PHOENIX, Ariz – In a tightly contested match against Grand Canyon(1-5-1), the Vandal women's soccer team held the Lopes to a 1-0  contest until the 78th minute, when GCU scored a heartbreaking goal, followed up with the game winner in the 85th minute prevailing over the Vandals 2-1 Friday night.

In the first half, the scoreless contest was broken-up in the 27th minute with an own goal by the Lopes. The ball bounced off a GCU defender with the assistance of sophomore Gabby Leong, helping the Vandals take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

“We did things well for portions of the game,” head coach Derek Pittman said. “For moments we fought really hard and for periods of the match we did the right thing. We were dangerous on the attack, tough defensively and set pieces came together.”

In the second half, Grand Canyon's Maria Monterroso fired one into the back of the net and notched the game tying goal. Seven minutes after her first goal, Monterroso added her second goal of the day with an assist from Cassie Beckwith.  

“When the game got tight and the equalizer goal was shot, we just weren't able to get the second goal to put the game away,” Pittman said. “We need to work on the pressure of leading the match late in the second half.”

Grand Canyon held a 31-8 advantage on shots, the majority of which came from near midfield. Both teams notched eight corners on the night. Sophomore goalkeeper Torell Stewart recorded 10 saves, while GCU's Daryl Bradley registered two stops.

“We need to pay more attention to detail in order to become a successful team even when the game is on the line,” Pittman said. “We need to be able to close out games and be strong enough mentally and physically.”

The Vandals continue their tour of the desert state with a faceoff Sunday against Arizona at noon PT. The game is broadcast free through the PAC-12 network.