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Knack, Johannes, Adams make MW Watch List
8/5/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Mountain West tab GCU for 4th-place finish with 1 1st-place vote
Mountain West women's soccer coaches are tabbing Grand Canyon for a rise in its second season as a conference member, and a respected Lopes trio is a major reason why.
GCU senior goalkeeper Emma Knack, junior forward Ellie Johannes and junior forward Amanda Adams were recognized with 30 other conference players on the preseason Mountain West Women's Soccer Watch List.
The Lopes were predicted to finish fourth, a six-spot bump from last season, in a preseason conference coaches poll that separates GCU, second-place Wyoming and third-place New Mexico by just four points. GCU received one first-place vote with Air Force getting receiving seven to be the conference favorite.
Returning the Mountain West leader in saves and save percentage helps make GCU a conference contender. Knack, the 5-foot-10 native of Isanti, Minnesota, made a splash a Lopes junior newcomer last season when she started all 18 matches.
Ranking sixth nationally with 119 saves and a 6.61 saves per match average, Knack recorded six shutouts and a 1.42 goals against average and a save percentage of 83.2%.
"Emma Knack is our goalkeeper is a leader and possesses tremendous goalkeeping skills," Cissell said. "She is a great shot stopper and is very good distributing out of the back. We are expecting great things from her this season."
Johannes, who graduated from nearby Northwest Community Christian in Glendale, came home to the Valley last season and had a memorable six-match stretch in which she posted three goals and three assists. That included a game-winning goal in a 1-0 Lopes victory against Northern Arizona. Her 3.47 shots per match ranked third in the Mountain West last season, when she led GCU with 27 shots on goal.
The 5-foot-5 junior started 14 of the Lopes' first 15 matches last season before joining the El Salvador national team for World Cup qualifying and friendly matches.
"Ellie Johannes is a very dangerous, attacking player," GCU seventh-year head coach Chris Cissell said. "She is a very versatile and can play in all attacking positions: center forward, wing forward and attacking center midfielder. She is very good at creating scoring opportunities for herself and for her teammates, and we expect her to be one of our leading scorers this season."
Adams fortifies the Lopes' scoring threats alongside Johannes after playing her first two college seasons at Houston. The 5-foot-6 native of Keller, Texas, started nine of 18 matches last season, she she scored a goal, added two assists an took 11 shots on goal in 875 minutes of action.
Her youth experience is rich with four months at TOVO Academy in Barcelon and stints on the U.S. Olympic Development Program's 2024 national team 2023 South Region team.
"Amanda Adams is one of the fastest and quickest players on the team," Cissell said. "She can play as a winger but also as a center forward. She has tremendous skill and is a very dynamic 1v1 player."
GCU will open the season Aug. 12 with a 7 p.m. match against Arizona at GCU Stadium. The game will be televised locally on 3TV and streamed on MW+.
GCU senior goalkeeper Emma Knack, junior forward Ellie Johannes and junior forward Amanda Adams were recognized with 30 other conference players on the preseason Mountain West Women's Soccer Watch List.
The Lopes were predicted to finish fourth, a six-spot bump from last season, in a preseason conference coaches poll that separates GCU, second-place Wyoming and third-place New Mexico by just four points. GCU received one first-place vote with Air Force getting receiving seven to be the conference favorite.
Returning the Mountain West leader in saves and save percentage helps make GCU a conference contender. Knack, the 5-foot-10 native of Isanti, Minnesota, made a splash a Lopes junior newcomer last season when she started all 18 matches.
Ranking sixth nationally with 119 saves and a 6.61 saves per match average, Knack recorded six shutouts and a 1.42 goals against average and a save percentage of 83.2%.
"Emma Knack is our goalkeeper is a leader and possesses tremendous goalkeeping skills," Cissell said. "She is a great shot stopper and is very good distributing out of the back. We are expecting great things from her this season."
Johannes, who graduated from nearby Northwest Community Christian in Glendale, came home to the Valley last season and had a memorable six-match stretch in which she posted three goals and three assists. That included a game-winning goal in a 1-0 Lopes victory against Northern Arizona. Her 3.47 shots per match ranked third in the Mountain West last season, when she led GCU with 27 shots on goal.
The 5-foot-5 junior started 14 of the Lopes' first 15 matches last season before joining the El Salvador national team for World Cup qualifying and friendly matches.
"Ellie Johannes is a very dangerous, attacking player," GCU seventh-year head coach Chris Cissell said. "She is a very versatile and can play in all attacking positions: center forward, wing forward and attacking center midfielder. She is very good at creating scoring opportunities for herself and for her teammates, and we expect her to be one of our leading scorers this season."
Adams fortifies the Lopes' scoring threats alongside Johannes after playing her first two college seasons at Houston. The 5-foot-6 native of Keller, Texas, started nine of 18 matches last season, she she scored a goal, added two assists an took 11 shots on goal in 875 minutes of action.
Her youth experience is rich with four months at TOVO Academy in Barcelon and stints on the U.S. Olympic Development Program's 2024 national team 2023 South Region team.
"Amanda Adams is one of the fastest and quickest players on the team," Cissell said. "She can play as a winger but also as a center forward. She has tremendous skill and is a very dynamic 1v1 player."
GCU will open the season Aug. 12 with a 7 p.m. match against Arizona at GCU Stadium. The game will be televised locally on 3TV and streamed on MW+.
MW Preseason Coaches Poll |
|||
| Rank | Team (first-place votes) | Points | |
| 1. |
 |
Air Force (7) | 96 |
| 2. |
 |
Wyoming (1) | 83 |
| 3. |
 |
New Mexico (2) | 82 |
| 4. |
 |
GCU (1) | 79 |
| 5. |
 |
Colorado College | 59 |
| 6. |
 |
Hawai'i | 50 |
| 7. |
 |
UNLV | 44 |
| 8. |
 |
UC Davis | 37 |
| 9. |
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UTEP | 27 |
| 10. |
 |
Nevada | 25 |
| 11. |
|
San José State | 23 |
Players Mentioned
Wednesday, August 05
Friday, July 31
Friday, July 31
Monday, July 27