GCU looks to continue strong start at home vs. Creighton

Monday, September 9

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Creighton

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Phoenix, AZ Sept. 6, 2024 :: GCU shuts out Omaha 2-0 at GCU Soccer Stadium. David Kadlubowski/GCU

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

GCU looks to continue strong start at home vs. Creighton

9/8/2024 2:27:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Lopes hold 7-1-1 home record since 2023, defeated Bluejays 2-1 last season

By: Nick Macdonald

Monday, Sept. 9 \| 7 p.m. \| GCU Stadium \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS (2-1-2)	at	GRAND CANYON LOPES (3-1)

WATCH: ESPN+ \| STATS: Link

AT A GLANCE

Grand Canyon stays home after a Friday night 2-0 win against Omaha and faces Creighton at 7 p.m. under the GCU Stadium lights.
GCU is 2-0 at home this season and has outscored its opposition 5-0 in those matches. Of senior goalkeeper Leon Schmidt's 19 saves this season, 12 have come at home, including a career-high nine saves against Omaha. Schmidt stopped six shots in the second half of that game, Schmidt also tied for second in the program's Division I era for saves in a game.
Lopes junior forward Bright Nutornutsi continues to score, registering his fifth goal of the season against Omaha while also tallying an assist. It is the third game this season he has recorded three or more points in a single game. The Accra, Ghana, native is more than halfway to his 2023 goal total of nine just four games into this season.
The Lopes have 11 assists on the season with sophomore midfielder Jorge Lopez holding the team lead with four. Of GCU's first goal in each game, Lopez has either assisted or scored on three of them. Senior forward Ben Assane is second on the squad with three assists and has tallied an assist in each of his last three games.
GCU garnered nine voting points in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll on Sept. 3 and have defeated two teams that also received votes (Duke, Omaha).
The Lopes' back line has helped the offense earn a plus-five goal differential (9-4) this season. Three freshmen have started on defense this season, including Liam Harrington and Viggo Gustavsson in every game. Another first-year player, Yavapai College transfer Austin Pearcy made his first GCU start Friday.

BACK-TO-BACK HOME SHUTOUTS

GCU is 2-0 in games at GCU Stadium, outscoring the opposition 5-0. Schmidt has 12 of his 19 saves at home while 17 of the team's 29 points have come at home.
Nutornutsi has scored three of his five goals at home, while graduate Jony Muñoz and sophomore Solo Bidanessy scored their first goals of the season at home.

WHEN THERE'S BRIGHT LIGHTS, BRIGHT SCORES

Junior forward Bright Nutornutsi is quickly becoming one of the best goal scorers in the country, tallying five goals in four games with 11 points so far this season.
Nutornutsi scored two goals in a 45-second span in the season opener at home vs. Western Illinois. He followed that up with two first-half goals 15 minutes apart at Duke, which was receiving top-25 votes.
Nutornutsi scored his fifth first-half goal in a 2-0 victory over Omaha, flicking the ball with his left foot to his right and scissor-kicking a line drive toward goal. GCU is 3-0 when scoring two goals in the first half, with all three wins coming when he scores. He also tallied his first assist of the season in the victory over Omaha.
He became the first Lope in the program's D-I era (since 2013) to have four goals in the first two games. Nutornutsi's efforts on the pitch earned him WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 27 and Sept, 2.

WHAT'S NEXT?

GCU travels west and faces WCC program Santa Clara on Thursday.
It is the third road game of the season for GCU, which is 1-1 in away games this season.