Tournament ready Lopes face UCLA Thursday afternoon

Thursday, November 20

Los Angeles, CA

3 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

UCLA

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11/19/2025 1:49:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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GCU faces UCLA in 1st round of NCAA Tournament on ESPN+

By: Nick Macdonald

AT A GLANCE

Grand Canyon's season continues in the NCAA Tournament First Round 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 Thursday night.
The D-I NCAA Tournament appearance is the fourth for GCU since becoming Division I in 2013. The team has made appearances in 2018, 2020, and 2021, seeking its first win the NCAA Tournament.
GCU's five match winning streak is near the top of longest active streaks in the country, tied for fourth among all schools with none other than UCLA. The Lopes are unbeaten in eight straight contests, last losing Oct. 12 at California Baptist.
Freshman Junior Diouf enters Thursday as the nation's leader in goals scored with 17 and is second in total points with 40. Diouf has scored in 12 games this season, five of which were multi-score 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 goalie Daniel Ibarra is 14th in the nation in save percentage (.824). He has 56 saves and six shutouts in 17 games played, and has seven games with four or more saves this season.
After a 5-10-3 season 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. It's 304 shots are most in the D-I era, while its 15.2 shots per game currently rank 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 +26, allowing two or more goals in two of 20 games played. The Lopes outscored its opposition 8-1 in three games in the WAC Tournament and have 14 goals scored to six allowed against D-I teams since its last loss.
Multiple Lopes earned WAC postseason honors, including Diouf, who was named WAC Offensive Player and 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 its first appearance in NCAA Tournament since 2021 after reaching it three times in a four year stretch (2018, 2020, 2021).
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. Diouf added the second goal for the squad 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 over Michigan, 5-0.
The Bruins were 3-6-3 overall before rattling off five wins and a tie over its final six matches. It defeated host school Maryland 2-0 in the Big Ten Tournament before tying a season-high five goals against Michigan.
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' 2.50 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.