Lopes, Pilots set for NCAA 3rd-round match Saturday night

Saturday, November 29

Portland, Ore.

8 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

Portland

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Photo by: Brock Johnson

Lopes, Pilots set for NCAA 3rd-round match Saturday night

11/28/2025 10:01:00 AM | Men's Soccer

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Winner advances to quarterfinal, plays Hofstra-Furman winner

By: Nick Macdonald

AT A GLANCE

With two wins in four days of the NCAA Tournament, Grand Canyon heads to national No. 9 seed Portland to take on the Pilots for a third-tound match in Oregon on Saturday night. The winner earns a spot in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
GCU is coming off a 2-1 victory at No. 8 seed San Diego on Sunday. Lopes freshman sensation Junior Diouf scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute, his 18th of the season to extend his national lead. Diouf is tied for first in the country in points (42) and is the program's Division I-era record holder for goals and points in a season.
The Lopes have not dropped a match since Oct. 12 and are on a 10-match unbeaten streak. Since Oct. 12, they have outscored D-I opponents 16-7, including a 10-1 differential in postseason play dating back to the WAC Tournament.
Graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra has 217 career saves over three seasons at the D-I level and is coming off consecutive six-save performances against UCLA and San Diego. The native of Monterrery, Mexico, has 68 saves and seven shutouts on the season and ranks 10th in the country in save percentage (.838).
Sunday's win over the Toreros was the second NCAA D-I Tournament victory for the Lopes in program history after recording the first against UCLA in the first round. The third round is the furthest GCU has reached since becoming eligible for D-I postseason play in 2017. GCU previously qualifed for NCAA Tournaments in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
After a 5-10-3 season in 2024, this season has been one of the best seasons in program history and greatest turnarounds in the nation. The 14 wins rank second in the program's D-I era, one shy of the 15 earned in 2021.
Graduate forward Ben Assane scored the first of two GCU goals against San Diego in the second round. With three goals, he is second on the team in points (12) and shares the program's D-I era record (since 2013) for assists (six) with Diouf.
GCU's defense holds a goal differential of plus-27, allowing only two goals in a match twice in this 27-match season.

LAST TIME OUT

The Lopes played to a 0-0 draw at UCLA in a downpour of rain on Nov. 20, defeating the Bruins on penalty kicks (3-1) to advance to the NCAA Division I Tournament second round for the first time in program history.
Ibarra made six saves and notched his seventh shutout of the season, making critical diving saves in the second overtime and on a penalty kick.
The win extended the unbeaten streak with the last loss coming Oct. 12 at California Baptist.

SCOUTING PORTLAND

The Pilots enter Saturday night 13-1-4 overall and finished 6-1-2 in WCC play. They finished tied for second in the WCC standings, one spot shy of WCC regular season champion San Diego.
Portland's lone loss was a 1-0 defeat at Santa Clara. GCU is 2-0 against common opponents this season, defeating San Diego 2-1 last week and beating Santa Clara 4-0 at home Sept. 8.
The Pilots have outscored their opposition 42-11 this season with a pair of 10-goal scorers. Joe Highfield leads the team in points (25), totaling 10 goals and five assists, while David Ajagbe has 10 goals and four assists. The duo has combined for 88 shots, 46 shots on goal and eight game-winners.
In goal is Miguel Angel-Hernandez, who is 12-1-4 as a starter with eight shutouts and 40 saves.
Portland's first goal conceded all season came in the seventh game, a 3-2 win at home vs. Denver. It has a plus-four goal differential (8-4) over its last five games.