Offense propels Lopes to 4-1 road win

Thursday, September 28

Cedar City, Utah

3 p.m.

Grand Canyon

8-4-1, 2-1-0

Southern Utah

0-6-5, 0-1-1

Grand Canyon

Southern Utah

Photo by: Nate Cochran

9/28/2023 5:55:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

5 players contribute to 4 goals, Gourley ties career-high with 6 points

By: Jerob Moon

CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Grand Canyon women's soccer team kicked off a two-match WAC roadtrip with an offensive showcase in a 4-1 win over Southern Utah on Thursday.

Five different players contributed to a goal for the Lopes (8-4-1, 2-1 WAC) including senior forward Gianna Gourley who tied a career-high with six points on two goals and a pair of assists.

"That was a really good performance today on the road," head coach Chris Cissell said. "I'm really proud of the girls and how they bounced back today after facing a little adversity last weekend. We came out here and played some really good team soccer and scored some nice goals."

The Lopes maintained most of the possession from the very beginning of the match and put shots on goal early and often. GCU used strong buildup play from the midfield to the wingers on both sides of the pitch to generate chances in dangerous areas.

That pressure on the Southern Utah back line (0-6-5, 0-1-1 WAC) led to an early goal by Gourley. Midfielder AJ Loera and forward Bekah Valdez connected on quick passes before Valdez crossed the ball into the box intended for fellow winger Lindsey Prokop on the back post. The ball was punched out by the SUU keeper, and it found Gourley at the top of the box and the Las Vegas native placed the ball into the top right corner to put GCU up 1-0.

Later on in the 36th minute it was Gourley and Loera who connected on quick passes up the left side of the field and Gourley found a cutting Valdez in space inside the six-yard box where she poked the ball past the keep to make it a 2-0 GCU lead heading into halftime.

The Lopes outshot the Thunderbirds 10-1 in the first half including a 5-0 advantage with shots on goal.

"I think one of the things our coaching staff and the team will be the most proud of today is how good our assists were," Cissell added. "Not just the finishes, but our assists were fantastic."

The second half was more of the same as the GCU front three were able to generate more scoring opportunities to put the game away. After Gourley and Valdez each scored in the first half, they assisted on a goal by Prokop in the 54th minute to make a 3-0 Lopes lead.

Later on in the 68th minute defender Renee Sainz made a run down the left side and found Gourley in the box where she finished with a volley into the top right corner for her second goal of the match. It was third multi-goal game for Gourley this season and she now has six goals in her last six games, extending her WAC lead with 13 goals and 30 points.

Defensively, junior DeAira Jackson made four saves and allowed just one goal in the 73rd minute. Backup goalie Jordan Ferguson came off the bench and shut the door in the final 10 minutes of the match facing two shots and making a save.

GCU will wrap up the roadtrip on Sunday at Utah Tech at 12 p.m. (Phoenix time).