Some victories are extra sweet.

Grand Canyon University Women's Club Soccer claimed a victory over Arizona State University this past weekend. While the dominant 5-1 final score was already worth celebrating, the win also secured the Lopes a spot in the regional playoffs.

"This is the first time in program history that we have qualified for regionals," said Lopes' Head Coach Hannah Bolton. "We are sometimes underestimated in our conference. So, to come out this year and be a dominant team that people fear playing just gives us some of the legitimacy that we deserve."

The Lopes came out strong on both sides of the ball and closed out the first half with a 2-0 lead.

The Sun Devils managed to find the back of the net for one goal in the second half but losing the shutout did not stifle the Lopes' confidence as they pulled away.  

"All of the goals we scored were the result of the entire team's effort," said Bolton. "We have been working a lot in practice on our transition from defending to attacking. We play a formation that a lot of our girls had never used before, so it took some time to work it in, but it definitely clicked this past weekend."

A win of this nature will always be celebrated happily, but the timing of this victory sets up the squad for future success.

"We have talked about our season being a slow process, and that we want to peak at the right time," said Bolton. "This game against ASU was just proof that we are peaking at the right time. This will give the girls some confidence that we are doing things right, and things are coming together nicely as we head into regionals."

The Lopes head to San Luis Obispo, California on Friday Oct. 29 to take on a still-to-be-determined opponent. While this game holds more pressure than the Lopes are accustomed to, the squad intends to lean on ambitions that go beyond this weekend.

"Our goal was not to qualify for regionals," said Bolton. "Our goal is to win nationals."