The Grand Canyon University Flag Football team built an early lead, then let their defense handle the rest in an impressive 18-0 victory in Week 4 of the City of Scottsdale Division 2 Flag Football League. It was the first shutout recorded by any team this season, and upped the Lopes' overall record to 2-1 as they pulled into a three-way tie for second place at the midpoint of the season.

The Lopes were in control of the game from the opening kickoff. Lopes' sophomore quarterback (and co-head coach) Sam Martin helped pace the Lopes to a 12-0 halftime lead, running in the first touchdown himself before hooking up with sophomore wideout Kristian Fralich for a TD strike. The Martin-to-Fralich combination struck again for another TD pass in the second half to put things out of reach.

Fralich was also a force on defense as every time the Lopes' opponents got close to spoiling the shutout, GCU's defense came up with timely interceptions. GCU strong safety/wide receiver (and co-head coach) Caleb Speier picked off a pair of passes, while Fralich came through with an interception of his own.

Martin accounted for 272 total yards on offense, and Speier was his favorite receiver on offense, reeling in seven catches for 83 yards. The Lopes' defense has now kept their opponents scoreless for three straight halves of football
GCU will try to keep their streak alive this Saturday, October 15 at 9 AM at Vista Del Camino Park in Scottsdale.