Set foundation lets GCU build for next level

Thursday, August 24

Winston-Salem, N.C.

4 p.m. (Phoenix time)

Grand Canyon

Wake Forest

Photo by: Sebastian Molinar

8/22/2023 4:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Paul Coro

Game Notes

Lopes understand standards in Kraus' 2nd year, push to be more 'dangerous'

By: Paul Coro

The Grand Canyon men's soccer program was laying pavement over the past year to create the road to its desired destination of national-level success.

In head coach Mike Kraus' first season at the GCU helm, that meant enduring an uneven path that included some bumps with peaks that were peeks into where the program could be, particularly with winning at No. 4 UCLA.

With the culture more established, the Lopes are hoping it was a road worth traveling as they move forward to a new season that starts Thursday at No. 18 Wake Forest.

Returnees are helping to establish program expectations, and 16 new players are fitting into the GCU identity, on and off the field. It bodes well for the future with just two players in their final season, but the Lopes expect to make more noise than the WAC coaches believed with a fifth-place prediction.

Mike Kraus

"I think we are further ahead now than we were last year," Kraus said. "We're continuing to build the culture that we want to have as an identity of players on the field and as human beings and student-athletes off the field. I think of myself as fairly demanding, and now I think they (the returnees) are acquainted with that, and they can help the new guys get bought in and on board."

GCU loses Shaun Joash, now playing in MLS Next Pro league, after he tied for seventh nationally with 12 goals last season. But with the team style's uptick and sophomore forward Bright Nutornutsi's upgrade in performance, the Lopes expect to have a more balanced attack now that their base is solid.

"This season, I feel so good and highly confident in myself that I'm going to make a difference," Nutornutsi.

The Ghana native moves to Joash's striker spot after playing out wide last season with a bothersome ankle that was repaired by surgery this spring.

"I see Bright having a breakout year," Kraus said. "He's feeling good and looking fit. He's dangerous in front of goal. He's someone that is a threat in behind, but really has a nose for the goal with his right foot, left foot and head. He's able to score goals in different ways."

Nutornutsi was backed in preseason by sophomore Zion Long, who looks more like a potentially dominant threat in a 205-pound frame after he played last season protecting previously injured shoulders.

Out wide on the front, French freshman Solo Bidanessy brings a scoring threat and sophomore Cameron Cruz takes eight starts from last season into an expanded role this season.

"All over the field, he was fantastic," Kraus said of Cruz, a Seattle native. "Hopefully, now it translates to the final third and turning goals and assists out of his play."

GCU added forward depth in French senior Gabin Barreau and graduate Lucas Fecci, who was a Division III All-American with 14 goals for SUNY Oneota last season.

"Lucas is just a winner," Kraus said. "He's been a leader by example. He was the man at his previous program and now coming to play a different role at DI. He's had a great preseason, and he's someone who contributes on the field and off the field was an example to the younger guys for putting your head down to work and wait for your opportunity."

A deeper midfield group will contribute to the intent to apply more pressure on opponents this season.

After starting last season, junior Innocent Jibril Rodet returns as a Preseason All-WAC selection to play the role of attacking midfielder.

"Jibril is a creative midfielder who can start some attacks and hopefully finish some as well with some goals," Kraus said. "I think he's set to have a breakout year as a facilitator and assists. He's really taken to that part of the game in the spring and the fall."

More freshmen, 6-foot-2 Matthew Sacristan of Spain and spring arrival Jorge Lopez of Bakersfield, California, will be immediate impacts in the midfield.

Sacristan already proved to be durable and fit by playing all 90 minutes in each exhibition match. He covered about 9 miles during the latter one.

"He's a good mix between class on the ball and grit off the ball," Kraus said of Sacristan. "He's a very calm player who reads the game. He's mobile and always seems to be in the right spot."

GCU's co-captains, senior defender Samuel Lossou and junior goalkeeper Leon Schmidt, come back with a back line of underclassmen returnees – sophomores Erick Monge and Uriel Diaz Loza and junior Clayton Duarte.

Lossou led the Lopes in minutes played last season and is at the heart of building a more positive culture, even after coming off spring hip surgery.

"The biggest difference is how close we are and are getting," said Lossou, a Tucson Rincon High School graduate. "We're more connected and more of a family than where we were before. That's what makes me confident about this season."

Monge was unable to debut until conference play last season but made the All-WAC Freshman Team. In addition to Diaz Loza's starting experience, the Lopes added U21 Slovakian national team play Johan Morel at center back and Cal Poly transfer Lorenzo Mendoza and freshman Diego Veliz, a Tucson Salpointe Catholic High School graduate.

Clayton Duarte

Duarte's quality play and ability as an extra attackers were offset last season by eight yellow cards, an area Kraus has seen change.

"He's one of our most talented players, physically and skillwise," Kraus said. "He's done a great job in the spring, over the summer and this first two weeks of playing with a different level of maturity."

Behind them, Schmidt is building on his debut season in which he started 14 of the 18 matches with a 1.84 goals against average. The 6-foot-1 German was named a co-captain with Lossou.

"He's an incredibly talented player and a motivated student-athlete," Kraus said. "He's great in the classroom and a commanding voice in the locker room that everybody perks up and listens to. He grew into a leadership role last year."

The Lopes booked a challenging schedule, playing on the road against three 2022 NCAA tournament teams to open the season.

After starting Thursday at No. 18 Wake Forest, GCU will play at second-round team Denver on Sunday and Sept. 1 at Final Four qualifier Creighton, Kraus' eighth-ranked alma mater. After playing at Omaha on Sept. 4, the Lopes will play a Sept. 8 home opener against Stetson at GCU Stadium.

"Hopefully, we're going to be a lot more dangerous," Kraus said. "Our identity is going to be different, especially defensively. We want to be disruptive. There were times last season when we were reactive defensively and maybe sat deeper than we would've liked. This year, the idea is to press more, be higher up the field and hopefully be in the opponent's half more often and create more chances and score more goals."