Completed Event: Men's Soccer at California Baptist on October 12, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 1
M Soccer
at California Baptist
L 0-1
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Seth Davis
NCAA tourney sends GCU to UCLA for 1st round
11/17/2025 9:55:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Paul Coro
Lopes take 5-match winning streak into 4th trip to D-I NCAAs
With the nation's most prolific goal scorer and a team that has not lost since Oct. 12, Grand Canyon men's soccer competes with a growing confidence that sent them to the NCAA Tournament.
Monday's NCAA Selection Show filled in the opponent and site blank, giving GCU an NCAA Tournament first-round match at UCLA on Thursday at 8 p.m. (Phoenix time).
UCLA (8-6-4), a four-time national champion, won the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday in Maryland, where it dominated No. 10 Michigan 5-0 after upsetting hosting No. 1 Maryland 2-0 for the Terrapins' first loss of the season. The Bruins have posted three consecutive top-25 upsets away from home after ending the regular season with a 4-2 win at No. 15 Washington.
"Very impressive," GCU second-year head coach George Kiefer said of UCLA's recent run. "You're looking a team that was fighting for their lives. If they drop any one of those games, then their season was over. That'll be the same thing on Thursday. I look forward to our guys responding to that. I don't think we'll be bothered by the logo on the front of their shirt."
The Lopes earned an NCAA Tournament qualification, the program's fourth since 2018, by winning the WAC Tournament on Saturday and extending their winning streak to five matches, which is tied with UCLA for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation. GCU outscored opponents 8-1 during the conference tournament in Riverside, California, to put their unbeaten streak at eight consecutive matches.
"I've been doing this for a long time, and there's nothing better than seeing players who work so hard being so happy," GCU second-year head coach George Kiefer said. "You put the work in. You have to do that. But there's never a guarantee that you get a reward. I'd seeing lights coming down this very pathway (outside GCU Stadium) on their scooters at 5 a.m., and it's freezing cold out. The guys put a lot of time into it, so to get the reward was nice.
"What a great honor it is to play the Big Ten champs. It should be fun."
GCU (13-3-4) enters the 48-team field in search of its first NCAA Division I Tournament victory. The Lopes lost on penalty kicks at UC Irvine in 2018, lost 2-0 against Washington in North Carolina in 2020 and lost 1-0 to Denver at home in 2021. After missing the past two postseasons, this year's team has quickly restored the program's national reputation.
"It's a great feeling to be here," said GCU sophomore defender Viggo Gustavsson, whose team has the chance to record the program's first NCAA D-I Tournament win. "It would mean a lot. It's always nice to go down in history, and you'll always remember that for your entire life. We're not going for only getting one to make history. We're going for it all, but we're taking it one at a time."
The Lopes boast the firepower of freshman forward Junior Diouf, who leads the nation with 17 goals. That mark also set GCU's single-season goals record for its Division I era after he scored twice in the WAC Tournament semifinal and once in the 2-1 championship match win against San José State. Diouf, the Senegal native who prepped in New Jersey at St. Benedict's, also ranks second nationally for game-winning goals (six) and points (40).
UCLA counters with another elite scorer, sophomore Sergi Solans Ormo, who is tied for second nationally in goals (16) and tied for third nationally in points (38). The Spaniard was the No. 30 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft after scoring 14 goals in his freshman season at Oregon State.
With graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra ranking 14th nationally in save percentage, the Lopes also have the 11th-best goal differential in the nation (plus-26) this season.
"It's my last season, so it's something I really wanted to achieve," said Ibarra, the Monterrey, Mexico, native who transferred from Milwaukee. "I'm really grateful and just happy.
"We want to put GCU at the highest and try to make history."
In Kiefer's second season at the Lopes helm, this GCU season has posted the program's second-most victories (13) since moving to Division I in 2013. The 2018 team holds the win record with 15.
"We're doing well in a lot of areas," Kiefer said. "We're really good without the ball. We're really fast with the ball. The team is balanced, but I feel like we're still getting better."
If the Lopes win Thursday, they would advance to a Sunday second-round match at San Diego, the tournament's No. 9 overall seed with a first-round bye.
Monday's NCAA Selection Show filled in the opponent and site blank, giving GCU an NCAA Tournament first-round match at UCLA on Thursday at 8 p.m. (Phoenix time).
UCLA (8-6-4), a four-time national champion, won the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday in Maryland, where it dominated No. 10 Michigan 5-0 after upsetting hosting No. 1 Maryland 2-0 for the Terrapins' first loss of the season. The Bruins have posted three consecutive top-25 upsets away from home after ending the regular season with a 4-2 win at No. 15 Washington.
"Very impressive," GCU second-year head coach George Kiefer said of UCLA's recent run. "You're looking a team that was fighting for their lives. If they drop any one of those games, then their season was over. That'll be the same thing on Thursday. I look forward to our guys responding to that. I don't think we'll be bothered by the logo on the front of their shirt."The Lopes earned an NCAA Tournament qualification, the program's fourth since 2018, by winning the WAC Tournament on Saturday and extending their winning streak to five matches, which is tied with UCLA for the fourth-longest active streak in the nation. GCU outscored opponents 8-1 during the conference tournament in Riverside, California, to put their unbeaten streak at eight consecutive matches.
"I've been doing this for a long time, and there's nothing better than seeing players who work so hard being so happy," GCU second-year head coach George Kiefer said. "You put the work in. You have to do that. But there's never a guarantee that you get a reward. I'd seeing lights coming down this very pathway (outside GCU Stadium) on their scooters at 5 a.m., and it's freezing cold out. The guys put a lot of time into it, so to get the reward was nice.
"What a great honor it is to play the Big Ten champs. It should be fun."
GCU (13-3-4) enters the 48-team field in search of its first NCAA Division I Tournament victory. The Lopes lost on penalty kicks at UC Irvine in 2018, lost 2-0 against Washington in North Carolina in 2020 and lost 1-0 to Denver at home in 2021. After missing the past two postseasons, this year's team has quickly restored the program's national reputation.
"It's a great feeling to be here," said GCU sophomore defender Viggo Gustavsson, whose team has the chance to record the program's first NCAA D-I Tournament win. "It would mean a lot. It's always nice to go down in history, and you'll always remember that for your entire life. We're not going for only getting one to make history. We're going for it all, but we're taking it one at a time."The Lopes boast the firepower of freshman forward Junior Diouf, who leads the nation with 17 goals. That mark also set GCU's single-season goals record for its Division I era after he scored twice in the WAC Tournament semifinal and once in the 2-1 championship match win against San José State. Diouf, the Senegal native who prepped in New Jersey at St. Benedict's, also ranks second nationally for game-winning goals (six) and points (40).
UCLA counters with another elite scorer, sophomore Sergi Solans Ormo, who is tied for second nationally in goals (16) and tied for third nationally in points (38). The Spaniard was the No. 30 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft after scoring 14 goals in his freshman season at Oregon State.
With graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra ranking 14th nationally in save percentage, the Lopes also have the 11th-best goal differential in the nation (plus-26) this season.
"It's my last season, so it's something I really wanted to achieve," said Ibarra, the Monterrey, Mexico, native who transferred from Milwaukee. "I'm really grateful and just happy.
"We want to put GCU at the highest and try to make history."
In Kiefer's second season at the Lopes helm, this GCU season has posted the program's second-most victories (13) since moving to Division I in 2013. The 2018 team holds the win record with 15.
"We're doing well in a lot of areas," Kiefer said. "We're really good without the ball. We're really fast with the ball. The team is balanced, but I feel like we're still getting better."
If the Lopes win Thursday, they would advance to a Sunday second-round match at San Diego, the tournament's No. 9 overall seed with a first-round bye.
Players Mentioned
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