Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus New Mexico State on August 8, 2025 ,
W Soccer
vs New Mexico State
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, September 5
Phoenix, Ariz.
7 p.m.
Grand Canyon
vs
Sam Houston
Photo by: Braden Dohrmann
GCU returns home amid 3-match win streak
9/4/2025 4:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Lopes host former WAC foe Sam Houston on Friday evening
Grand Canyon rides a three-match winning streak into GCU Stadium for a Friday night matchup against Sam Houston.
AT A GLANCE
- GCU is coming off a 2-0 weekend in Oregon with shutout victories over Portland State and Oregon.
- Lopes starting goalkeeper Emma Knack won Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week for Week 3 after shutting out Portland State and Oregon, marking three straight shutouts for the junior.
- GCU sophomore midfielder Tatum Hofstetter won Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3 after assisting the game-winning goal at Portland State and scoring her first career goal at Oregon.
- Lopes junior Madison Hamm leads the team in assists with two, both of which came on game-winning goals in the team's first four matches.
- Grand Canyon won its first match of the season two weeks ago at CSUNÂ with a 1-0 victory capped by graduate defender Kennedy Chambers' game-winning goal in the 55th minute.
- GCU enters its first season in the MW, coming off an 11-6-3 season which ended when the Lopes fell in the WAC Tournament title match.
- The Lopes won three conference titles in their time in the WAC (two-time WACÂ Tournament champion, one regular-season championship). All three titles came under head coach Chris Cissell, who signed a multi-year contract extension over the summer.
- GCU senior midfielder AJ Loera is three assists away from the program's all-time record of 18, shared by Marleen Schimmer and Leah Pirro.
- Lopes sophomore forward Ellie Johannes, junior forward Neve Renwick and Loera were all named to the Mountain West Preseason Watch List.Â
LAST TIME OUT
- GCU won 1-0 at Portland State on Aug. 28 and then won 2-0 at Oregon on Sunday.
- Knack made 11 saves to preserve the win against the Ducks, who were shut out despite taking 30 shots.
- Hamm scored and assisted in the Sunday win at Oregon.
AROUND THEÂ MOUNTAIN WEST
- Grand Canyon joins the Mountain West this fall, making the Lopes the 13th team in the conference for the 2025 season.
- Each MW team will play 10 conference matches (five home, five away) over a six-week period.
- The top six teams will make the Mountain West Championship in Boise, Idaho, with the winner of the tournament collecting an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
- GCU holds the third-best nonconference record in the MWÂ behind Colorado State and New Mexico.
- Colorado State was receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll.
SCOUTING SAMÂ HOUSTONÂ
- This is the second all-time meeting between Sam Houston and GCU, with the Lopes winning the first matchup.
- GCU last played Sam Houston in Phoenix in 2022, when the Lopes won 6-0. Gianna Gourley scored a hat trick.
- Sam Houston senior Tiana Johnson leads the team with two goals in the team's first four matches.
- Bearkats goalkeeper Katie Bahn has been in goal for the team's first four matches, allowing 2 goals per match.
WHAT'S NEXT?Â
- Grand Canyon will host Idaho on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
- The match is a student "March to the Match."
- Idaho is 2-2-2 heading into Week 4 with a draw at home against Washington State last week.
Players Mentioned
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