The Grand Canyon University men's soccer team (4-8-2, 2-3-1) used a goal apiece in the first and second half to stake a 2-1 victory over Houston Baptist (2-7-2, 1-4-0) in a Western Athletic Conference meeting tonight at Sorrels Field in Houston, Tex. The victory was the second in the past three games for the Antelopes (2-0-1), who also picked up a tie with Air Force in that time.

Alberto Sanchez Garcia collceted his team-leading fourth score of the season in the first half, and was followed by Kyle Summerhill in the second half, who gave the Lopes a two-goal cushion and scored what proved to be the game-winner.

Daniel Wall also tallied his second assist of the season on Summerhill's goal.

"Tonight was a very intense game," said head coach Petar Draksin. "Alberto scored a beautiful free kick goal early on. We dropped off a little bit after that, but the key moment was Kyle's awesome goal. He came off the bench and did his job. I am proud of the team. We are getting some of our injured players back, and it's really paying dividends."

The Lopes and Huskies attempted 13 shots each, with GCU taking six shots on goal to HBU's five. Sanchez Garcia led the squad with eight shots, half of which were on target.

The physical game saw 11 total yellow cards and one red card issued throughout, as GCU was forced to play with 10 men late in the contest following an ejection to Niki Jackson in the 85^th minute.

"Always in soccer, when you take the lead, the other team throws everything they have at you, so I thought our defense was oustanding the entire game," added Draksin. "The 10 men withstood the attack from Houston Baptist late in the game."

GCU's offensive pressure was evident early, as Sanchez Garcia quickly put the Lopes on the board in the 19^th minute. He found the back of the net off of a free kick following an HBU foul to hand GCU the 1-0 advantage.

At the break, the two teams were tied with four shots apiece, although GCU held the 2-1 advantage in shots on goal. Lopes keeper Luca Licciardi stopped the lone shot on target by the Huskies. Licciardi finished with a season-high-tying four saves on the night.

"Luca had another fantastic night in goal," Draksin said.

HBU came out on the offensive attack in the second half, taking four shots within the first 15 minutes. However, the Lopes once again took control of the offensive momentum and built their lead to 2-0 on Summerhill's score in the 66^th minute. He was assisted by Wall on a cross to the right side.

Less than five minutes later, the Huskies cut GCU's lead in half when Ricky-Paul Mupier scored on an assist from Gustavo Alvarado on a corner kick.

GCU's defense allowed just two more shots to HBU before the final buzzer rang to secure the road win. Similar to the first half, the two teams were equal in shot attempts, this time with nine.

"Our whole back defensive line did a great job tonight," said Draksin. "We had so many guys that played their hearts out tonight and it was an important win for us. We will now recover and get ready for a very good Incarnate Word team."

GCU will play their final road contest of the season when they travel to San Antonio, Tex., to take on Incarnate Word on Sunday at 12 p.m. (Arizona time). Fans can follow the action via live video and stats by visiting www.gculopes.com.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Men's NCAA Tournament First Round Recap

TeamRank Presented By TeamSnap - Boys

Midwest High School Roundup - Nov.