Continuing to hustle.
The Grand Canyon University Men's Lacrosse Team returned to GCU's Prescott Field for back-to-back games last weekend, beating University of California Los Angeles on Saturday, 9-5, before losing to University of Southern California on Sunday, 13-12, in overtime. The weekend kept the Lopes in the middle of the MCLA Southwestern Lacrosse Conference standings with a record of 5-4.
Saturday: GCU 9, UCLA 5
"How in the world are these guys still running like this?!" said UCLA Head Coach Zack Winters as he watched GCU senior Griffin Rodas run laps around the Bruins' goal, bleeding out the clock in the final moments of Saturday's match with the Lopes.
Rewind about 15 minutes or so, and the crowd surrounding Prescott Field was watching the 3rd quarter wind down in a 5-5 tie. The Lopes hadn't gone up more than two goals at any time during the match, and UCLA looked to continue to keep pace in the 4th quarter.
The Lopes had other plans.
Going into high gear, GCU collected seemingly every ground ball and outhustled the Bruins in the final quarter. Lopes' attackman Nick Whittall added a couple of goals to cap off his four-point performance, and face-off specialist Matt Hartig continued to give the Lopes possession after every score, scooping up nine ground balls in the game.
GCU goalie Jake Hives was outstanding in the crease for the Lopes, being a vocal leader for the defense, and shutting out UCLA in the final quarter. Hives' save percentage of 69%, recording 11 saves to only five goals allowed, marked his best performance for a single game this year.
"We really turned it on in the 4th quarter with our defensive communication," said Hives. "With our defense, and the way the offense was controlling the ball on the other end, it felt great to get this one."
The Lopes have used hustle and conditioning at the end of games to their advantage frequently this year, and GCU Head Coach Jeff Guy understood why.
"We have a group of really athletic guys on the team this year, and so when we can let them get out and just run, especially in transition and at the end of games, good things happen," said Guy.
Sunday: USC 13, GCU 12 (F/OT)
It's been a while since the Lopes have matched up against the division-rival Trojans on the field, since their last meeting, a 14-11 USC win in Los Angeles, occurred all the way back in 2020.
Knowing they had a chance to greatly increase their postseason odds with a win, yet trailing, 5-2, at halftime, the Lopes responded by hanging six goals on the Trojans in the 3rd quarter, even taking a two-goal lead at one point. GCU attackmen Nick Whittall and Tyler Parietti combined for six goals in the second half, while UCLA attackmen Garrett Kuntz and Jack Watters did the same. Turning into a back-and-forth slugfest, the two squads were tied at 12 as regulation ended.
Unfortunately for the Lopes, a deflected pass by a USC midfielder found its way into the GCU net with just seconds left in the overtime period, and the Trojans walked away with the win.
The Lopes will celebrate their seniors this Saturday, April 9, in their final home game for the season. GCU will host archrival Arizona State University in the Lopes' only GCU Soccer Stadium appearance of 2022, and first faceoff is scheduled for 7PM. Admission is FREE.
