The Grand Canyon University men's soccer team (2-8-1, 1-3-0) today dropped a 2-0 decision to Kansas City (4-5-4, 3-1-1) in a Western Athletic Conference matchup at Durwood Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the third straight win for the 'Roos, who last weekend posted a 2-1 victory over the Antelopes in Phoenix, and are now tied with Seattle U for the most wins in the WAC (the Redhawks face off against Bakersfield later today).

"We were tight, flat, and we didn't play very well today," said head coach Petar Draksin. "Kansas City did what they needed to do. It almost mirrored last weekend, where we played hard against Houston Baptist but not well in our second game. We have to figure out the second game."

"We were over confident coming in to today," Draksin explained. "With that being said, these teams are physical and strong. We are playing some challenging teams, so we have to understand and get used to the fact that there are no easy games in Division I. We need to be ready to play every game."

The squads played to a scoreless tie in the first 45 minutes, although the 'Roos held the advantage in shots, 8-3, and placed the only shot on target for either team in the 14^th minute as GCU keeper Joshua Zehring recorded the save.

Kansas City held the offensive possession to open the second half, and looked to have taken the 1-0 lead in the 56^th minute after a Guerrero Pino shot hit the post and was kicked back in by Jordan Rideout, but the 'Roos were whistled for being offside.

The 'Roos then broke the scoreless tie in the 71^st minute when Alione Guy found the back of the net on an assist from Clay Stewart from the right side. The Kansas City defense kept the 'Lopes out of scoring position for much of the final 45 minutes, once again holding GCU to just three shots in the half.

GCU nearly tied the score when Gerrit Thomes' shot in the 82^nd minute hit the post, and similar to Kansas City's situation, the 'Lopes were whistled offside on their second attempt to equalize the score. However, the 'Roos cushioned their lead at 2-0 when Tom McCarthy pushed a Tato Chiaparro pass over the stretched out arms of Zehring in the 85^th minute.

The 'Lopes would get just one more shot attempt before the clock ran out of time. Offensively, Alberto Sanchez Garcia led the way with three shots.

"This may have been our worst game we have played all year," added Draksin. "When the score was 1-0, I pushed the last minutes to tie it up, so the second goal is on me. I was risking to get that tying goal."

"This is disappointing, and it hurts, but we will come home and practice all week to get ready for next weekend."

For the contest, the 'Roos outshot GCU, 19-6, putting seven of those attempts on goal as Zehring finished with four saves.

GCU continues their four-game road swing with a 7 p.m. contest at WAC affiliate member San Jose State on Oct. 25. Fans can check www.gculopes.com to follow the action.

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