Johannes hat trick leads GCU past Nevada

Thursday, October 15

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

6-4-4, 2-2-1

Nevada

3-10-1, 0-4-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Nevada	1	0	1
Grand Canyon	2	1	3

Photo by: Presley Burdick

10/15/2026 10:45:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Lopes move to 6-0 when scoring multiple goals

By: Braden Dohrmann

Grand Canyon scored early and often off the boot of Ellie Johannes to beat Nevada 3-1 on Thursday night.

Johannes, a senior forward from Glendale, Arizona, earned the program's first hat trick since August 2023, when Gianna Gourley did it against CSU Bakersfield.

GCU (6-4-4, 2-2-1 Mountain West) continued its trend of winning when it scores multiple goals, as it is now 6-0 when they score two or more times in a match.

The Lopes did not waste time, as Johannes worked her way down the left sideline after Sabrina Guzman found her with a pass. Johannes used her left foot to bang a shot inside the far post for a second-minute score, the second time this year Johannes scored in the second minute of a match.

Nevada (3-10-1, 0-4-1 MW) answered in the fifth minute to tie the match. A cross into the heart of the box found Nevada's Carmen Coronado for her fourth goal of the season.

Johannes quickly reclaimed the lead just minutes later, hitting another left-footed banger in the ninth minute for her first career brace. Johannes started the sequence with a corner kick that found the head of Addie Vali, who made her first career home start. Vali's header was saved with a punch that put the ball at the foot of senior Sophia Rubano, who fed Johannes sprinting back into play from the corner. Johannes once again screamed the ball past the keeper and inside the far post.

"I felt great out there tonight for sure," Johannes said. "But it was truly a team effort out there tonight, and I cannot talk enough about the assists that set me up tonight — more credit to them than me."

In the 40th minute, it looked as if freshman Makayla Gwynn was joining the scoring party when she found the back of the net. However, a handball was called in the box and stood up after video review, much to the chagrin of the Lopes sideline. Head coach Chris Cissell was awarded a yellow card after the decision.

The Lopes did not settle with a 2-1 lead in the second half, when Johannes got right back to work. In the 62nd minute, freshman midfielder Lia D'Afonseca chipped a beautiful pass over the Nevada defense to Guzman. Guzman took a few dribbles, cut back and found Johannes again. This time, Johannes got the ball on her right foot and hammered home a goal for her first career hat trick and fourth in the Mountain West this season.

"I have a ton of trust in Ellie," said Guzman, who assisted two of her goals. "When she is playing and attacking the way she was tonight, I am absolutely looking to find ways to get her the ball near goal."

Doubling her season goal total to six, Johannes is just one shy of the conference lead held by four players.

GCU was coming off a tough two-game road slide, needing to build momentum back on this two-game homestand. With the win, the Lopes are at 2-2-1 in conference, good for seven points. While that has Grand Canyon at 7th place in the MW, a win Sunday will have them right back in position to control their own destiny moving into the final couple weeks of the regular season.

"Super proud of the way the girls responded tonight," Cissell said. "We are going to celebrate this one and then get right back to work in the morning, because all week the entire team understands we need six points this week."

That opportunity will come Sunday, when San José State comes to Phoenix for a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee that will include pregame Senior Day festivities celebrating five GCU players. Madison Hamm, Adelaide Wolfe, Addie Vali, Bryanna Perry and Caitlyn Winter will be recognized.