Lopes outshoot No. 23 UCSB, fall 2-1 Saturday

Saturday, September 12

Phoenix, Ariz.

7 p.m.

Grand Canyon

2-4-0, 0-0-0

UC Santa Barbara

3-1-2, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
UC Santa Barbara	0	2	2
Grand Canyon	0	1	1

Photo by: Presley Burdick

9/12/2026 10:46:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

GCU's Camaño nets 3rd goal of season

By: Nick Macdonald

Grand Canyon went toe to toe with its second nationally ranked opponent of the season Saturday night at GCU Stadium but fell 2-1 to No. 23 UC Santa Barbara after the Gauchos scored two second-half goals.

News and notes

Lopes freshman forward Arnau Camaño scored his third goal of the season early in the second half off a deflected shot by senior midfielder Jorge Lopez. The assist was Lopez's team-high third of the season.
GCU entered the match ranked fourth in the nation with 20.0 shots per game. While the streak of three straight 20-plus shot games was broken, the Lopes still took 15 shots with eight on goal, their third most this season.

"I am gutted for the boys having taken the lead in the game and being very dominant," Lopes head coach Jamie Davies said. "At the end of the day, goals decide games and we have to do more to get the win over the line. This is an incredible group of players and our time is coming."

In front of 1,100 Havocs and other fans on Youth Night, the Lopes (2-4) controlled most of the first half on the UC Santa Barbara defensive third, tallying eight shots with five on goal and seven corner kicks.

Gaucho goalkeeper Owen Beninga finished with five saves through the first 45 minutes as GCU peppered the net. Is best attempts came from junior Cruzeiro Cruz and Lopez, who had strong, right-footed shots on net that were caught at the goal line.

GCU's defensive unit limited UCSB to just one shot attempt and no shots on goal in the first half as freshman AJ Mather-Nash made his collegiate debut between the pipes.

With the offense buzzing in the first half, it finally connected via Camaño from 5 yards out in the 47th minute. Lopez broke free and attempted a shot on goal from left to right near the goal line, only for Beninga to punch it out toward the center box. Camaño's placement was perfect for the deflection and his right-foot touch broke the 0-0 draw. The Tona, Spain, native leads GCU with three goals this seaosn.

Less than five minutes later, the Gauchos evened the match via a header off a free kick.

Both squads nearly played even on shots in the second half, but UCSB found one more from distance as a long-ranged shot curled into the upper left of the goal.

GCU again applied pressure and tallied four shots over the final five minutes. Camaño nearly had his second goal and the equalizer in the final minute, but the sliding attempt was stopped by the goalkeeper.

The Lopes conclude their five-match homestand Wednesday versus California Baptist. The match time has been moved up by a half hour to 6 p.m. with live coverage on MW+ and Arizona's Family Sports.