Winner takes all; Lopes, Spartans vie for WAC title Saturday

Saturday, November 15

Riverside, Calif.

2 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

San José State

Winner takes all; Lopes, Spartans vie for WAC title Saturday

11/14/2025 11:36:00 AM | Men's Soccer

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GCU seeks 1st WAC Tournament championship since 2018, 1st NCAAs trip since 2021

By: Nick Macdonald

AT A GLANCE

Grand Canyon is one win away from a WAC Tournament championship trophy and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth after a historic Wednesday semifinal victory over Utah Tech to advance to Saturday's championship match against San José State.
The victory over the Trailblazers broke a GCU single-game program record for most goals scored in a WAC Tournament match, surpassing the 2021 team's four-goal semifinal match. The Lopes seek their first WAC Tournament title 2018 and are in the title game for the first time since 2021.
GCU forward Junior Diouf continues to amaze the crowd with his goal-scoring abilities. The freshman from Senegal scored twice against Utah Tech while adding two assists, totaling six points for the most single-game points by a WAC player this season. Diouf is tied for first in the nation with 16 goals and is second with 38 points, ranking in the top five nationally in shots per game, shots on goal per game, goals per game and points per game. Diouf also surpassed Niki Jackson's program Division I-era record for most points in a season (set in 2016), and tied Jackson's single-season goal mark that also was set in 2016.
GCU has not dropped a contest since Oct. 12, currently owning a seven-match unbeaten streak with four straight wins. It has outscored its opposition 19-5 in that seven-match span, including 12-5 against D-I opponents.
Graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra has been locked in this tournament, totaling seven saves with zero goals allowed. Ibarra is 11th in the nation in save percentage and has totaled six shutouts, which is second most for a season in the program's D-I era.
GCU's offense continues to test opposing defenses, averaging 15.3 shots per game and 6.1 shots on goal per match. The Lopes' 291 shots are seven shy of the program's D-I era record, set in 2021. Against Utah Tech, the Lopes put seven of their eight shots on frame.
The Lopes moved to 30th in the nation in assists per game (2.0) after dishing out six against Utah Tech. Graduate forward Ben Assane and Diouf lead the team with six, while Max Kiefer (four), Richard Tabares Ochoa (three) and Diego Sanchez (three) each have more three or more.

LAST TIME OUT

The Lopes offense went full throttle in the WAC Tournament semifinal Wednesday afternoon against Utah Tech, scoring five goals for the most goals of any GCU team in a WAC Tournament match in program history.
Diouf scored twice, while Max Kiefer, Nelson Gomez Rodriguez and Tabares Ochoa each tallied a score.
Ibarra had four saves for his sixth shutout of the season.
The win extended GCU's unbeaten streak to seven games, including four wins in a row. It is the longest unbeaten streak for the Lopes in a single season since 2021 (eight).

SCOUTING SAN JOSÉ STATE

The Spartans earn a trip to the WAC title game for the second consecutive season after finishing 12-3-4 overall and 3-2-2 in WAC play.
SJSU is the No. 4 seed, the second straight year being the lower seed after reaching the title game in 2024 as the No. 5 seed.
San José State enters with a six-match unbeaten streak with four straight wins. Its last loss came Oct. 11 at Utah Valley. The Lopes tied the Spartans 1-1 in Phoenix on Oct. 18 in their lone prior meeting.
The Spartans offense has seen 14 goal scorers who have totaled 37 goals, two shy of GCU's conference lead for this season. Arnold Matshazi has 12 goals and 25 points, both second in the league only behind Diouf.
It owns a goal differential of plus-18 on the season and has outscored its opposition 16-5 during its six match unbeaten streak.
San José State defeated No. 1 seed and host California Baptist in the Wednesday nightcap in overtime, 3-2. Matshazi scored the game winner in the 93rd minute after CBU tied it in the 72nd to force the OT.