Lopes close regular-season homestand vs. Utah Tech, UNLV

Thursday, October 19

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Utah Tech

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

10/18/2023 4:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer

GCU ot honor seniors Sunday night before Rebels contest

By: Nick Macdonald

Grand Canyon returns home for two crucial WAC matchups at GCU Stadium, starting with Utah Tech Thursday, Oct. 19 and UNLV Sunday, Oct. 22.

GCU is currently seventh in the WAC standings with four points. The top six teams move on to the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas Nov. 5-11. The Lopes are one point back of Utah Valley for the sixth seed and trail Utah Tech (9 points) and UNLV (10 points).
With the season winding down, sophomore forward Bright Nutornutsi is among the best in offensive production in the WAC. Nutornusti is second in points (20), points per game (1.54), goals (8), goals per game (0.62) and is seventh in shots with 24.
GCU plays exceptionally well when Nutornutsi scores as it is 5-1-1 when the sophomore finds the back of the net.
Goalkeeper Leon Schmidt continues to be one of the top goalkeepers in the country, ranking 8th in saves (62), 14th in saves per game (4.8) and 21st in save percentage (.795). All three mentioned stats lead the WAC, as his 62 saves are 11 more than second place.
Ten players have tallied an assist this season. GCU's 22 assists rank second in the WAC as sophomore Cameron Cruz's five are tied for second most in the league.
GCU is 39-16-5 at GCU Stadium overall and 9-4-2 under Mike Kraus since 2022.

The Lopes hold a 5-0-1 record at home this season, the only team in the conference without a home loss. It's .917 at home winning percentage is tied for 11th best in the country. Utah Tech is 3-2 on the road while UNLV is 2-4.
GCU is outscoring its opposition 15-3 at GCU Stadium, with four of its six games resulting in three or more goals scored. The Lopes have nearly doubled its scoring production at home compared to last season, tallying 15 this year to 8 last year.

GCU concludes the regular season with back to back road games at Air Force (Oct. 26) and at Utah Valley (Oct. 30).
Depending on point status in the WAC standings, if the Lopes earn a 3-6 seed in the WAC Tournament, they will play in the first round Nov. 5. A top 1 and 2 seeds receive a first round bye, with the semifinals beginning Nov. 8.