The Southern Utah University women’s soccer team welcomed in the Grand Canyon University Lopes on Sept. 28 for a conference showdown, where the Lopes ultimately came away with a 4-1 win.
Grand Canyon got the scoring started early in this competition when, in the ninth minute, senior forward Gianna Gourley took a rebounding ball off the Southern Utah goal post and kicked it in, making it 1-0 in favor of the Lopes.
The offensive attack would continue for Grand Canyon in the 35th minute when Gourley found fellow senior Bekah Valdez with a touch pass, leading to an easy score for GCU.
The second half started with much of the same, and on a fast break in the 53rd minute, Gourley connected with senior Lindsey Prokop to earn her second assist of the night . This gave GCU an imposing 3-0 lead.
Gourley continued to stuff the stat sheet. In the 67th minute of play, she was able to convert an assist from junior Renee Sainz into her second match goal.
Facing a shutout, the Thunderbirds responded in the 72nd minute, going on a fastbreak attempt that ended with a goal from redshirt sophomore Whitney Gardner, cutting into the GCU lead for a 4-1 ballgame.
Unfortunately for the Thunderbirds, that is where the comeback attempt ended — both teams would go scoreless for the remainder of the game. The loss moves SUU to 0-6-5 on the season and 0-1-1 in conference play, while GCU shifts to 8-4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Up next
The Thunderbirds will continue their homestand on Sunday, Oct. 1, when they welcome California Baptist University into town. The game will be played at 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Author: Aidan Mortensen
Photos courtesy of SUU Athletics
Editor: Anden Garfield
sports@suunews.net
