Revenge escapes GCU on Denver's late goal

Sunday, August 28

Phoenix, Ariz.

7:30 p.m.

Grand Canyon

1-1-0, 0-0-0

Denver

2-0-0, 0-0-0

Denver

Grand Canyon

8/28/2022 10:44:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Paul Coro

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Lopes lose NCAA tournament rematch 2-1, get outshot 12-3

By: Paul Coro

A Grand Canyon men's soccer rematch with the team that ousted the Lopes from last year's NCAA tournament was supposed to be about revenge.

But with only three Lopes starters from that loss starting Sunday night against Denver, that respect proved out of reach when an 86th-minute Pioneers goal resulted in a 2-1 loss at GCU Stadium.

"We came up against a prepared, hard-working, organized group led by a good coach and we got outplayed, almost from Minute 1, and still had a chance to steal a draw," Lopes head coach Mike Kraus said. "There are silver linings, but ultimately this one has more learning moments and opportunities for improvement than positive plays."

PHOENIX, AZ -Sep 28, 2021: GCU takes a 2-1 loss against Denver at GCU Stadium.

Playing a 2021 NCAA tournament team for the second consecutive week, the Lopes came off beating Virginia Tech on Thursday night by shaking off an early 1-0 deficit to the Summit League defending champion and preseason favorite on Sunday night.

"We were too conservative and that momentum built," Kraus said. "After the first water break, I got on our guys to not show them that much respect."

Despite being outshot 12-3 and Denver having seven of the game's eight corner kicks, GCU made just as much of its first-half opportunities with a 34th-minute tying goal. The Lopes did not take a shot for the first 25 minutes, but they swung momentum with two good chances before a free kick set up a score.

Lopes sophomore midfielder Innocent Jibril Rodet, whose lead pass had just set up a blocked shot by senior forward Cameron Weller, sent the ball into the box from wide right when senior midfielder Alec LaBarge made a clever assist. LaBarge shielded a defender while dropping the ball for senior forward Chris Joash, who nailed the 7-yard shot from just outside the goal area.

"Alec is an intelligent player," said Joash, who has 10 goals in 20 games as a Lope. "He looks for us attacking players in the box and he just laid the ball off to me. I saw a gap, took the shot and it went in. Alec's a top player and I like playing with him."

Denver, with 10 returning starters, controlled possession for the early parts of the game and took the first five shots, all of which were on goal with Pioneers midfielder Sam Bassett scoring a 26-yard blast in the 24th minute for a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later, GCU senior goalkeeper Anthony Munoz made a diving save and had to immediately pop up to deflect a rebound shot away from the goal.

Kraus said he challenged his team to "be brave" after the Pioneers high-pressed the Lopes throughout the first half. The style of play led to each team receiving six yellow cards in the match.

GCU defended Denver better in the second half and had moments when it was not dictated by the pressure as much but never fired a shot after halftime.

The Lopes nearly connected for a game-winner in the 83rd minute, when sophomore defender Clayton Duarte sent a cross toward the right side of the goal area, where Weller just missed reaching the ball on a sliding attempt that sent him into the goalpost.

"I told these guys before the game that football and life has a funny way of humbling you and to make sure we stay hungry," Kraus said. "We were humbled today, but we've got a lot of goals to accomplish and know they're definitely still attainable. We're going to use this and take steps forward."

After a pair of one-goal home losses to Denver in their past three games, the Lopes head on the road this week to play Thursday at CSU Bakersfield before moving across Southern California for a Sept. 5 game at No. 23 UCLA.

"It's a shame not to get payback, but I thought we fought well," Joash said. "They were very organized. They brought the fight to us. We battled. It was just unfortunate. It was painful to be on the wrong side, but I'm still very confident the team will rebuild from this and we'll look back at this later in the season as big turning point for us."