California Baptist University
4-4-2, 0-1-1
Grand Canyon
4-5-3, 1-1-2
Lancers Play Lopes to Thrilling Draw In Phoenix
10/9/2022 8:38:00 PM | Men's Soccer
PHOENIX – Sunday night soccer in Phoenix was on tap for California Baptist University men's soccer, who played to a 0-0 draw with Grand Canyon.
"We are disappointed not to get the win, but I'm very pleased with how we competed. We've been absolutely annihilated by injuries over the past week, so I'm proud of these guys to just have the next man up mentality and grind as a team for a result in a very difficult road game," said head coach Coe Michaelson after the game. "Even at 0-0, that was a fun game for the neutral with both teams throwing punches. With that said, we created to better chances and walk away happy with a hard fought road point, but a bit disappointed we didn't make some golden chances count. If we create chances like that regularly, we won't get shut out very often, and the whole squad deserves credit for the clean sheet."
A well-played first half ended scoreless despite GCU's six corner kicks. The Lancers also came up empty on the numerous naturally created chances on counters and long passes. CBU nearly took the lead in the final minute of the opening half as a Lancer corner kick found the head of Georg Bjarnason inside the 6-yard box, but it was just a touch too high, hitting the crossbar and going out.
The second half was a flurry of excitement as the teams combined for 10 more shots, most more threatening than most in the first half. The Lopes opened the half by rattling off all six of their shots in the first 15 minutes. Still, the Lancer defense was stout, relying on starting goalkeeper Nolan Premack to make just one save in the second half.
The Lancers closed the game with two chances in the final two minutes, both menacing, the first from Bryan Iliohan nearly sneaking in as the line of sight for the Lope keeper was obstructed, and the final one from Thomas Beecham who threatened with 20 seconds left, barely getting blocked by a GCU defender.
The CBU defense was on point tonight, thwarting 10 total corner kicks from the Lopes, who managed just two shots from those set pieces. Luis Mueller and Iliohan each had two shots on the night, putting one each on target.
The Lancers' record now stands at 4-4-2 on the year and 0-1-1 in Western Athletic Conference play, while the Lopes move to 4-5-2 and 1-1-2 in conference.
CBU returns to Riverside next week for their WAC home opener against The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Game time is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 13, at the brand-new CBU Soccer Stadium.
