let's be real, Grand Canyon never got comfortable Wednesday night. The Lopes went to UC Davis and came home with a 3-0 loss in Mountain West play, a result that marked their first conference defeat of the season.
That’s the story. GCU had the first real look of the match, and senior midfielder Sophia Rubano was right there on it, but UC Davis keeper Cat Pieper turned away her right-footed strike and finished with eight saves and the shutout. In a game like this, that early chance matters because it can change the whole feel of the night, so what happens when the first opening goes begging and the other side answers almost immediately?
UC Davis answered fast. Just under two minutes later, Ashley Brewer sent in a cross, Kaya Herndon flicked it across the box, and the ball found the left side of the goal past Emma Knack. That was the kind of swing GCU could never quite recover from, because once the Aggies had the lead they kept pressing and kept making the Lopes chase the game.
The second half did not bring the reset GCU needed. UC Davis scored again a minute after the break, then Herndon added another in the 68th minute to finish the scoring. Grand Canyon was shut out and, according to the match report, allowed multiple goals for the first time this season. That is a hard line for any team to absorb, especially on a short week with travel in the middle of it, because how do you settle into a road match when the margin keeps widening and the clock keeps moving the wrong way?
The numbers tell the same story. GCU finished with 10 shots and seven shots on goal, while UC Davis had nine shots and seven on goal. The Lopes also had three corners, the same as the Aggies, but the home side made its chances count. Grand Canyon is now 5-3-4 overall and 1-1-1 in conference play, while UC Davis moved to 4-7-2 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain West.
Now the Lopes head home briefly before getting back on a plane for Air Force. That’s the next stop, and after a night like this, the response matters just as much as the result.
— Stephen A. Spliff
