GCU visits nationally-ranked UCLA Monday evening

Monday, September 5

Los Angeles, Calif.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

UCLA

9/4/2022 8:03:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Live Stats Watch Game Notes

First-ever meeting pits Lopes against 4th-ranked Bruins

By: Nick Macdonald

Monday, Sept. 5 \| 7 p.m. \| Wallis Annenberg Stadium \| Los Angeles, Calif.

	#4 UCLA BRUINS (3-0)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (1-1)

WATCH: Pac-12 Networks \| STATS: View

The Grand Canyon men's soccer team concludes a two-game road trip at nationally-ranked UCLA on Monday night at Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles.

AT A GLANCE

All three GCU games this season have been decided by one goal, with the Lopes prevailing 1-0 over (RV) Virginia Tech and falling 2-1 to both Denver and CSU Bakersfield.
Senior forward Shaun Joash leads the team with two goals and four points.
Senior goalkeeper Anthony Munoz has nine saves through three games this season, averaging 3.0 per contest. He is tied for first in the WAC in total saves and has recorded 12 games with three or more saves dating back to last season.

LAST TIME OUT

GCU (1-2) fell 2-1 for the second consecutive contest Sept. 1 at CSU Bakersfield in the first road match of the season.
Joash scored his second goal of the season in the 80th minute and the Lopes pressured late, totaling six shots in the final 10 minutes but fell short.
It was the first time the Lopes lost back-to-back games since the 2020-21 season, when they fell to Air Force in the WAC Tournament title game on April 17, 2021, and Washington in the NCAA tournament's first round on May 2, 2021.

ALL 1-GOAL GAMES TO START

All three Lopes games this season were decided by one goal, with GCU prevailing 1-0 versus (RV) Virginia Tech and falling 2-1 to both Denver and CSU Bakersfield. GCU went 8-3 last season in one-goal contests.

TOUGH TESTS EARLY

GCU has been tested early this season, facing two NCAA tournament teams from a year ago with its remaining nonconference schedule against five more 2021 NCAA Tournament teams.
Virginia Tech, Denver and UCLA all advanced to the second round while opponents Oakland, UC Santa Barbara and Santa Clara earned berths into the tournament. Washington, which defeated GCU in the 2020-21 NCAA tournament's first round, advanced to the national championship game last season.

SCOUTING REPORT

UCLA enters Monday night as one of the top teams in the nation with a 3-0 record.
The Bruins have outscored opponents 7-2 with 1-0 wins over UC Irvine and (RV) Virginia Tech.
Tommy Silva ranks seventh in the country in assists per game (1.0), while goalkeeper Nate Crockford is tied for third with two shutouts.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Lopes return home for two straight matches at GCU Stadium, with the first game versus Santa Clara on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
GCU will honor its 2021 WAC regular-season title team with rings prior to the match.