Pivotal week ahead as Lopes travel to San Jose State

Thursday, October 31

San Jose, Calif.

4 p.m. (Phoenix time)

Grand Canyon

San Jose State

Phoenix, AZ Oct. 24,, 2024 : GCU men’s soccer drops their match 0-1 against San Diego State at GCU Soccer Stadium

10/30/2024 3:52:00 PM | Men's Soccer

GCU controls its own destiny for WAC Tournament

By: Nick Macdonald

Thursday, Oct. 31 \| 4 p.m. \| Spartan Soccer Complex \| San Jose, Calif.

	SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (3-7-6, 2-3-2 WAC)	vs.	GRAND CANYON LOPES (5-8-3, 2-4-1 WAC)

WATCH: WAC International \| STATS: Link

AT A GLANCE

Grand Canyon begins the final week of the regular season with a midweek contest Thursday afternoon at San Jose State, followed by a Sunday afternoon showdown at Seattle U in the regular season finale.
GCU currently has seven points in the WAC regular season standings, one point back from three teams who are tied for sixth, including San Jose State. The Lopes will clinch a spot in the WAC Tournament with two wins this weekend.
Senior goalkeeper Leon Schmidt is one of the nation's top goalies, ranking 14th in the nation in save percentage (.810), 16th in total saves (64), and 34th in saves per game (4.0). He has eight games with four or more saves including five games with six or more. He notched a career high nine Sept. 9 vs. Omaha and has tallied 27 saves in WAC play.
Junior Bright Nutornutsi leads the team with seven goals and 15 points. He opened up WAC play with back-to-back goals against UTRGV and Air Force and leads the squad with 17 shots and seven shots on goal in WAC play.
The Lopes lead the WAC in goals against average, allowing less than one goal a game over 16 total matches this season (.938). GCU has allowed only two goals in a game four times this season. The 2024 squad looks to become only the second team in program history since 2013 to never allow more than two goals in a game at season's end (2021).
GCU has outscored its opposition 11-5 in the first half of play this season. San Diego State scored only the fifth first half goal against the Lopes this year, the first time since Sept. 23 vs. LMU.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT NEAR

GCU is in a pivotal part of its season with two games left on its regular season schedule. The Lopes enter the week in ninth place in the WAC standings, one point behind San Jose State, Utah Valley, and Utah Tech for sixth. The top six teams advance to the WAC Tournament in Phoenix Nov. 10-16.
The Lopes clinch a spot in the tournament with two wins in their next two games.