Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) on February 14, 2026 ,
W Soccer
vs Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Thursday, August 15
Phoenix, Ariz.
7 p.m.
Grand Canyon
0
vs
1
Arizona
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Early momentum swing decides Arizona 1-0 win
8/15/2024 10:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer, Paul Coro
Lopes nearly tie home opener with late goal, play at home again Sunday
Season openers are full of unexpected turns, but the turn of events in a 74-second stretch of Grand Canyon's Thursday night debut was a cruel U-turn.
GCU went from nearly scoring on a first-half shot off the crossbar to allowing a pinpoint 30-yard strike when the ball went end to end in a breathless sequence that made up 1% of game time. The fateful flip was the scoreboard difference of Arizona's 1-0 win at GCU Stadium.
The Lopes debuted a 3-5-2 formation to play to their defensive strengths, but they were outshot 15-9 with most of the margin coming in a 10-5 first half that the Wildcats controlled. GCU attacked better in the second half but could not connect up top until the 85th minute, when Lopes senior midfielder Brenna Alderson had a goal waved off for a simultaneous GCU foul in the box.
"We played well," Lopes head coach Chris Cissell said. "We created some good chances. We battled. I didn't think we played that well in the first half. I thought they were the better team. But in the second half, we came out with a lot more energy, passion and commitment. We started playing a lot more GCU soccer."
With 22 returning players, Arizona did not take GCU lightly after having a tie and a loss against the Lopes in the past two seasons. The Wildcats took the first four shots of the match, nearly cracking the touted GCU defense repeatedly in anxious moments.
"I don't understand why we looked nervous," Cissell said. "I did not feel like we looked nervous Saturday against Arizona State (in a 1-1 exhibition). I don't know if it was because this one really counts. We started off looking pretty nervous."
Arizona did not let up, taking a shot in the 24th minute that required a diving save from Lopes senior goalkeeper DeAira Jackson. In what was a physical match throughout the night, Jackson lost control of the ball because of a collision in the box.
Arizona midfielder Gianna Christiansen gathered the ball and turned to shoot, but Jackson popped up and deflected the shot from a high-box position to record one of her seven saves. That matched her second-highest save total from last season.
With only one shot to Arizona's seven in the match's first 28 minutes, GCU staged a threat when junior forward Anahi Cardinal lost a Wildcats defender and sent a crossing pass to junior forward Maddie Brady in the middle of the box. Brady's left-footed shot went off the crossbar before the rebound led to senior teammate Bella Piete's long shot being stopped on the right side of the goal.
Within a minute of Piete's shot, Arizona led 1-0. Wildcats two-time leading scorer Nicole Dallin made a move as she received a midfield pass from defender Sarah Rice and launched her 16th career goal into the upper-left corner from 30 yards out.
Cissell said he told his team that he was disappointed in their first-half play but knew he would not be disappointed in their second-half play.
He was not. The Lopes were better from the start of the second half, including Brady giving senior defender Aleisha Ganief a chance in the box, but the entry pass bounded too far from Ganief's body to get a close-range shot. Ganief played more on the frontline in the second half to give GCU another scoring threat.
"We had a good response in the second half, but we need that for the full 90 minutes," Brady said. "We need to have that fire. We don't have that fire after a goal. It's right after kickoff. It shouldn't take a goal to have that fire."
The Lopes needed a point-blank save from Jackson in the 65th minute and her save on a direct kick in the 67th minute to keep the deficit at 1-0. GCU put four second-half shots on goal, but the shot that did not count cost the Lopes when freshman forward Reese Clem chipped a ball to Alderson for the would-be goal that was waved off for a backside shove.
"We definitely showed that we can play with anybody," Cissell said. "Arizona's a really good team with a lot of good athletes. We were super close to tying it up a couple times."
There is no time to dwell on the result with another home match coming Sunday night at 7 against Charleston Southern. After all, last season's team Lopes lost by a goal on Opening Night to Mississippi State and wound up in the NCAA tournament.
"We learn from it," Brady said. "The biggest thing is we don't let our mistakes or let our losses trail into consistency. So we learn from it, grow from it and move forward. We have a game on Sunday. We have to battle and not let it happen again."
GCU went from nearly scoring on a first-half shot off the crossbar to allowing a pinpoint 30-yard strike when the ball went end to end in a breathless sequence that made up 1% of game time. The fateful flip was the scoreboard difference of Arizona's 1-0 win at GCU Stadium.
The Lopes debuted a 3-5-2 formation to play to their defensive strengths, but they were outshot 15-9 with most of the margin coming in a 10-5 first half that the Wildcats controlled. GCU attacked better in the second half but could not connect up top until the 85th minute, when Lopes senior midfielder Brenna Alderson had a goal waved off for a simultaneous GCU foul in the box.
"We played well," Lopes head coach Chris Cissell said. "We created some good chances. We battled. I didn't think we played that well in the first half. I thought they were the better team. But in the second half, we came out with a lot more energy, passion and commitment. We started playing a lot more GCU soccer."
With 22 returning players, Arizona did not take GCU lightly after having a tie and a loss against the Lopes in the past two seasons. The Wildcats took the first four shots of the match, nearly cracking the touted GCU defense repeatedly in anxious moments."I don't understand why we looked nervous," Cissell said. "I did not feel like we looked nervous Saturday against Arizona State (in a 1-1 exhibition). I don't know if it was because this one really counts. We started off looking pretty nervous."
Arizona did not let up, taking a shot in the 24th minute that required a diving save from Lopes senior goalkeeper DeAira Jackson. In what was a physical match throughout the night, Jackson lost control of the ball because of a collision in the box.
Arizona midfielder Gianna Christiansen gathered the ball and turned to shoot, but Jackson popped up and deflected the shot from a high-box position to record one of her seven saves. That matched her second-highest save total from last season.
With only one shot to Arizona's seven in the match's first 28 minutes, GCU staged a threat when junior forward Anahi Cardinal lost a Wildcats defender and sent a crossing pass to junior forward Maddie Brady in the middle of the box. Brady's left-footed shot went off the crossbar before the rebound led to senior teammate Bella Piete's long shot being stopped on the right side of the goal.Within a minute of Piete's shot, Arizona led 1-0. Wildcats two-time leading scorer Nicole Dallin made a move as she received a midfield pass from defender Sarah Rice and launched her 16th career goal into the upper-left corner from 30 yards out.
Cissell said he told his team that he was disappointed in their first-half play but knew he would not be disappointed in their second-half play.
He was not. The Lopes were better from the start of the second half, including Brady giving senior defender Aleisha Ganief a chance in the box, but the entry pass bounded too far from Ganief's body to get a close-range shot. Ganief played more on the frontline in the second half to give GCU another scoring threat.
"We had a good response in the second half, but we need that for the full 90 minutes," Brady said. "We need to have that fire. We don't have that fire after a goal. It's right after kickoff. It shouldn't take a goal to have that fire."
The Lopes needed a point-blank save from Jackson in the 65th minute and her save on a direct kick in the 67th minute to keep the deficit at 1-0. GCU put four second-half shots on goal, but the shot that did not count cost the Lopes when freshman forward Reese Clem chipped a ball to Alderson for the would-be goal that was waved off for a backside shove."We definitely showed that we can play with anybody," Cissell said. "Arizona's a really good team with a lot of good athletes. We were super close to tying it up a couple times."
There is no time to dwell on the result with another home match coming Sunday night at 7 against Charleston Southern. After all, last season's team Lopes lost by a goal on Opening Night to Mississippi State and wound up in the NCAA tournament.
"We learn from it," Brady said. "The biggest thing is we don't let our mistakes or let our losses trail into consistency. So we learn from it, grow from it and move forward. We have a game on Sunday. We have to battle and not let it happen again."
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/ Women's SoccerHALF-COURTER! It had to be green in the Melo Saint Patrick’s Day jersey 🎯🔥
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