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
Lopes announce 2023 schedule
6/26/2023 11:35:00 AM | Men's Soccer
GCU Stadium to host 9 games; season opens at Wake Forest
Head coach Mike Kraus and the Grand Canyon men's soccer program announced its 2023 schedule, a slate that features five teams that were nationally ranked or received votes in last season's final United Soccer Coaches poll.
The GCU season kicks off with an exhibition match at home vs. Arizona Christian on Aug. 24. The Lopes then head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face nationally ranked Wake Forest for their season opener on Aug. 24.
The Lopes' four-game road trip continues with stops at nationally ranked Denver (Aug. 27), nationally ranked Creighton (Sept. 1) and Omaha (Sept. 4). The matchup with Denver is the third in as many seasons after GCU narrowly fell in both prior meetings, including a 2021 NCAA tournament first-round match at GCU Stadium.
GCU opens its home regular-season campaign with four straight, beginning Sept. 8 against Stetson and continuing with UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 12), San Diego (Sept. 16) and Houston Christian (Sept. 20) during a 12-day homestand.
The Lopes went 2-1-1 against teams ranked or receiving votes last season, including a 2-2 tie in Santa Barbara last September against the Gauchos.
"The players and staff are really excited up the upcoming season," Kraus said. "We feel we have one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country, which includes four away games against programs that finished top-35 RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) last year. We have high expectations this fall and know the stadium will be electric for our home opener against Stetson on Friday, September 8th."
The Lopes travel to Texas to face nationally ranked SMU on Sept. 27, followed by a trip to California for the WAC opener at California Baptist on Oct. 1. Conference play then kicks into full gear, with home games vs. Seattle U (Oct. 5), UT Rio Grande Valley (Oct. 8), Utah Tech (Oct.19) and UNLV (Oct. 22) and road games at San Jose State (Oct. 15), Air Force (Oct. 26) and Utah Valley (Oct. 29).
GCU is coming off a 7-8-3 season in 2022 with highlight wins such as a 3-2 victory at No. 4 UCLA and a 1-0 season-opening victory over 2021 NCAA tournament qualifier Virginia Tech. The Lopes went 4-2-2 over their final eight games to earn a spot in the WAC Tournament. GCU returns a All-WAC xecond-team player in senior Innocent Jibril Rodet, as well as last season's All-WAC Freshman Team honorees, sophomores Bright Nutornutsi and Erick Monge.
Other returners include midfielder Samuel Lossou, goalkeeper Leon Schmidt and defender Clayton Duarte. Lossou led the Lopes in minutes played with just under 1,500 last season with a goal and an assist, while Schmidt went 6-6-2 as a starter in goal with 50 saves and seven games of four or more saves. Duarte was fifth on the team in points last season with two goals and an assist, including his first collegiate goal coming on a game-winner against Virginia Tech.
The GCU season kicks off with an exhibition match at home vs. Arizona Christian on Aug. 24. The Lopes then head to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face nationally ranked Wake Forest for their season opener on Aug. 24.
The Lopes' four-game road trip continues with stops at nationally ranked Denver (Aug. 27), nationally ranked Creighton (Sept. 1) and Omaha (Sept. 4). The matchup with Denver is the third in as many seasons after GCU narrowly fell in both prior meetings, including a 2021 NCAA tournament first-round match at GCU Stadium.
GCU opens its home regular-season campaign with four straight, beginning Sept. 8 against Stetson and continuing with UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 12), San Diego (Sept. 16) and Houston Christian (Sept. 20) during a 12-day homestand.
The Lopes went 2-1-1 against teams ranked or receiving votes last season, including a 2-2 tie in Santa Barbara last September against the Gauchos.
"The players and staff are really excited up the upcoming season," Kraus said. "We feel we have one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country, which includes four away games against programs that finished top-35 RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) last year. We have high expectations this fall and know the stadium will be electric for our home opener against Stetson on Friday, September 8th."
The Lopes travel to Texas to face nationally ranked SMU on Sept. 27, followed by a trip to California for the WAC opener at California Baptist on Oct. 1. Conference play then kicks into full gear, with home games vs. Seattle U (Oct. 5), UT Rio Grande Valley (Oct. 8), Utah Tech (Oct.19) and UNLV (Oct. 22) and road games at San Jose State (Oct. 15), Air Force (Oct. 26) and Utah Valley (Oct. 29).
GCU is coming off a 7-8-3 season in 2022 with highlight wins such as a 3-2 victory at No. 4 UCLA and a 1-0 season-opening victory over 2021 NCAA tournament qualifier Virginia Tech. The Lopes went 4-2-2 over their final eight games to earn a spot in the WAC Tournament. GCU returns a All-WAC xecond-team player in senior Innocent Jibril Rodet, as well as last season's All-WAC Freshman Team honorees, sophomores Bright Nutornutsi and Erick Monge.
Other returners include midfielder Samuel Lossou, goalkeeper Leon Schmidt and defender Clayton Duarte. Lossou led the Lopes in minutes played with just under 1,500 last season with a goal and an assist, while Schmidt went 6-6-2 as a starter in goal with 50 saves and seven games of four or more saves. Duarte was fifth on the team in points last season with two goals and an assist, including his first collegiate goal coming on a game-winner against Virginia Tech.
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