Raiders Outlast GCU in Double Overtime
The Grand Canyon University men's soccer team (1-3-0) came out on the wrong end of a hard fought battle with visiting Wright State (4-1-1) as they fell, 3-2, to the Raiders in double overtime. The Antelopes led for much of the game, but WSU scored two unanswered goals to stake the victory in the 106th minute.
GCU held the advantage in shots, 22-17, and put seven of those on target. The Raiders had five shots on goal as GCU keeper Kendyl Day collected two saves in the match.
Alberto Sanchez Garcia led the offense for the Lopes, collecting five shots, including two on goal. Mark Serjeant, Niki Jackson, and Jose Rodriguez Nieblas added three apiece, with the latter also placing two on target.
"This is a game that hurts," said head coach Petar Draksin. "This was ours to win. I feel like we beat ourselves. The reality is, we didn't manage the game well and that came back to punish us. We had opportunities but didn't take advantage of it. We played our hearts out and did everything to win the game, but defensively we didn't manage the game well and it cost us."
"Wright State is a great team," Draksin said. "They just came back from losing a heartbreaker to San Diego State."
The Raider's came out on the attack early, taking four shots within the game's opening minutes. However, it was GCU who got on the board first when Sanchez Garcia's shot was deflected off WSU goalkeeper Tyler Blackmer into the back of the net. He was assisted by Serjeant on the play in the 24th minute.
WSU answered with a goal of their own just over six minutes later as Austin Seifert headed a Eric Lynch free kick past Day.
The Lopes carried the 2-1 lead into the half after Rodriguez Nieblas headed in an Ante Spajic throw in from the right side. At the break, GCU held the advantage in shots (10-7) as they pressured the WSU defense for much of the half.
After what looked to be a scoreless second half, the Raiders netted a bounce back goal in the 79th minute to equalize the score at two and force overtime.
Neither team produced much offense in the first overtime, combining for just three shots. The second overtime saw the two squad's trade shots before WSU scored the game-winner on a header by Jake Stovall.
GCU will now hit the road for a three-game road swing beginning with a 1:30 p.m. contest at Sacramento State on Friday, Sept. 19. Fans can follow the action live by visiting www.gculopes.com.
"We have a lot of heart and this is a tough group of kids," added Draksin. "Our schedule is tough, but these are the teams we want to play."
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