Phoenix, Arizona – April 2, 2026 – The experience came to the forefront in the end.
 
In their final home game of the season, Grand Canyon University Women's Lacrosse's senior contingent ensured that their last time in front of the home crowd would be a joyous one, turning a halftime deficit into an eventual 16-11 win over the University of Arizona at GCU Soccer Stadium on Saturday.
 
The desperation to keep their playoff hopes afloat seemed apparent for both teams as each got on the board within the first three minutes of the game. The first GCU score came off a senior connection — midfielder Nicole Terry to attacker Layla Cates – and fellow senior Samantha Klumpp put one in the net five minutes later. The Lopes added two more first-half goals, but were overtaken by the Wildcats' offense, who expanded on a one-goal lead after one quarter to head into the locker room with a 7-4 edge at halftime.
 
It got worse before it got better for GCU, as the crowd watched the Wildcats widen the lead to 9-4. Then the Lopes began chipping away, using two more goals from Cates (including a behind-the-back stunner) as well as goals from seniors Breelyn Caffey and Ava Loeffler to close out the 3^rd quarter on a 4-1 run.
 
And then? GCU flipped the switch on defense.
 
"Our mindset just shifted in the 2nd half," said GCU Head Coach Tracy Ramirez. "We talked a lot at halftime about how our team was playing too reactive, too safe, and that they needed to trust their training and take control of the game."
 
A 10-8 Arizona lead after three quarters quickly turned purple thanks to GCU's increased defensive intensity, which allowed the Lopes to take a 12-11 lead at the 8:23 mark on midfielder Grace Kelder's second score of the match. Any possible U of A rally was quickly doused by goals from seniors Cates, fellow senior Kari McMahon, and a high difficulty shot from GCU freshman attacker Evie Yoon. Cates ended the contest with five goals and two assists, with Loeffler adding four more goals.
 
The 16 goals scored by the Lopes marked their highest goal of the season and matched their goal total against the Wildcats in their last meeting (a 16-5 GCU win in Tucson last spring). 12 of the goals Sunday were scored by seniors.
 
"Our seniors have been very impactful during their time here and I'm so grateful for all of them," said Ramirez. "They've shown a lot of dedication and set a standard. They set an atmosphere of, 'We work hard here but we also have a lot of fun.' I hope that pushes the rest of the team after they graduate."
 
The Lopes now look to their last Western Women's Lacrosse League conference game of the season: a matchup with Arizona State University on April 8 at 7PM. The game was rescheduled after being postponed from its originally scheduled date of March 28 due to a bee attack at the ASU athletic facility earlier that day.