The Grand Canyon University women's soccer team (3-9-1, 2-3-0) fell to Western Athletic Conference (WAC) leader Kansas City (9-3-2, 5-0-0), 2-0, Friday night at Durwood Soccer Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

"I think that UMKC will be the team to beat this year in the WAC," said head coach Stevie Gill. "They have some very talented players who run off the ball really well. We came out exceptionally slow in the first half and did not compete well. We played much better in the second half but gave away too many silly chances and against good teams, like UMKC, they punish you."

Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard in the first 45 minutes of action, as reigning Disney Soccer/NSCAA National Player of the Week Blakely Fraasch stopped three first half shots to eliminate any scoring chances for Kansas City.

Kansas City struck with two goals in less than a five-minute span in the second half to go on top, 2-0. The Lopes continued to battle, but were unable to find the back of the net, falling 2-0 to the conference-leading 'Roos.

Forward Milla Benedetti led the Canyon offensive attack, as the freshman fired three shots on the evening, with all three being on goal. Taylor Layton and Cassie Beckwith added a pair of shots each in the conference affair, with one of Layton's shots being on target.

Fraasch grabbed five more saves in the second half for a tally of eight on the night.

"Blakely had another great game in net and Valadez was solid at the back," said Gill. "Milla was dangerous when she came on up front but we lacked an overall sense of urgency throughout the game. We need to do things much quicker on Sunday in order to be successful against Chicago State."

The Lopes will now travel to Chicago State for Sunday's Western Athletic Conference showdown with the Cougars. Kickoff in Chicago is set for 11 a.m. (Arizona Time). No live coverage of the game will be available, so fans can find a full recap of Sunday's action at www.gculopes.com.

Kansas City 2, GCU 0

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