New coaching and a brand new season.

After an offseason of change for the Grand Canyon University Women's Rugby team, the Lopes opened up their fourth season with a 19-5 victory over the University of California-Santa Barbara Saturday afternoon in Santa Barbara, California. The win – which officially began the tenure of new Lopes' Head Coach Lindsey Mahoney – avenged the two losses the Lopes suffered at the hands of the Gauchos last year, including in the Pacific Desert Rugby Conference Championship Match. 

Considering the off-season overhaul, it didn't take much time for Mahoney to settle into her role as head coach.

"There has been a lot of change in the team," said Mahoney. "The start of the game was flat, but the girls were able to build momentum off of that. We have really hard runners that were able to change that pace and built our confidence.  It went uphill from there."

The Lopes' Ashley Jones got GCU on the board with a try (and a successful two-point conversion by Heather Thomas) to take a 7-0 lead. GCU's Jasmine Fifer extended the lead to a 12-0 halftime edge with the Lopes' second try of the day. The Gauchos would finally answer back in the second half with a try, but failed to complete the conversion. The Lopes put the game out of reach with another try from Amberae Falemalu and conversion by Thomas.

"This win definitely gave our team a huge confidence boost," said Thomas. "This win showed our team what we are capable of and how much potential we have. It also showed us what specifically we need to improve on for our future games against really good competitors."

The final tally reflected not only GCU's skills but ability to come together as a team.

"From the start, we have established our values and our goals," said Mahoney. "Now, I think we have the right process to move forward in the season. You can see that the girls are enjoying each other in the game."

The Lopes' captains, first-year forward Megan Cooney and junior back Temprist Smith, both had breakout performances. Mahoney praised Cooney's side step, while Smith set the tone on the back line.

"I was proud of each girl," said Mahoney. "Being our first match, every single girl had something that distinguished them in their play, and it was cool to see."

The Lopes return to the pitch this Saturday, Jan. 18 at 1 pm on their home turf against Brigham Young University.  The game will be held at the GCU Practice Soccer Field on the west side of the GCU campus.