"Our philosophy throughout the entire tournament was that all our wins were program wins," said Lopes' Head Coach Hannah Bolton. "It was never about either of our individual teams winning the tournament. We were trying to win the tournament as GCU."
That program-wide mindset came into play several times last weekend as Grand Canyon University Women's Club Soccer sent both GCU Purple and GCU Black to compete in the San Diego Cup in San Diego, California. After a long weekend of competitive play, GCU Purple secured the championship title, but not without the help of GCU Black.
The Lopes road-tripped all the way to California only to play each other in a GCU faceoff for the first game of the tournament. While not ideal logistically, Bolton saw it as an opportunity for both squads. GCU Purple defeated GCU Black, 3-0, and both teams embarked on the rest of the tournament feeling more relaxed with a game under their belt.
"Playing each other the first game was tough on the players," said Bolton. "However, it was best for us as a program because we got to ease into the tournament."
GCU Purple then forced two more shutouts against California State University San Marcos, 1-0, and California State University Fullerton, 2-0.
"Our backline did an excellent job in both of those games," said Bolton. "There weren't many shots on goal."
The Lopes' defensive efforts were led by the GCU freshman Kylee Evans, who was later named tournament MVP.
While suffering back-to-back losses knocked GCU Black out of the tournament, Bolton credited them with helping GCU Purple's road to the title.
"The success that GCU Black had tiring out University of Arizona in their earlier game allowed GCU Purple to be successful later on," said Bolton. "That all aligns with our program win mentality."
In the championship match, GCU Purple took a 1-0 lead against UofA when sophomore Brynn Christenson scored early in the first half. The Wildcats tied it late in the second half to force an overtime shootout to decide the match. Despite this high-pressure scenario, Lopes' goalkeeper Clarissa Harris stepped up.
"Clarissa made a big save on (the Wildcats') fourth kick," said Bolton. "She was so excited for this moment. She came out and embraced it."
Harris' save solidified a Lopes' win and first place title. Along with Evans' MVP honors, Harris was given the golden gloves award, and Lopes' freshman Riley Tovar received the golden boot award for most goals scored on the winning team.
The Lopes return to action this weekend. GCU Black heads to Tempe to play Arizona State University at 6:30 pm on Friday, and GCU Purple will face University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Sunday at 10 am.
