Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) on February 14, 2026 ,
W Soccer
vs Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Bryce Fairchild
Cissell releases 2026 schedule in new-look MW
5/20/2026 1:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Lopes face Arizona, Texas at GCU Stadium
Grand Canyon women's soccer head coach Chris Cissell announced the team's full 2026 schedule, including a 10-game conference season with a new-look Mountain West and a home-filled nonconference to kick off the season in August.
"I am very pleased with the overall competitiveness of this year's schedule," Cissell said. "I believe our soccer community, and the Havocs have some great matchups to look forward to at GCU Stadium this season."
The Lopes open their season with four consecutive home matches in August, following a road exhibition match at New Mexico State on Aug. 6. Bigtime opponents will be coming to town, including in-state foe Arizona on opening night, Aug. 13. The Lopes fell to the Wildcats on the road last season.
The next week, Buffalo and Texas will come to Phoenix to face GCU. Despite a tough season last year, Texas was a 17-4 team in 2024, making the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Texas will be GCU's first SEC opponent since 2023, when the Lopes faced Arkansas and Mississippi State.
"We are excited for the challenge and opportunity that these first couple of games will present," Cissell said. "We should learn a lot about our team early in the year, which is a great thing."
After Cal State Northridge completes the four-match home stretch, GCU will hit the road to take on UC Irvine. The Lopes lost to the Anteaters on Opening Night at home last season and will look to exact some revenge when they hit the road for xoutherm California. Last season, GCU won its first three consecutive road games.
The nonconference slate finishes with two more home matches against Long Beach State and Northern Arizona. The Lopes have beaten Northern Arizona the past two seasons, winning 1-0 on the road last year. The final nonconference road matches will be a roadtrip to the Pacific Northwest, where GCU faces both Idaho and Eastern Washington. The Lopes took down Idaho at home last year and is completing the home-and-home set this season.
"We think this road trip will be a fun and challenging one for the soccer family," Cissell said. "We hope to have the same success in the Pacific Northwest that we did last year, when we beat Portland State and Oregon to build some momentum early in the year."
The Lopes' second season in the Mountain West will look different than Year 1 with five teams leaving for the new-look Pac-12 and new programs such as UC Davis, UTEP and Hawai'i entering. With an 11-team conference, each team will play each other team with five home and five road matches apiece.
GCU takes on UNLV and New Mexico at home to start conference play before spending the next two at UC Davis and Air Force. GCU has beaten Air Force each of the last two seasons, while they have not faced new conference foe UC Davis since 2003, when they played seven times in seven years at the Division II level.
Other notable dates on the conference schedule include an Oct. 24 match at Hawai'i and Senior Day vs. Wyoming on Oct. 28. The Lopes won the Outrigger No Ka Oi Tournament in Honolulu two seasons ago with wins over North Dakota State and Air Force.
"I know the players and parents will be excited to see Hawai'i on the schedule as a road match," Cissell said. "A great opportunity for our team to enjoy an awesome business trip as we did a couple years ago."
After Senior Day, GCU finishes the season at Colorado College and UTEP before a hopeful postseason run will begin. The Mountain West Championship will just consist of four of the 11 teams vying for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The MWC semifinals will take place on Nov. 11, while the championship match will be played Nov. 15. The locations of both rounds are still to be determined.
"We are excited and motivated to have a great season ahead," Cissell said. "The coaching staff is very optimistic about what this team is capable of in this conference. With just four teams making the conference tournament, we know each game will hold so much importance."
For the entire 2026 women's soccer schedule, click here.
"I am very pleased with the overall competitiveness of this year's schedule," Cissell said. "I believe our soccer community, and the Havocs have some great matchups to look forward to at GCU Stadium this season."The Lopes open their season with four consecutive home matches in August, following a road exhibition match at New Mexico State on Aug. 6. Bigtime opponents will be coming to town, including in-state foe Arizona on opening night, Aug. 13. The Lopes fell to the Wildcats on the road last season.
The next week, Buffalo and Texas will come to Phoenix to face GCU. Despite a tough season last year, Texas was a 17-4 team in 2024, making the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Texas will be GCU's first SEC opponent since 2023, when the Lopes faced Arkansas and Mississippi State.
"We are excited for the challenge and opportunity that these first couple of games will present," Cissell said. "We should learn a lot about our team early in the year, which is a great thing."
After Cal State Northridge completes the four-match home stretch, GCU will hit the road to take on UC Irvine. The Lopes lost to the Anteaters on Opening Night at home last season and will look to exact some revenge when they hit the road for xoutherm California. Last season, GCU won its first three consecutive road games.
The nonconference slate finishes with two more home matches against Long Beach State and Northern Arizona. The Lopes have beaten Northern Arizona the past two seasons, winning 1-0 on the road last year. The final nonconference road matches will be a roadtrip to the Pacific Northwest, where GCU faces both Idaho and Eastern Washington. The Lopes took down Idaho at home last year and is completing the home-and-home set this season.
"We think this road trip will be a fun and challenging one for the soccer family," Cissell said. "We hope to have the same success in the Pacific Northwest that we did last year, when we beat Portland State and Oregon to build some momentum early in the year."
The Lopes' second season in the Mountain West will look different than Year 1 with five teams leaving for the new-look Pac-12 and new programs such as UC Davis, UTEP and Hawai'i entering. With an 11-team conference, each team will play each other team with five home and five road matches apiece.
GCU takes on UNLV and New Mexico at home to start conference play before spending the next two at UC Davis and Air Force. GCU has beaten Air Force each of the last two seasons, while they have not faced new conference foe UC Davis since 2003, when they played seven times in seven years at the Division II level.
Other notable dates on the conference schedule include an Oct. 24 match at Hawai'i and Senior Day vs. Wyoming on Oct. 28. The Lopes won the Outrigger No Ka Oi Tournament in Honolulu two seasons ago with wins over North Dakota State and Air Force.
"I know the players and parents will be excited to see Hawai'i on the schedule as a road match," Cissell said. "A great opportunity for our team to enjoy an awesome business trip as we did a couple years ago."
After Senior Day, GCU finishes the season at Colorado College and UTEP before a hopeful postseason run will begin. The Mountain West Championship will just consist of four of the 11 teams vying for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The MWC semifinals will take place on Nov. 11, while the championship match will be played Nov. 15. The locations of both rounds are still to be determined.
"We are excited and motivated to have a great season ahead," Cissell said. "The coaching staff is very optimistic about what this team is capable of in this conference. With just four teams making the conference tournament, we know each game will hold so much importance."
For the entire 2026 women's soccer schedule, click here.
GCU Softball NCAA Regional Championship vs. Nebraska - Postgame Press Conference
Monday, May 18
“I’m good. I got these next two batters…”
Sunday, May 17
The Lopes Walk It Off
Sunday, May 17
GCU Softball NCAA Tournament vs. South Dakota - Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, May 17