Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Utah Tech on October 23, 2025 , Tie , 2, to, 2
M Soccer
vs Utah Tech
T 2-2
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, October 22
Phoenix, Ariz.
7 p.m.
Grand Canyon
7-6-2, 2-3-1
1
vs
0
UNLV
5-6-4, 3-2-2
1
2
F
UNLV
0
0
0
Grand Canyon
0
1
1
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Lopes shut out UNLV on Senior Night
10/22/2023 10:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer
GCU earns 3 crucial WAC standings points in home finale
Grand Canyon entered Sunday night's matchup against UNLV needing a win to stay alive in the WAC Tournament conversation, and with season highs in shots and shots on goal from an offense that pestered UNLV all night, the Lopes prevailed 1-0 in front of its home crowd.
The Senior Night shutout was the fourth clean sheet of the season for the Lopes, who have recorded all of them at GCU Stadium. The Lopes honored their seniors, defender Samuel Lossou and forward Lucas Fecci, prior to the match.
"I am really proud of the guys, the effort and the fight tonight," GCU head coach Mike Kraus said. "It's an intense and emotional game, and that's what these guys signed up for with a battle to the final whistle. Credit to them and credit to UNLV, a tough team who is well coached and looking forward to more battles in the future."
The shot total (20) and shot-on-goal count (eight) were season highs for a squad who has had double-digit shots in three of the past four games. The win moved GCU to 7-6-2 overall and 2-3-1 in WAC. The victory gives GCU seven points in the WAC standings with two games to play, trailing Utah Valley by one point for the sixth and final spot in the WAC Tournament field.
The WAC Tournament takes the top six teams to Las Vegas on Nov. 5, with the top two teams earning first-round byes. GCU has Air Force (ninth place) and Utah Valley left on its schedule.
GCU controlled most of the first half, totaling 11 shots with six corner kicks through the first 45 minutes. UNLV goalkeeper Hugo Lemes, who registered seven saves for the evening, had four in the first half as the Lopes' attempts on goal were thwarted away by the Rebels ( (5-6-4, 3-2-2 WAC).
The high-pressure offense from GCU continued early in the second half with four shots in the first eight minutes after halftime. Fecci and sophomore forward Bright Nutornutsi nearly found the back of the net, but Lemes' play in goal kept the contest at 0-0.
With GCU knocking on the door, it eventually found the back of the net in the 67th minute. Freshman midifelder Jorge Lopez struck a right-footed shot at the top of the 18-yard box toward center goal. Nutornutsi was in its path but used the back of his right leg to redirect the ball toward the right side of the net for the score. The goal was Nutornutsi's ninth of the season, moving him to second in the conference after Sunday night's action. The assist was Lopez's third of the season.
The Rebels, who had 12 shots for the evening, nearly had 50% of their shots over the final 22 minutes. A chance to tie the match came the Rebels way in the 73rd minute as Mikah Madrid found space inside the box. Madrid attempted a shot on goal toward the lower left corner, but as junior goalkeeper Leon Schmidt has done so well this season, he made a quick reaction toward the corner and stopped the would-be goal.
Schmidt finished the night with four saves, putting his season total to 68 to lead the WAC heading into the final week of conference play. The game saw multiple stoppages over the final 10 minutes of play with four yellow cards, but the GCU defense stopped UNLV's attack and earned a bounce-back victory at home.
"We have to take this game with confidence," Kraus said. "But we have to understand we don't get any of these games back, and we need to push forward as these last two games are hugely important."
The win at GCU Stadium moved the Lopes' record to 6-1-1 in Phoenix this season and 19-6-3 at home since 2021.
GCU concludes the regular season with conference road games at Air Force on Thursday night before the finale at Utah Valley on Monday, Oct. 30.
The Senior Night shutout was the fourth clean sheet of the season for the Lopes, who have recorded all of them at GCU Stadium. The Lopes honored their seniors, defender Samuel Lossou and forward Lucas Fecci, prior to the match.
"I am really proud of the guys, the effort and the fight tonight," GCU head coach Mike Kraus said. "It's an intense and emotional game, and that's what these guys signed up for with a battle to the final whistle. Credit to them and credit to UNLV, a tough team who is well coached and looking forward to more battles in the future."
The shot total (20) and shot-on-goal count (eight) were season highs for a squad who has had double-digit shots in three of the past four games. The win moved GCU to 7-6-2 overall and 2-3-1 in WAC. The victory gives GCU seven points in the WAC standings with two games to play, trailing Utah Valley by one point for the sixth and final spot in the WAC Tournament field.
The WAC Tournament takes the top six teams to Las Vegas on Nov. 5, with the top two teams earning first-round byes. GCU has Air Force (ninth place) and Utah Valley left on its schedule.
GCU controlled most of the first half, totaling 11 shots with six corner kicks through the first 45 minutes. UNLV goalkeeper Hugo Lemes, who registered seven saves for the evening, had four in the first half as the Lopes' attempts on goal were thwarted away by the Rebels ( (5-6-4, 3-2-2 WAC).
The high-pressure offense from GCU continued early in the second half with four shots in the first eight minutes after halftime. Fecci and sophomore forward Bright Nutornutsi nearly found the back of the net, but Lemes' play in goal kept the contest at 0-0.
With GCU knocking on the door, it eventually found the back of the net in the 67th minute. Freshman midifelder Jorge Lopez struck a right-footed shot at the top of the 18-yard box toward center goal. Nutornutsi was in its path but used the back of his right leg to redirect the ball toward the right side of the net for the score. The goal was Nutornutsi's ninth of the season, moving him to second in the conference after Sunday night's action. The assist was Lopez's third of the season.
GCU takes the LEAD❗️ Bright Nutornutsi scores his 9️⃣th goal of the season and the Lopes lead 1-0 from GCU Stadium.#LopesUp pic.twitter.com/7s6MVAiRBS
— GCU Men's Soccer (@GCU_MSoccer) October 23, 2023
The Rebels, who had 12 shots for the evening, nearly had 50% of their shots over the final 22 minutes. A chance to tie the match came the Rebels way in the 73rd minute as Mikah Madrid found space inside the box. Madrid attempted a shot on goal toward the lower left corner, but as junior goalkeeper Leon Schmidt has done so well this season, he made a quick reaction toward the corner and stopped the would-be goal.
Schmidt finished the night with four saves, putting his season total to 68 to lead the WAC heading into the final week of conference play. The game saw multiple stoppages over the final 10 minutes of play with four yellow cards, but the GCU defense stopped UNLV's attack and earned a bounce-back victory at home.
"We have to take this game with confidence," Kraus said. "But we have to understand we don't get any of these games back, and we need to push forward as these last two games are hugely important."
The win at GCU Stadium moved the Lopes' record to 6-1-1 in Phoenix this season and 19-6-3 at home since 2021.
GCU concludes the regular season with conference road games at Air Force on Thursday night before the finale at Utah Valley on Monday, Oct. 30.
Team Stats
UNLV
GCU
Goals
0
1
Shots
12
20
Shots on Goal
4
8
Saves
7
4
Corners
4
9
Fouls
10
15
Scoring Plays
Bright Nutornutsi (9)
Assisted By: Jorge Lopez
GOAL by GCU Nutornutsi, Bright Assist by Lopez, Jorge.
66:13
Game Leaders
Shots
5
SOG
4
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
mid
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's SoccerM
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
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