Grand Canyon University Athletics

The Grand Canyon men's soccer did not win another conference championship Saturday night, but it sure felt like it for the Lopes for a few minutes.

With the scenario of needing a win against UNLV and a California Baptist-San Diego State tie to share the WAC regular-season title, both matches were tied late in the second halves before UNLV took a 2-1 lead at GCU Stadium.

The Lopes responded with a passionate flurry that was nonstop as the crowd's vuvuzelas. They tied the match in the 80th minute and scored the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute of a 3-2 win in front of 1,423 fans.

What they could not control came moments later in San Diego. A San Diego State red card in the 88th minute led to California Baptist scoring an 89th-minute shorthanded goal for a 2-1 victory that earned the outright WAC title.

With its win, GCU (9-3-4, 3-1-3 WAC) still vaulted into a second-place tie with Utah Tech, but the Trailblazers will get the WAC Tournament's No. 2 seed and corresponding first-round bye. Utah Tech and GCU tied, giving the Trailblazers the second tiebreaker with its win against California Baptist.

The Lopes will be the WAC Tournament No. 3 seed at CBU and have a Nov. 9 match against No. 6 seed Utah Valley, whose season was revived by virtue of GCU eliminating UNLV's chance.

"It was the best crowd of the year," Lopes head coach George Kiefer said. "To be down 2-1 with 11 minutes to go, the only thing we could do to even have a shot at winning was going for it. We went for it hard with the moves we made and the guys we put it. They did everything we asked of them."

GCU freshman Junior Diouf scored twice Saturday night to give him 14 goals in 15 matches this season. That ties him for third most in the nation, trailing co-leaders Palmer Ault of Indiana and Donovan Philip of North Carolina State by one.

After UNLV took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute, the Lopes tied the game in the 30th minute because sophomore midfielder Xande Santos sent a pass from the midfield and curled it around a defender to Diouf streaking down the center of the field.

UNLV goalkeeper Hugo Lemos slid into Diouf, drawing a foul for flipping him and giving Diouf a penalty kick. Just as he had for a tying goal against Utah Tech on Oct. 23, Diouf crept to the ball and hit the lower-left corner of the net despite Lemos guessing right with his leap.

The tie remained until halftime and until the 62nd minute, when a backfield error led to UNLV's Tyler Ware steal and goal for a 2-1 lead.

Senior forward Ben Assane, who would play a part in each of GCU's final two goals, re-entered the contest in the 65th minute and made his first threat with a 73rd-minute shot that was set up by redshirt freshman Raul Vazquez.

In the 80th minute, Assane made his finest and most significant play as a Lope.

GCU junior defender Felipe Cobian split two Rebels in the backfield to spark the scoring chance. He centered the ball to freshman midfielder Diego Sanchez, who sent the ball ahead to Assane in open space on the right side.

"When I haven't scored five, six games, I knew I would have one on Senior Night for sure," Assane said. "I put this one in my top two (all-time)."

Assane dribbled away one defender and then shot between the legs of another from 20 yards for a 2-2 tie and his second goal of the season.

"That's the best I've seen him play," Kiefer said. "I was really happy for him."

The team captain from Senegal was not done making his Senior Night one to remember. GCU continued to be the aggressor, knowing UNLV would pack its defense because a tie would punch its tournament ticket.

The Lopes' Senegalese connection struck again when Diouf took possession in the middle of the field on an upfield pass by junior midfielder Martin Luala of Phoenix. Diouf sent the ball wide to his countryman, Assane, and then darted 40 yards down the middle to receive the return pass from Assane in the box.

The electric, clutch performer put himself in the right place, deflecting the UNLV defender's clear attempt with his body into the net.

Diouf declines the attention of postgame interviews, sending them to teammates such as Assane and Luala.

"From him, that just comes natural," Assane said of Diouf's fourth brace of the season. "That's a connection. He knows where I am. I know where he is. I just have to get the ball to him, and he gets the ball to me."

No other freshman in the nation even has double-digit goals, but Diouf's 14-goal season ranks second in GCU's Division I era to Niki Jackson's record of 16 in 2016.

"Junior's football was good tonight," Kiefer said. "He was really clean on the ball. We love what he is doing here, but how do we keep helping him develop? His first touch, his passes, everything he does. He was really sharp."

Assane, goalkeeper Daniel Ibarra, forward Nelson Gomez Rodriguez and defender Erick Monge each played in a match where Kiefer went 20 deep with trust gained in players such as Vazquez and sophomore midfielder Damon Rouse during training.

"This is an amazing family that we've created," said Gomez Rodriguez, a graduate of nearby Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix. "I'm so blessed for God to bring me here. This is special. This is a pleasure. I love this school."

GCU's first-round WAC Tournament match will be a rematch of an Oct. 4 conference opener against Utah Valley. The Wolverines were receiving votes in the top-25 poll before the Lopes won 3-1 with another Diouf brace and a goal by junior midfielder Jorge Lopez.

"From where we were last season to this season, I'm really pleased with the progress." Kiefer said. "I'm really happy for the guys that they figured it out. You look at the home record (8-1-2), and it's pretty impressive.

"Marketing really worked hard to get a good crowd here. When everybody gets behind it, it makes things a lot easier. It was a great night for the program."

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