Championship-bound Lopes cruise in 5-0 WAC semifinal

Wednesday, November 12

Riverside, Calif.

5 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

12-3-4, 3-1-3

Utah Tech

4-7-6, 3-1-3

Grand Canyon

Utah Tech

11/12/2025 8:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

GCU's Diouf nets 2 goals, 2 assists to break points record, set up title match vs. SJSU

By: Nick Macdonald

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A dazzling showcase of offense was put on display by Grand Canyon in a 5-0 shutout of Utah Tech in a WAC Tournament semifinal Wednesday night, lifting the Lopes to Saturday's WAC Tournament championship match for the first since 2021.

No. 3 seed GCU will play No. 4 seed San José State for the tourney title and an NCAA Tournament berth on Saturday in Riverside after the teams tied 1-1 on Oct. 18 in Phoenix.

News and notes

GCU freshman forward Junior Diouf left Lancer Soccer Stadium tied for the Division I goals lead as he notched his fifth brace of the season. He has 16 goals this season, tying the GCU D-I era single-season record that Niki Jackson set in 2016. Diouf has six more goals than the next freshman in the country.
Diouf added two assists Wednesday night for a six-point game, the most of any Lopes player this season. Diouf's name sits alone atop the program's D-I single-season points list, surpassing Jackson's 34 set in 2016. Diouf is tied with Jackson for most goals in a single season since 2016.
GCU (12-3-4) matched the program's second-highest, single-season win total of its Division I era (since 2013). The 2021 Lopes hold the record of 15 wins.
Adding goals to their resume were WAC All-Freshman Team recipient Max Kiefer, senior Nelson Gomez Rodriguez and sophomore Richard Tabares Ochoa. The five goals were the most in a single game against a D-I opponent since October 2021 versus Houston Christian.
GCU extended its unbeaten streak to a season-long seven games, including four straight wins. The defense tallied yet another shutout, its third straight, and Daniel Ibarra recorded his sixth clean sheet in goal with four saves Wednesday.

"Tonight, we played very well, and I think we are very sound defensively and good at breaking out in transition," GCU head coach George Kiefer said. "There are things we need to clean up, but I give the guys a lot of credit for the work they are doing without the ball, and it's awesome to see a group so committed to each other."

In a rematch of last month's 2-2 draw in Phoenix, GCU pressed offensively from the first whistle, searching for an early goal to improve its record to 8-0-2 in games in which the Lopes score the first goal.

Diouf found a seam through the defense in the 13th minute and rocketed a shot on net, which was saved by WAC Goalkeeper of the Year Luca Campoli, but gathered by Max Kiefer with his left foot and drilled home for the 1-0 advantage.

The goal was Kiefer's second this season and GCU's 35th, a total that drastically grew as play went on Wednesday night.

As the offense shined, the defense locked in. Allowing just two goals over its last five games, graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra led a defensive unit that faced 12 shots and four shots on goal. His saves in the 18th minute proved how connected the back line has been.

Utah Tech pressed forward after the first goal was conceded and found a one-on-one opportunity with Ibarra, who deflected high and over his head for the stop. With the ball still being a threat to hop over the goal line, sophomore defender Viggo Gustavsson raced to clear it and keep the clean sheet intact.

The Trailblazers totaled seven shots to the Lopes' four in the first half, but GCU's final shot of the first was a dandy by Gomez Rodriguez. Tracking down a through ball from freshman Diego Sanchez, the Carl Hayden High School alumnus fell down in pursuit of the pass, but Gomez Rodriguez rose quickly to his feet to see Campoli 5 feet away. With 34 seconds before halftime, the senior forward chipped the ball over Campoli's head for the Lopes' second goal of the match.

GCU's depth continues to shine, this time coming off Tabares Ochoa's foot. Tabares Ochoa patiently waited at the top of the box for an evident pass by Diouf, who juked a defender to create space and fluidly find the sophomore striker for the Lopes' third goal of the game in the 64th minute.

"We have been saying it since preseason and going into today's game we wanted to trust guys," Kiefer said. "We made seven moves to the first team and guys came in and stepped up. Tabares Ochoa was as good as it gets, defensively in pockets and creating those goals and scoring one. When you get that sort of production from guys off the bench, that really helps the group."

Diouf's day was highlighted by assists up until this point, and the freshman sensation kicked it into high gear for two late second-half goals. Diouf's highlight reel expanded, thanks to a floating header on net from a pass via Felipe Cobian in the 73rd minute, and his speed outran everyone in the 86th to win a one-on-one battle with the goalie for the final goal of the 5-0 win.

"Junior's been good all year, but what I really liked about him tonight was not only did he score goals, he created them," Kiefer said. "As he looks for other guys in the box, that's only going to help him and us, and that's what I am most pleased about. His work without the ball, defensively, and letting him know that these are key pieces to the game."

The five goals were the most in any WAC Tournament game in program history for GCU.

The Lopes play for the title and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth Saturday at 2 p.m. (Phoenix time) against No. 4 seed San José State, which ousted No. 1 seed and host California Baptist 3-2 in overtime late Wednesday.

"We're looking forward to going to the championship; we've done it a few times," said retiring Spartans head coach Simon Tobin, whose teams have gone 0-4 in WAC title matches (2017, 2018, 2022 and 2024). "Even though you've knocked the No. 1 out, Grand Canyon is there, and they are there by design and by their hard work. They deserve to be there, so it's going to be a great final."