Defense delivers in 3-0 shutout

Thursday, August 25

Las Vegas, Nev.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

2-1-0, 0-0-0

UNLV

0-3-0, 0-0-0

Grand Canyon

UNLV

8/25/2022 9:49:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Loera leads Lopes' 2nd-half offensive surge

By: Jerob Moon

LAS VEGAS – The Grand Canyon women's soccer team started its first road trip of the season with its first shutout, a 3-0 win at UNLV on Thursday night.

GCU (2-1) was stout again on defense, limiting UNLV (0-3) to just two shots with none on goal while freshman midfielder AJ Loera scored the first of three GCU goals in the final 20 minutes. Through the first three games of the season, the Lopes have allowed only 10 total shots and two on goal from their opponents.

"Great result tonight, super proud of our soccer family," Lopes head coach Chris Cissell said. "In our first road game, to get a result like this against a team that is playing in their home opener, was a solid team effort. Almost everyone we brought on the trip played tonight and contributed to the success."

The Lopes were aggressive all night, collecting 19 shots with nine on goal. Twelve of the shots came in the second half. The GCU offense had to adjust to a high UNLV defensive back line and was flagged for seven offside calls in the first half, the first one wiping off a goal by sophomore midfielder Brenna Alderson in the seventh minute.

The first significant scoring chance came in the 52nd minute for GCU when redshirt sophomore defender Sidney Roberts' left-footed shot in the middle of the box hit the crossbar. The Lopes remained aggressive and finally broke the tie with a goal by Loera in the 73rd minute. The freshman midfielder received a pass from junior Lindsey Prokop after the speedy forward crossed the ball in from the right side. Loera gathered and fired the ball past the UNLV keeper for her first collegiate goal.

GCU added the finishing touches on the win later in the game with a pair of goals in two minutes. In the 84th minute on a counter attack, redshirt freshman forward Leah Pirro found junior forward Bekah Valdez in the box with a long pass from the midfield line, and Valdez scored her second goal of the season.

In the 86th minute, Prokop scored her first goal of the season with an easy tap-in after junior forward Gianna Gourley's shot deflected off the keeper in front of the net to make it a 3-0 GCU lead and put the game out of reach.

"We were a little frustrated that it took us so long to score the first goal, but we knew if we were patient and playing our game, the first goal would give us the confidence to score more, and we went on to score three great team goals," Cissell said.

Ferguson collected her 10th career shutout while three Lopes recorded at least three shots.

GCU will wrap up the weekend at Utah State, facing the Aggies in a Sunday matinee at noon (Phoenix time) in Logan, Utah.