GCU begins final WAC season

Saturday, September 28

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Utah Tech

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

9/27/2024 4:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Trailblazers, Lopes face off; last met in 2023 conference tournament quarterfinal

By: Braden Dohrmann

Saturday, Sept. 28 \| 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| GCU Stadium \| Phoenix, Arizona

	UTAH TECH TRAILBLAZERS (3-2-4)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (6-4-1)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: View

Grand Canyon opens WAC play in a rematch of last season's WAC Tournament quarterfinal.

The Lopes enter conference play with the WAC's third-best overall record (6-4-1).
GCU begins WAC play with three consecutive home matches but will end the WAC season with four straight on the road.
The Lopes won two of their last three WAC home openers.
GCU leads the WAC in shutouts, Utah Tech leads the WAC in saves per match.
Three of GCU's four losses have come against top-68 teams in the RPI.
GCU dropped home matches last week against Incarnate Word and No. 7 Utah State.
Senior defender Aleisha Ganief scored her second goal of the season, with a putback in the 33rd minute.
Junior midfielder AJ Loera recorded her team-leading third assist of the season in the Utah State match.
The Lopes beat Northern Arizona 1-0 at a packed GCU Stadium on Sept. 12. The attendance was a program record of 3,475 fans.
The NAU game ranks as this season's 11th-highest match attendance in the nation entering this week.
Senior midfielder Brenna Alderson scored her first goal of the season in the 82nd minute. She is the ninth goal scorer for GCU this year. She received WAC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 5.
Goalkeeper DeAira Jackson has accumulated five shutouts, which ties her for 16th in the country this season. She had seven total in the 2023 season.

GCU lost 3-1 to Utah State on Sunday at GCU Stadium.
The Aggies were the first ranked team that the Lopes faced this season.
Senior defender Aleisha Ganief scored her second goal of the season with a putback in the 33rd minute.

GCU is in the middle of a five-match home streak to end its home schedule.
Tee Lopes are 3-3 at home this season.
Oct. 6 will mark the final home match of the season and is Senior Day.
The Lopes will finish the season with four WAC road matches before the WAC Tournament in Abilene, Texas.

This is the 19th all-time meeting between Utah Tech and GCU.
The Lopes last played the Trailblazers in Riverside, California, in the quarterfinal of the WAC Tournament. GCU won 3-0.
Utah Tech junior Lacy Fox leads the team in points (11) on five goals and one assist.
Trailblazers goalkeeper Brianna Frey has 47 saves on the year with a .810 save percentage.

The Lopes will face Abilene Christian at GCU Stadium next Thursday night at 7 (Phoenix time).
The promo is "Pink on the Pitch" to kick-start Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All fans wearing pink will be admitted for free.