Anim’s goal, stout defense shut out Sacramento State

Sunday, August 23

Sacramento, CA

5 PM

Grand Canyon

1-1-0, 0-0-0

Sacramento State

1-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Grand Canyon	1	0	1
Sacramento St.	0	0	0

Anim’s goal, stout defense shut out Sacramento State

8/23/2026 7:37:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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21st-ranked Lopes snatch Davies' 1st GCU win on road

By: Nick Macdonald

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – No. 21 Grand Canyon finished its northern California road trip with a shutout victory over Sacramento State, winning 1-0 Sunday evening behind lockdown defensive play and a dazzling left-footed strike by freshman Godson Anim.

News and notes

The contest's lone goal came off the left foot of Anim in the 35th minute. Anim was set up by classmate Joao Goncalinho, both recording their first collegiate points.
Two days after Sacramento State tallied 21 shots, GCU's defense held the Hornets to seven shots with just two on goal.
GCU fifth-year goalkeeper Beltran Fernandez tallied a pair of saves.

"Great team win tonight!" said Head Coach Jamie Davies. "The first weekend is always difficult especially playing away but we've been able to play in two great games and learn a lot about ourselves. Very happy with how we won tonight and this group will keep getting better and better."

The defenses of both sides maintained their opposing offenses through the first 20 minutes of play as the first shot recorded came in the 12th minute of action. In each of their first respective outings, both sides combined for 37 shots, but GCU's defense allowed little to no room for a Hornets offense that scored three goals Thursday night.

Junior Alan Hermitte took a long cross and sent a ball in toward the bottom left of the net for GCU's first shot on goal and countered that attack with five corners in a three-minute stretch.

The pressure built by the offense broke through in the 35th minute off the foot of Anim, who dribbled toward the left side corner flag and sent a blistering left foot shot on net. The spin of the ball tailed toward and eventually over the line off a slight goalie deflection as the Lopes broke the 0-0 stalemate.

Concalinho was credited with the assist, his first career collegiate point.

GCU held the Hornets to two shots, zero shots on goal and one corner in the first half.

The defense came out of halftime like it did in the first opening minutes, stopping would be counter attacks from the Hornets. Sacramento State had a seemingly good attempt on goal in the 52nd minute, but a diving Cruzeiro Cruz thwarted away the attack with his body.

Both teams combined for seven cards on the night, most notably a straight red card given to Sacramento State for unsporting behavior in the 54th minute. GCU held a man advantage the rest of the way.

Both sides had back-to-back sequences of chances to score soon after. Senior Sabri Hanni's shot was saved (57') and junior Raul Vazquez's right side post attempt was also stopped (58'). The Hornets' best looks at goal came minutes later, both long, deep strikes on net that were saved by Fernandez.

Last minute efforts from Sacramento State were halted in the final 90 seconds. Recording two of its three total corners in the 89th and 90th minute, both attempts were cleared away and punched out by Fernandez.

GCU outshot the Hornets 10-7 – its second straight match outshooting its opposition – and finished with five shots on goal and six corners.

GCU returns home for the first of five straight at GCU Stadium Friday, August 28 against UC Riverside. Kick-off is at 7 p.m. on MW+.