Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer at Stanford on August 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM
M Soccer
7:30 PM
at Stanford
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Thursday, November 20
Los Angeles, CA
3 p.m. (MST)
Grand Canyon
at
UCLA
Tournament-ready Lopes face Bruins on Thursday afternoon
11/19/2025 1:49:00 PM | Men's Soccer
GCU plays at UCLA in 1st round of NCAA Tournament on ESPN+
AT A GLANCE
- Grand Canyon's season continues in the NCAA Tournament first round Thursday after earning the automatic bid by winning the WAC Tournament title Nov. 15 versus San Jose State. The Lopes will face Big Ten Tournament champion UCLA in Los Angeles at 3 p.m. (Arizona time).
- The NCAA Division I Tournament appearance is the fourth for GCU since joining D-I in 2013. The program made the 2018, 2020 and 2021 tournaments and seeks its first NCAA D-I Tournament win.
- GCU's five-match winning streak is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the country with UCLA. The Lopes are unbeaten in eight straight contests, last losing Oct. 12 at California Baptist.
- Lopes freshman Junior Diouf enters Thursday as the nation's leader in goals with 17 and is second in points with 40. Diouf has scored in 12 games this season, five of which were two-goal games. He is the program's D-I era single season record holder for goals and points, surpassing Niki Jackson's 16 goals and 34 points set in 2016.
- Graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra is 14th in the nation in save percentage (.824). He has 56 saves and six shutouts in 17 games and has seven games with four or more saves this season.
- After GCU went 5-10-3 in 2024, this season has been one of the best in program history. The 13 wins are tied for most in the D-I era, and its nine home wins are tied for most at GCU Stadium since it opened in 2016. Its 304 shots are most in the D-I era, while its 15.2 shots per game ranks first. Diouf's 40 points are 10th most all-time, dating back to GCU's first season in 1985.
- GCU's defense holds a goal differential of plus-26, allowing two or more goals in two of 20 games. The Lopes outscored their opposition 8-1 over three games in the WAC Tournament and have a 14-6 edge against D-I teams since their last loss.
- Multiple Lopes players earned WAC postseason honors, including Diouf, the WAC Offensive Player of the Year and WAC Freshman of the Year. Diouf garnered All-WAC first team, while graduate forward Ben Assane was named to the second team. Charles Volcy and Max Kiefer also joined Diouf on the All-WAC Freshman Team.
LAST TIME OUT
- GCU defeated San José State in the WAC Tournament title game last weekend to clinch its fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
- The title is the second in program history and first since 2018. The Lopes are making their first appearance in NCAA Tournament since 2021 after reaching it three times in a four-year stretch (2018, 2020, 2021).
- GCU junior defender Felipe Cobian scored a free-kick goal in the 66th minute to give GCU a 1-0 lead in a rain-filled afternoon in Riverside, California. Diouf added the squad's second goal 24 seconds later.
- GCU finished the WAC Tournament with an 8-1 goal differential.
SCOUTING UCLA
- Winners of five straight, UCLA hosts GCU for the second time in program history after winning the Big Ten Tournament by beating No. 1 Maryland 2-0 on its home field and routing No. 10 Michigan 5-0.
- The Bruins were 3-6-3 overall before rattling off five wins and a tie over their final six matches. They tied a season high with five goals against Michigan in the Big Ten title match.
- UCLA forward Sergi Solans has 16 goals on the season, one shy of Diouf for the national lead. Solans has 38 points with 16 goals, six assists, 55 shots and 31 shots on goal.
- Phillip Naef leads the in assists (11), fourth most in the country. The Bruins' 2.5 assists per game are 10th best in the country, totaling 45 on the season.
- UCLA and GCU have one common opponent in CSU Fullerton. GCU fell to the Titans 1-0 on a last-second goal, while the Bruins tied them 1-1.
WHAT'S NEXT?
-
A win for the Lopes would set up a Sunday evening matchup at No. 9 seed San Diego at 6 p.m. (Phoenix time).
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's SoccerThursday, June 25
Thursday, June 25
Wednesday, June 24
Thursday, June 18