Undefeated MW season finishes with 2-1 win at Air Force

Friday, November 6

USAF Academy, Colo.

6 p.m.

Grand Canyon

11-5-2, 8-0-2

Air Force

4-8-5, 3-5-2

Team	1	2	Final F
Grand Canyon	0	2	2
Air Force	1	0	1

11/6/2026 9:01:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

With 8-0-2 mark, this season marks 3rd GCU team to go undefeated in conference play

By: Nick Macdonald

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Grand Canyon's unbeaten streak moved to 11 consecutive games Friday after two second-half goals beat Air Force in the regular-season finale. The Lopes, trailing 1-0 at the half, totaled 23 shots and converted one for a late go-ahead score to win 2-1 to finish with an 8-0-2 Mountain West record.

News and notes

The Lopes' 8-0-2 MW record marks the third undefeated record in program history. GCU went 7-0 in WAC play in 2020 and 8-0-2 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (Division II) in 2007.
GCU took 23 shots at Air Force to tie for the third most this season and extend a streak of 18 consecutive matches with double-digit shot totals. The 23 shots were the most in a conference match this season.
The Lopes, who clinched the No.1 seed in the Mountain West Championship, will face Air Force again in a Tuesday 7 p.m. semifinal at GCU Stadium. Tickets are on sale by clicking here.

The offense produced 10 shots in the first half with four on goal. GCU enior Martin Luala had a low line drive saved near the right post, followed by classmate Jorge Lopez's free kick chance from 30 yards being saved in the same spot.

Air Force, which had three shots and two on goal in the first half, found the scoring column first in the 26th minute, feeding a cross from left to right inside the 18 that just went by a diving save attempt by Lopes goalkeeper Beltran Fernandez.

GCU's attack controlled the rest of the first half, including another free kick opportunity from 25 yards out by senior Sabri Hanni, whose bending kick was stopped by a diving Hunter Anderson in the upper right 90 of the goal.

Just over 10 minutes into the second half, the Lopes equalized via freshman forward Ife Nkabu. Nkabu, who scored his second goal of the season, took a cross from freshman Michael Abrams and got enough of his left foot on the ball to redirect it iinside the far-right post for a 1-1 tie.

The Lopes topped the first half with 13 second-half shots, including two good looks for freshman Alhassan Alhassan in the the 80th and 85th minutes. A would-be, go-ahead goal was called back for offside by freshman Godson Anim in the 86th minute.

The defense stepped up too. Freshman Matas Jokubaitis blocked a hard-driven ball with his shoulder early in the second while Fernandez had back-to-back saves within seconds, the latter being a one-handed stop above his head to push the ball over the crossbar.

With less than two minutes remaining in the match, GCU junior Damon Rouse took a shot 30 yards out from goal. As the ball hit its apex, it dipped quickly to sneak under the crossbar for the winning score. Rouse's unassisted goal gave GCU an 89th-minute lead, and the Lopes heard the final horn 1 minute and 37 seconds later.

Six Lopes took multiple shots in the match, while Fernandez improved his record to 10-3-1 in net this season.

Top-seeded GCU hosts No. 4 seed Air Force at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a Mountain West Championship semifinal on MW+. The winner will play in a 7 p.m. Saturday title match against the winner of the conference tournament's other semifinal, No. 3 seed San José State at No. 2 seed UNLV.