Arkansas' win ends series of title-toting foes

Sunday, September 11

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

4-2-1, 0-0-0

Arkansas

5-1-1, 0-0-0

Arkansas

Grand Canyon

9/11/2022 10:26:00 PM | Women's Soccer, Paul Coro

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Lopes battled Razorbacks at 1-0 for more than 70 minutes at GCU Stadium

By: Paul Coro

To get back to the championship soccer that put Grand Canyon on the women's soccer map last season, the Lopes went through a gauntlet of championship teams in conference play.

The Lopes emerged from it at 4-2-1 and, much like a 3-0 home loss Sunday night to 2021 Elite Eight team Arkansas, they might be better than the numbers indicate.

GCU pushed the defending SEC champions for more than 70 minutes, pressuring the Razorbacks with consecutive near-tying goals within a minute before the deluge came in two forms. Arkansas (5-1-1) scored in the 72nd and 74th minutes and lightning called off the match in the 78th minute as a downpour hit GCU Stadium.

PHOENIX, AZ -Sep 11, 2022: GCU drops their match 3-0 against Arkansas at GCU Stadium. The game was stopped in the 78th minute due to weather.

PHOENIX, AZ -Sep 11, 2022: GCU drops their match 3-0 against Arkansas at GCU Stadium. The game was stopped in the 78th minute due to weather.

The Razorbacks, who have outscored opponents 20-5 during a six-match undefeated streak, were on the brink of being in a 1-1 tie that would have changed momentum and tactics.

"We had a couple of really good chances where I thought we had tied it," GCU head coach Chris Cissell said. "Soccer can be a brutal game like that. Arkansas is really good and really talented. They took advantage of their chances. When they went up 2-nil, it broke our back.

"It's been amazing nonconference season. We're coming off huge wins against Arizona and New Mexico. And we played the Summit League champion, the Mountain West champion and the SEC champion. We've done a pretty good job of preparing ourselves for WAC play and how hard it's going to simulate what we did last year."

The defending WAC champions nearly went shot for shot with Arkansas in the first half, when the back-and-forth action resulted in 18 shots (10 by the Razorbacks, eight by the Lopes).

GCU did not defer to an Arkansas team that is 24-3-2 in its past 29 matches, dating back to last season when it had a 14-game winning streak. Lopes redshirt freshman midfielder Leah Pirro's header started the match's first scoring opportunity when it sent the ball to junior forward Bekah Valdez, who crated an attack for a Pirro shot that went wide in the fifth minute.

Valdez followed with a shot on goal a minute later and junior forward Gianna Gourley's shot shortly after made the Lopes the early aggressors.

But in the 27th minute, GCU did not control possession off a throw-in and 2021 All-American first-team forward Anna Podojil curled a left-footer around three Lopes defenders and inside the left goalpost for a 1-0 lead.

PHOENIX, AZ -Sep 11, 2022: GCU drops their match 3-0 against Arkansas at GCU Stadium. The game was stopped in the 78th minute due to weather.

GCU graduate goalkeeper Shantel Hutton appeared shielded on that goal but made brilliant saves as the Lopes surrendered an opponent season-high 18 shots. Playing aggressively, Hutton collided with a Razorback on a cross that could have been a goal opportunity in the 40th minute.

In the 55th minute, the transfer from Texas A&M made consecutive saves with her long wingspan and experience of 20 career starts, including two against Arkansas.

"For her first game for GCU, I thought she did really well," Cissell said of Hutton. "What a tough challenge to play against the SEC champions. (Usual starting goalkeeper) Jordan (Ferguson) has been awesome, but we also thought we needed to get Chan a chance."

Lopes junior forward Jaycee Iranshad made pinpoint passes for shots on goal in the 64th and 65th minutes, but Gourley's one-touch shot was knocked away before reaching the inside of the right pole and Pirro came even closer to scoring in the same spot with a deflection going off the goalpost.

PHOENIX, AZ -Sep 11, 2022: GCU drops their match 3-0 against Arkansas at GCU Stadium. The game was stopped in the 78th minute due to weather.

"We can reflect and see that we can make it up to that challenge," GCU sophomore forward Renee Sainz said. "The result is not what we wanted. But now going into our conference play, we're ready and hype because we played these level of teams. We're excited to see how it goes."

Arkansas took a 2-0 lead in the 72nd minute when Podojil got behind the GCU defense, putting Hutton in a vulnerable one-on-one situation against a star with 41 career goals. Two minutes later, the Razorbacks' Ana Tankersley made it 3-0.

"We had some really good passes, build-ups and combination play, but kudos to them," Cissell said. "That's why they're such a good team that made it all the way to the Elite Eight. We want to play teams like this, so we can figure out how to get to the next level."

GCU opens conference play Saturday at California Baptist after going 6-1-2 in conference play last season and capturing the program's first WAC Tournament championship.