WAC play begins with Utah Valley visit on Saturday night

AT A GLANCE

WAC play is set to start with two of the conference's top teams facing off Saturday night at GCU Stadium.
Utah Valley (6-0-1) is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and is one of three teams in the WAC to notch six wins in nonconference play. UVU enters Phoenix with one of the best defenses in the nation, allowing only one goal to 20 goals scored. The Wolverines' lone goal allowed came last Saturday in a 1-1 tie at home against Santa Clara.
GCU freshman forward Junior Diouf continues to impress on the offensive end, scoring two goals Tuesday against UT Rio Grande Valley for his second multi-goal match of the season. Diouf enters conference play as the WAC leader in goals and points, ranking top 10 nationally in both categories. Diouf is already tied for seventh in the program's Division I-era record book for goals in a season, and is eight behind Niki Jackson's record of 16 (2016) with seven regular-season games to play.
The GCU-Utah Valley matchup will feature two of the top goalkeepers in the nation. UVU's Kolby Sessions is second in the country in save percentage (.947) and goals against average (.143), while GCU's Daniel Ibarra is eighth in save percentage (.871) and 23rd in goals against average (.615).
GCU is 29th in the nation in shots per game (14.9) and has rattled off double-digit shot totals in every game this season. The last time a GCU team had nine consecutive games with double-digit shot totals was Sept. 6, 2021, to Oct. 16, 2021.
The Lopes have allowed seven goals in nine games, the fewest amount of goals in a nine-match stretch to open the season in the program's D-I era, and the fewest since 2011.
GCU holds a 6-1 record at GCU Stadium to tie for the second-most home wins since GCU Stadium opened in 2016, matching the 2017 and 2023 seasons.

LAST TIME OUT

The Lopes closed out nonconference action with a 2-1 victory over UTRGV at home Tuesday.
Diouf scored two goals off freshman assists from Alan Hermitte and Martin Luala.
GCU moved to 6-1 at GCU Stadium this season with the loss coming to SMU when Diouf was out.

SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY

Utah Valley enters Phoenix 6-0-1 and receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
The Wolverines hold a WAC-best No. 51 RPI ranking to be one of our conference teams in the top 70 (California Baptist at No. 55, San José State at No. 57 and GCU at No. 69).
UVU enters with one of the best defenses in the nation, scoring 20 goals to just one allowed in seven games. The lone goal came last outing in a 1-1 tie vs. Santa Clara on Saturday.
Kolby Sessions ranks second in the nation in save percentage and goals against average, while Isaac Emojong is 10th in shot accuracy.
Utah Valley is 14th in the country in assists per game (2.7) and fifth best in scoring offense with 2.9 goals per match.

WHAT'S NEXT?

After three straight matches at home, GCU heads back on the road for two in Southern California, beginning Oct. 9 at San Diego State and ending Oct. 12 at California Baptist.
The upcoming WAC matches are two of three that GCU will play on the road this season, with the Lopes' final road conference match coming at Air Force on Oct. 26.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

WAC play begins with Utah Valley visit on Saturday night

AT A GLANCE

LAST TIME OUT

SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY

WHAT'S NEXT?

Players Mentioned

Junior Diouf

Alan Hermitte

Daniel Ibarra

Martin Luala

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