Sweet 16 run soured by late Portland winner

Saturday, November 29

Portland, Ore.

8 p.m. (MST)

Grand Canyon

14-4-5, 3-1-3

Portland

14-1-4, 6-1-2

Grand Canyon

Portland

Photo by: David Kadlubowski

11/29/2025 10:25:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Paul Coro

Box Score Photo Gallery

GCU's 10-match unbeaten streak ends on 80th-minute goal

By: Paul Coro

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Grand Canyon men's soccer team entered Soccer City and proved to be a worthwhile visitor, withstanding a bleacher-rumbling Merlo Field crowd of 3,024 fans to be in a scoreless tie for nearly 80 minutes until the decisive Portland goal ended its remarkable season.

GCU survived a 54th-minute penalty kick with a diving save from graduate goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra, but Portland leading scorer Joe Highfield scored 34 seconds after entering the game for the first time to score an 80th-minute goal that stood up for a 1-0 Pilots win.

National No. 8 seed Portland (14-1-4) remained undefeated at home in 12 matches, souring GCU's Sweet 16 run and the nation's best single-season turnaround by making the Lopes its 10th shutout victim of the season.

"I really feel like God had worked on our team all season long, and we're thank for what He's done for us," said Lopes second-year head coach George Kiefer, whose team recorded the program's first two NCAA Division I Tournament wins. "To go toe to toe with them (the Pilots), it always comes down to a bounce here or there. Give Portland credit. They're a good side. We knew we'd be under the gun, but I thought we limited their chances, and Danny made an incredible PK save. Alan (Hermitte) misses one inches from the post, where if you get that, you feel good enough about securing it with how we've been defending.

"It's a great year, but it doesn't hurt less any less when you lose. It hurts more."

GCU loss at Portland

A 10-match unbeaten streak for GCU (14-4-5) was snapped with the Lopes being outshot 10-7.and national goals leader Junior Diouf being limited to three shots, including one shot on goal. Diouf finished the season with 18 goals, which will make him the first freshman to lead the nation in scoring since a Portland alumnus, Conor Casey, did it in 1999.

Diouf was one of five freshmen who started for the Lopes and took on a Portland team that has its best record since 1988.

As the offense opened up to start the second half, Diouf sent a header from junior defender Felipe Cobian's cross toward the high part of the net. Portland goalkeeper Migue-Angel Hernandez knocked it over the goal, but GCU was not awarded a corner kick.

Moments later in the 50th minute, GCU sophomore forward Alan Hermitte got loose on the left side because of a pass from sophomore Richard Tabares Ochoa. Hermitte fired once he dribbled into the top left of the box and Hernandez extended his left leg to knock the Lopes' best scoring chance away.

After Ibarra's penalty kick save, Diouf and GCU made a series of threats before Portland won back possession with freshman midfielder Diego Sanchez thwarting multiple Pilot pushes.

"Without the ball, we were very good," Kiefer said. "We are better than we showed tonight with the ball. I told them at halftime, 'I trust you more than you're trusting yourself right now.' If we could've been a little cleaner, we could've got in a little bit more."

But in the 80th minute, Highfield entered the game after not starting because of an ankle sprain. Portland's Diego Rojas, the WCC Midfielder of the Year, crossed his 15th assist into the box for Highfield, who missed his initial header attempt but then beat Ibarra to the loose ball and put it inside the right post for his 11th goal of the season.

Had Highfield hit his first attempt cleanly, Ibarra was positioned for a save.

"It's always the little margins, and Portland had some real weapons for sure," Kiefer said.

GCU freshman defender Charles Volcy made a kick save on an open-goal shot to keep the Lopes' last-minute hopes alive, but a Diouf missed 86th-minute header was the final chance. Diouf sat on the turf, as teammates consoled him before his Senegalese childhood friend and GCU scoring partner, graduate forward Ben Assane, picked him up and walked Diouf off the field as he used his jersey to wipe the sadness on his face.

"It's hard to lose at this stage, and in the last 10 minutes," Assane said. "But we thank God and I've been praising my teammates that we worked so hard to get here. I'm very happy to be a part of something bigger than me. The boys set a high standards for the next team to come at GCU.

"Everybody has a lot of action in their mind right now about, 'I should've done this.' Junior is young. He's the top scorer in the nation. He was hungry. Me and the team were hungry to get so far, but that's how God wanted us to end the season, so we have to be grateful for it."

Felipe Cobian

GCU recorded the second-most wins of its 13-year Division I era and made the program's greatest year-to-year win increase since the 1998 Division Ii team. The Lopes did it with more than Diouf, a dazzling 18-year-old who revitalized the offense. GCU's defense, with Volcy, Cobian and sophomore defender Viggo Gustavsson supported Ibarra to only allow 17 goals in 23 matches.

"Overall, I think we did good," Ibarra said of the team's third-round loss. "It wasn't in favor of us, but we tried our best. All the guys put in all the effort. We don't leave with our heads down because we know we did everything we could.

"I feel so grateful for being at GCU and being with the coaches who believed in me. I'm now happy to be part of the history at GCU, but I want them to make it to the Elite Eight next year. We just set the standard right now."

Ibarra's penalty kick save came after Cobian blocked junior Anton Hjalmarsson's shot in the box from a Rojas free kick.On the rebound to the far right side of the box, Hermitte fouled Hjalmarsson to be awarded a penalty kick.

Ibarra credited GCU assistant coach AJ Madero for telling him that Hjalmarsson would kick it to Ibarra's left, which he deflected it and then had to pop up to block a rebound try.

"The rebound was also really fast," said Ibarra, whose goaltend play helped the Lopes win their first-round NCAA Tournament match at UCLA. "I'm thinking, 'I'm not going to let them score. This is my moment.' "

After handing national No. 9 seed San Diego its first home loss of the season, GCU nearly pulled off the same feat at Portland with both games coming in front of large crowds.

"They've set a standard at GCU where the only to beat that is to get to an Elite Eight now," Kiefer said. "That's a high bar. Do a little bit better in the regular season to get these home games. It's probably the youngest team in the NCAA Tournament and made a good run.

"The seniors gave us everything they had. You see them on the field crying. You ask youth players and they want to play Division I, but it's hard. There are a lot of emotions involved with it. It's a pain inside that hurts bad, but hopefully they'll really recognize what they've done at a place that has everything to be great. They've built a foundation to take it to the next level."