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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Lopes face formidable fall schedule
7/12/2022 1:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer
GCU will battle 8 fellow 2021 NCAA tournament teams in 2022
Grand Canyon men's soccer released its fall schedule that features eight opponents who were fellow 2021 NCAA tournament teams, including Virginia Tech, Denver, UCLA, Santa Clara, Oakland, UC Santa Barbara, Washington and Seattle U.
GCU first-year head coach Mike Kraus inherits a program coming off back-to-back WAC regular-season championships with a strong nonconference schedule that he hopes will prepare it for another title.
"We are very excited to have some top programs in the country early on in the year," Kraus said. "We want to be talked about nationally and know that beating some of the best is the way to reach our ultimate goal."
The season kicks off Aug. 25 against Virginia Tech, which finished 16th in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index rankings last season while GCU landed in 18th. That will be followed by a rematch with Denver, which knocked off the Lopes in the NCAA tournament in November.
GCU then heads west for a pair of matches in California, starting with CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 1 before going to UCLA (RPI No. 24) on Sept. 5.
On Sept. 9, the Lopes are back at GCU Stadium to host Santa Clara and stay home to welcome Oakland on Sept. 13.
GCU hits the road to Santa Barbara, California, to take on UCSB on Sept. 17, then will come back home to close out the nonconference schedule against 2021 national runner-up Washington on Sept. 24, which will be the second annual Los Lopes Night.
The Lopes return All-WAC first-team selection Shaun-Chris Joash, a forward who tied Justin Rasmussen with a season-high nine goals. Six of those goals came in conference play alone. Joash also assisted four goals to give him a second-best 22 points.
GCU also returns All-WAC second-team selections Cameron Weller and Rodolfo Prado. Weller matched Joash with a team-best six goals in conference play and scored seven overall with three assists. Prado held down the back line for the Lopes as the center back and started every game last season. He logged a team-high 1,707 minutes of play.
Rising sophomore Kaden Cameron, who was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team last season, returns after posting five points last season with a goal and three assists.
The WAC schedule begins with GCU on the road at Utah Tech on Sept. 30 and UNLV on Oct. 2.
The Lopes' home conference opener will be on Oct. 7 against Utah Valley. GCU stays home for two more meetings with California Baptist on Oct. 9 and Houston Baptist on Oct. 13.
GCU then has a three-game road stretch, which includes Incarnate Word on Oct. 21, UT Rio Grande Valley on Oct. 23 and Seattle U on Oct. 28.
The Lopes' final two regular-season games are at home against San Jose State on Oct. 30 and Air Force on Nov. 5.
The WAC Tournament will take place in Riverside with California Baptist hosting from Nov. 9-13.
GCU first-year head coach Mike Kraus inherits a program coming off back-to-back WAC regular-season championships with a strong nonconference schedule that he hopes will prepare it for another title.
"We are very excited to have some top programs in the country early on in the year," Kraus said. "We want to be talked about nationally and know that beating some of the best is the way to reach our ultimate goal."
The season kicks off Aug. 25 against Virginia Tech, which finished 16th in the NCAA Rating Percentage Index rankings last season while GCU landed in 18th. That will be followed by a rematch with Denver, which knocked off the Lopes in the NCAA tournament in November.
GCU then heads west for a pair of matches in California, starting with CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 1 before going to UCLA (RPI No. 24) on Sept. 5.
On Sept. 9, the Lopes are back at GCU Stadium to host Santa Clara and stay home to welcome Oakland on Sept. 13.
GCU hits the road to Santa Barbara, California, to take on UCSB on Sept. 17, then will come back home to close out the nonconference schedule against 2021 national runner-up Washington on Sept. 24, which will be the second annual Los Lopes Night.
The Lopes return All-WAC first-team selection Shaun-Chris Joash, a forward who tied Justin Rasmussen with a season-high nine goals. Six of those goals came in conference play alone. Joash also assisted four goals to give him a second-best 22 points.
GCU also returns All-WAC second-team selections Cameron Weller and Rodolfo Prado. Weller matched Joash with a team-best six goals in conference play and scored seven overall with three assists. Prado held down the back line for the Lopes as the center back and started every game last season. He logged a team-high 1,707 minutes of play.
Rising sophomore Kaden Cameron, who was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team last season, returns after posting five points last season with a goal and three assists.
The WAC schedule begins with GCU on the road at Utah Tech on Sept. 30 and UNLV on Oct. 2.
The Lopes' home conference opener will be on Oct. 7 against Utah Valley. GCU stays home for two more meetings with California Baptist on Oct. 9 and Houston Baptist on Oct. 13.
GCU then has a three-game road stretch, which includes Incarnate Word on Oct. 21, UT Rio Grande Valley on Oct. 23 and Seattle U on Oct. 28.
The Lopes' final two regular-season games are at home against San Jose State on Oct. 30 and Air Force on Nov. 5.
The WAC Tournament will take place in Riverside with California Baptist hosting from Nov. 9-13.
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