The Grand Canyon University women's soccer team (1-8-1, 0-2-0) dropped a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) contest with visiting Utah Valley (7-4-2, 2-1-0), 2-0, Sunday at GCU Soccer Field. The Antelopes outshot the Wolverines in the matinee, 23-8, with 14 of those shots coming in the opening half.

"We came out very well and hit the bar in the first 20 seconds of the game," said head coach Stevie Gill. "We had numerous other chances but could not find the back of the net. With a 23-8 advantage on shots, it is clear that we need to work on our finishing."

The Lopes narrowly missed on a scoring chance less than a minute into the contest, as forward Cassie Cassie Beckwith struck the crossbar with a shot. GCU applied offensive pressure throughout the first half, as the Lopes held a distinct advantage in the shots category in the first 45 minutes of action, putting up 14 shots to UVU's two.

The lone goal of the first half came from Utah Valley's Sydney Fitzpatrick, who scored in the 32^nd minute to give the Wolverines a 1-0 advantage heading into intermission.

Beckwith led the offensive charge up front in the first 45 minutes, tallying five shots, with a pair of those being on target. Jessica Valadez and Nikki Stanley each put a shot on goal in the first half.

Utah Valley scored again in the 55^th minute to go on top, 2-0. The Lopes continued to battle, but came up short, falling by a final of 2-0.

Grand Canyon dominated in the shots category, as the home team finished with a 23-8 advantage.

Patricia Pape put one shot on target in the second half and Beckwith also recorded a shot on goal, giving her a total of three on the afternoon. Beckwith finished with nine shots, while Maria Monterroso collected five shots, with four of those being in the second half, to contribute to the Canyon offensive attack.

Freshman keeper Blakely Fraasch got the start in goal, making three saves in the conference affair.

"In all honesty, I thought it was a lackluster performance today," said Gill. "I think that we need to work much harder in order to be successful both on and off the ball. Our goalkeeper, Blakely, had a very good game and did very well with the shots she needed to handle."

"With the injuries we currently have, I think that we are asking a lot of the younger players and they may need additional time in order to really compete at the D-1 level," said Gill. "No excuses. We need to work harder and be more consistent in our play, period."

The Lopes will head to Seattle U and Utah Valley next weekend for their first WAC road games of the season. Additional information regarding next weekend can be found at www.gculopes.com.

UVU 2, GCU 0
 

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