Critical shutout win honors GCU seniors

Sunday, October 18

Phoenix, Ariz.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

7-4-4, 3-2-1

San José State

2-10-2, 1-6-0

Team	1	2	Final F
San Jose St.	0	0	0
Grand Canyon	1	0	1

Photo by: Josh Cale

10/18/2026 5:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer, Paul Coro

Box Score

Lopes defense, possession make Rubano's 2nd-minute goal stand up for standings climb

By: Paul Coro

The Grand Canyon women's soccer locker room barely had room to move Sunday with Senior Day balloons, streamers, flowers, gifts and other décor filling up the space.

So when the Lopes took to the GCU Stadium pitch with ample space after kickoff, the freedom to move and the drive to win for the seniors showed with the Lopes scoring in the second minute for a second consecutive match. The defense made the goal stand for a vital 1-0 win against San José State, putting GCU in the hunt for a Mountain West Championship spot with four regular-season matches to go.

Madison Hamm and family

"All the emotions leading up to this day and on this day created a different environment," said captain Madison Hamm, a four-year Lopes who was one of five seniors honored. "We felt loved, and we felt like they were playing to honor us and to show us how much they care about us. That definitely did impact how we played. We fought for each other, and we fought for 90 minutes."

GCU (7-4-4, 3-2-1, MW) followed up a 3-1 Thursday win against Nevada with its fifth shutout of the season. And just like when she scored in the second minute of Thursday's match and a Sept. 17 match against Northern Arizona, Lopes forward Ellie Johannes made a second-minute goal happen Sunday – this time with the assist.

Even quicker than the previous pair of second-minute goals, the Lopes were leading 1-0 in 102 seconds because San José State could not keep GCU out of its side of the field from the start. The ball crossed midfield once and stayed there for a second before Lopes sophomore defender Piper Carlson pounded it back upfield.

From there, the Lopes kept possession with passes and dribbles that looked like they were spelling out the "GCU" logo. Midfielder Sophia Rubano kept possession repeatedly with her head, body and feet until the Lopes put together a string of nine passes that went untouched by San José State feet.

Once Rubano made some nifty footwork to get the ball to freshman midfielder Lia D'Afonseca in open space, D'Afonseca sent a through ball to Johannes in the left side of the box, where three Spartans chased GCU's leading scorer.

Johannes drew the goalkeeper out and sent the ball to a trailing Rubano, who parked the ball in net for a 1-0 lead – the fourth time in the past seven games that GCU led 1-0 in the first 10 minutes.

"My job was easy – tap in," said Rubano, who scored her fifth goal on Johannes' fourth assist and D'Afonseca's second assist. "They left a lot of space, especially back post. Lia was able to play a beautiful ball to Ellie, who was waiting for the run and just drove and crossed it.

"We came out the energy, which is what we need, especially this week. We needed to get six points."

Lopes head coach Chris Cissell and his staff hammered that six-point message leading up to Thursday's and Sunday's wins. GCU became one of five teams with 10 or more standings points, with Air Force (nine) able to join that group Sunday night if it ties or wins against Nevada on Sunday night. The Lopes have a win against New Mexico, which has played one more match to have 13 points, and will play Colorado College (16 points), Hawai'i (15 points) and Wyoming (13 points).

Goal celebration

"Now, we've given ourselves some chance," Cissell said. "We're right in the mix. We've obviously still got a lot of work to do, but I feel really good about winning 3-1 and 1-0. Our defense has been so good all year that I really felt like our defense deserved another shutout."

GCU is on pace to set a program Division I-era record by limiting opponents to 0.8 goals per match this season. The past two wins, with one goal allowed combined, came with Hamm moved to the midfield and sophomore Sasha Brewer logging 90 minutes at center back after making one previous start.

San José State was limited to seven shots, as Cissell turned more to the "gritty grinders" in the final minutes for defensive protection of the 1-0 margin.

"The last win was our first step, and now we've hit our stride," Hamm said. "We've found our spark. I think this team has something very special ahead of us."

Hamm is an example of the special culture side of the program. She has been part of the underclassmen groups who celebrated the past three senior classes, but Sunday was her turn to be highlighted. It was emotional from going through a book that the underclassmen made of Hamm's soccer life influences to walking with family in lavender "Hamm 18" shirts.

"I love these girls so much, and they showed how much they care," Hamm said. "I'm so grateful for my teammates because I really do have the best teammates in the world."

Makayla Gwynn

In his seventh Lopes season, Cissell said he did not know which way the emotions of Senior Day would sway the team. His 75th win at GCU saw the Lopes play invigorated by Senior Day, especially with so much Mountain West weight to the match.

"We love our seniors," Rubano said. "It means so much more, celebrating all the hard work they've put in through the years. We went out there and fought for them.

"We know they will be successful wherever God takes them."

GCU will play Saturday at Hawai'i (8-4-1, 5-1 MW), which defeated UC Davis 1-0 on Sunday to move to 15 points in the Mountain West standings.

Senior Day honorees

Madison Hamm

Hamm is playing her fourth GCU season, likely to eclipse 5,000 minutes of match time in her stellar career. Starting as a midfielder in her first two seasons, Hamm led all freshmen in minutes in 2023, before taking on a larger role as a sophomore. That season, Hamm scored a game-tying banger at Utah in the final minutes of the match and added two assists. In her junior season, Hamm started every match shifting to a full-time defender role, recording over 1,500 minutes in 18 matches. She had two more assists, including a memorable through ball to Hannah Smith in the win at Oregon. A two-year captain and this year's team grandma, Hamm will go down as one of the greats at GCU. She was joined Sunday by her parents, Kara and Allen, brother Marek and her sisters, Mackinley and Meyers.

Bryanna Perry

Perry is in her third GCU season after starting her career at Southern Utah. A positive locker room presence, spiritual leader and hard worker, Perry has provided the team many things that do not show up on the stat sheets.

Appearing in goal five times, Perry earned her first GCU start at Eastern Washington this season and posted a 90-minute shutout win to show she is always prepared for the moment. She was joined Sunday by her parents, Mark and Lindsay, brother Gavin and always in spirit by her angel mom, Stacy.

Addie Vali

Vali joined GCU in the spring of 2025 after two seasons at SMU. Months after joining the team, Addie was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. She began chemotherapy weeks later.

That summer, she returned to soccer training while also completing 10 rounds of radiation in mid-July, eventually ringing the radiation completion bell with the entire team by her side. Since then, she entered remission and has made a comeback to the pitch, making an official return to the pitch on Aug. 27 and making two starts. The positivity, optimism and laughs Vali brought each day will be missed. She was joined Sunday by her parents, Kirsten and Ali.

Caitlyn Winter

Winter played her first season with GCU after trying out and making the team in the spring. Prior to this season, the native of Rocklin, California played in the GCU club soccer program and was a member of the 2023 Division III national champion Cal Lutheran team.

Her story is one of perseverance and dedication to reaching her goal of playing Division I soccer. Winter has appeared in nine matches, recording 36 minutes against CSU Northridge. She was joined Sunday by her parents, Michelle and Dave, and her sisters, Alise and Brooke.

Adelaide Wolfe

Wolfe joined GCU this summer after a four-year career at Iowa State and Indiana State and provided instant impact, leading a dynamic back line that has allowed 0.8 goals per match. Wolfe has started each match and recorded the second-most minutes on the team (1,219).

A bubbly and comedic personality, Wolfe brings the energy on and off the field. She was joined Sunday by her parents, Melanie and Robert, and her sister, Campbell.