The Grand Canyon University men's soccer team (4-10-2, 2-5-1) came out on the wrong side of a tough defensive battle, falling 2-1 to visiting San Jose State (6-8-1, 4-2-1) tonight in a Western Athletic Conference matchup on the GCU Soccer Field.

"It is disappointing to lose this game at home," said head coach Petar Draksin. "Our midfield opened up for them and they utilized it. We should have scored more goals - we had the opportunities and didn't capitalize on them. You won't win games unless you take advantage of those chances."

"We are young and we are making mistakes," added Draksin. "The game at this level is so fast, and you get punished if you don't defend. We practice and talk about making stops in the midfield, and we didn't do that tonight."

The Spartans held the narrow advantage in shots, 10-9, putting four of those on goal. The Antelopes collected three shots on target.

Niki Jackson netted his fourth goal of the season and finished with two shot attempts in the game, both on goal. Alberto Sanchez Garcia tallied five shots, while Jaime Olabarria and Courage Chirandu each added one apiece.

The two teams struggled to get their offense going early as the defense shined in the first half, but both found their offensive rhythm later in the game as they combined for 14 shots over the final 45 minutes.

The squads played to a scoreless tie in the first half, combining for only five shots over the first 45 minutes. Olabarria, Sanchez Garcia, and Chirandu accounted for GCU's attempts in the opening half.

SJSU opened the scoring in the 53^rd minute when Enrique Montano sent the ball past a diving GCU goalkeeper Luca Licciardi on a free kick just outside of the box.

Less than two minutes later, Jackson scored the equalizer on a penalty kick following a Spartans foul.

In the 60^th minute, Greg Harte dribbled the ball past Licciardi to put the Spartans ahead for good. He was assisted by Montano on the play.

The Lopes return to GCU Soccer Field for a 1 p.m. meeting with Bakersfield on Sunday. The game can be followed via live stats and video on the WAC Digital Network by visiting www.gculopes.com.

"Bakersfield is a fantastic team, and we have to be better than we were tonight."

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