Penalty kick leads to road loss at Colorado College - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Sunday, November 1

Colorado Springs, Colo.

1 p.m.

Grand Canyon

8-6-4, 4-4-1

Colorado College

9-5-4, 7-1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Grand Canyon	0	0	0
Colorado Col.	1	0	1

11/1/2026 5:45:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

GCU still holds outside shot at postseason berth

By: Braden Dohrmann

COLORADO SPRINGS – Grand Canyon lost an important late-year matchup at Colorado College Sunday afternoon, slimming the odds at postseason hopes.

GCU (8-6-4, 4-4-1 MW) once again could not find the back of the net on the road, dropping the match 1-0. In four conference matches on the road, the Lopes have yet to score a goal, still only losing this season when shut out. Grand Canyon has not lost a match this season when they scored a goal.

Colorado College (9-5-4, 7-1-1 MW) earned the conference's first bid to the MW Championships in Phoenix in two weeks, with the win. The Tigers hold the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West with a match to go. Just four of eleven teams make the postseason field.

Unfortunately for the Lopes, the unlucky penalty bug got them again, as the fourth penalty of the season was called on GCU, leading to the lone goal of the match.

Three penalties have been called on Grand Canyon in conference play this year, with multiple proving costly, as UNLV forced a draw in Phoenix to start the conference season and Wyoming equalized late on Wednesday before the Lopes retook the lead in the final minutes.

Sunday's foul call was no different, potentially costing GCU an important point in the standings race.

However, the blueprint to earning points has been clear this year: score and minimally earn a draw, score multiple goals and they win (7-0 this season when doing so).

The Lopes could not find the back of the net, but not for a lack of trying. After just a lone shot on goal in the first half, the intensity ramped up on the offensive side of the pitch with multiple good looks that were not cashed in.

An Addie Vali header off a corner kick in the 66th minute, a steal from Makayla Gwynn with no defenders in front of her, and a Mai-Helen Nguyen Todnem shot that went off the crossbar in the 86th minute all failed to equalize the match.

With just four out of eleven teams in the conference moving on to the MW Championship, points and results mean everything down the stretch. The Lopes still have an outside shot at making it in but will need some help in addition to a win at UTEP next Friday.

Any New Mexico win would officially eliminate the Lopes from postseason play.

GCU finishes the regular season slate at UTEP on Friday night.