GCU takes down Creighton in Omaha

Friday, September 1

Omaha, Neb.

5:30 p.m. (Phoenix time)

Grand Canyon

1-2-0, 0-0-0

Creighton

0-2-1, 0-0-0

Grand Canyon

Creighton

Photo by: Nick Garcia

9/1/2023 8:49:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score

Fecci, Nutornutsi score as Schmidt tallies 8 saves

By: Nick Macdonald

OMAHA, Neb. – The Grand Canyon men's soccer team showed its grit and resiliency Friday night in a tough nonconference battle at Creighton, defeating the Bluejays 2-1 at Morrison Stadium for its first victory of the season.

GCU moves to 1-2 on the season as Creighton, a preseason top-10 team, falls to 0-2-1. Friday's matchup was a homecoming for Lopes head coach Mike Kraus, who graduated from Creighton in 2007 and won Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors in 2006 and made two Elite Eights as a Bluejay.

First half

The Lopes opened the game with three shots through the first 10 minutes of play, with two nearly finding the back of the net as sophomore forward Bright Nutornutsi and junior defender Clayton Duarte gave the Creighton back line fits. Nutornutsi sent a powerful right foot strike toward center goal while Duarte split the defense and used his left foot to send a shot toward the far post. Bluejay goalkeeper Nathan Schnur saved both attempts, including a diving stop on Duarte's shot.

GCU sophomore goalkeeper Leon Schmidt, who entered the night tied for 25th in the nation in saves with 10, tallied his first of eight Friday in the 15th minute. The Lopes' ensuing possession saw freshman midfielder Jorge Lopez in space running toward the 18-yard box. Lopez took a strike from 25 yards out and just missed to the right of the post past a diving Schnur.

Lopez again nearly broke the 0-0 tie in the 23rd minute as Duarte found Lopez in stride on the right sideline. Lopez made a quick stop with the ball, dribbled left and sent a ball toward the far post that bent just left of the post.

The 0-0 tie finally broke in the 40th minute off the head of graduate forward Lucas Fecci, who scored his first career goal as a Lope. Off a free kick opportunity, Duarte found Fecci inside the box in traffic, and Fecci made a leaping header toward the back post and past an outstretched goalie for the goal.

Duarte with the delivery 📦 Fecci signs with a goal ⚽️ #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/BAe4u4Cosq
— GCU Men's Soccer (@GCU_MSoccer) September 2, 2023

GCU ended the half leading 1-0 and finished the first 45 minutes with eight shots and four shots on goal. The eight shots were a season high for a half. Schmidt stopped five shots in net as Creighton had nine shots in total for the first half.

Second half

GCU pressured Creighton early in the second half as Nutornutsi attempted a header on goal but was pushed right. Creighton answered with an aggressive offensive attack, forcing two corners in the matter of seconds. The Bluejays converted one of those corners into a goal in the 54th minute, as GCU's defensive header attempt out of the box snuck inside the post as Jackson Castro put a late touch on it to sneak it inside the post.

Schmidt kept the game tied at 1-1 with back-to-back saves in the 60th and 62nd minutes. After a pass found a Bluejay forward inside the box, Schmidt used his fist to punch out a would-be goal.

Schmidt with 6️⃣ saves as he punches this one out to keep it tied at 1-1 in Omaha#LopesUp pic.twitter.com/aIVizfG5J4
— GCU Men's Soccer (@GCU_MSoccer) September 2, 2023

The Lopes offense pressured the back line of the Bluejays and looked to counter off a turnover. GCU did just that in Cameron Cruz, who stole a pass and sprinted down the left sideline. Cruz battled with his defender and sent a cross inside the box while falling and found Nutornutsi, who tapped it in with his right foot to give the Lopes the lead in the 72nd minute.

Just pure QUICKNESS 💨 from Cameron Cruz, who sends it in to Nutornutsi for the goal! ⚽️#LopesUp pic.twitter.com/9U0VqAS2Yg
— GCU Men's Soccer (@GCU_MSoccer) September 2, 2023

GCU's defense kept the Bluejays at bay as Creighton recorded six shots over the final 18 minutes, blocking one while Schmidt saved two for a career-best eight saves on the evening.

Lopes notes

Schmidt tallied a career-best eight saves. The junior has 18 saves through three games, with the national leader at 19 through Thursday night.
The win was the third in Kraus' two seasons against teams ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll. Along with (RV) Creighton, the Lopes have defeated (RV) Virginia Tech and No. 4 UCLA and tied No. 18 UC Santa Barbara.
Nutornutsi scored his team-leading second goal of the season. In 16 career games in a Lope uniform, the sophomore has three goals and four assists for 10 points.

GCU concludes its four-game road trip at Omaha on Monday at 5 p.m. (Phoenix time).