The tough competition for the Grand Canyon University Women's Lacrosse team continued this weekend going up against two top ten nationally ranked teams and their fourth nationally ranked opponent this season. The ranked teams played like it as No. 6 San Diego State University downed the Lopes, 13-2, Friday night, and No. 5 University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) dropped the Lopes to a 1-5 overall record with a 15-5 decision Saturday.

Friday: SDSU 13, GCU 2

The Lopes were able to hold the Aztecs from scoring in the first 12 minutes of the game, but GCU struggled to keep up with SDSU's quick ball movement on offense. The result? An Aztecs' 8-1 halftime lead. Paige Loeffler scored the only goal in the first half for the Lopes' and led the team with five ground balls. Becca Luedemann helped on the defensive end with one ground ball and one caused turnover.

"Becca has been a huge player on our defensive end, and showed that this weekend," said GCU Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Tracy Gallihugh. "You will always see her pressuring the ball, causing bad passes, and knocking down balls. It was a hard-fought game and probably the best I've seen the program play. If we can get our attacking end down, we will be golden."

Saturday: UCLA 15, GCU 5

A sluggish start doomed the Lopes Saturday as UCLA jumped on them early and often, taking a 13-2 lead at halftime, and cruised from there.

"Our low intensity and passion in the first half put us down," said Gallihugh. "We were able to pull it together at halftime, and being able to win even a half against a top-ranked team like UCLA shows a lot of our program's growth and potential."
Loeffler once again led the GCU offense with three goals and five ground balls, while freshman Olivia Jensen added five ground balls and one caused turnover.

The GCU Women's Lacrosse team takes on Colorado State University this Friday, Feb. 28, at GCU's Prescott Field at 6 pm. Admission is FREE.