydia Sattler has allowed 20 goals in 10 matches this season.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU will return home to face Abilene Christian and Tarleton on Oct. 14 and 16, respectively.

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

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

SCOUTING

WHAT'S NEXT?

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gianna Gourley

Grand Canyon University Athletics