In a game that was never close after the first six minutes, the Grand Canyon University Women's Lacrosse team built a nine-goal halftime lead en route to a 14-4 victory over the University of California-San Diego Saturday night at GCU Soccer Stadium on the GCU Campus. The Lopes (4-3 overall, 2-0 WWLL) are off to their best start in Western Women's Lacrosse League South Division play since 2017, which is also the last time before tonight the Lopes enjoyed a double-digit win over a division opponent. The loss drops the Tritons to a record of 1-3 overall and 0-2 in WWLL play.
 
Lopes' fans who arrived a few minutes late to the stadium missed much of the Lopes' offense for the game. GCU's top two scoring leaders, Shaylee Smith and Paige DeVries, set the tone by scoring goals in the game's first 90 seconds, and the Tritons' defense stayed on its heels for the remainder of the first half. GCU scored six goals in the first 7:14 of the 1^st quarter, and eight different goal scorers led the Lopes to a 10-1 halftime edge. While the insertion of UCSD's backup goalie, Kate Shanley, slowed the GCU offense in the 3^rd quarter, it did little to get the Tritons' offense on track. UCSD never got closer than seven after halftime and went at least 10 minutes without scoring two different times in the game.
 
Both Smith and DeVries recorded 'hat tricks' (three goals each), while Smith's younger sister, Ceana, added a pair of goals and two assists.
 
The Lopes spend next weekend across town in Tempe playing three opponents at the Cactus Classic hosted by Arizona State University, then will return to ASU to face the rival Sun Devils in WWLL play February 29. The Lopes' next home game will happen on Saturday, March 2, when they host Utah Valley University in a noon faceoff at the GCU Practice Soccer Field. Admission is FREE.