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A day after starting its season opener, Grand Canyon completed a 3-1 win over the University of Hawaii soccer team in a weather-delayed match on Friday in Phoenix.
The Antelopes led 1-0 after 27 minutes on Thursday when lightning and rain forced the match to be postponed. Play resumed Friday morning and GCU’s Gianna Gourley — the Western Athletic Conference’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year — scored two goals to lead the defending WAC champions to the win.
“There were two goals today where we made a couple of defensive errors and our keepers got caught really high off their line,” UH coach Michele Nagamine said in a phone interview. “(Gourley is) a fantastic player and she’s a clinical finisher.”
“We came out pretty fired up (in the second half), and it was good to see the team could respond like that.”
Krista Peterson scored UH’s first goal of the season off a cross from freshman Zoe Park in the 50th minute. GCU took 20 shots to UH’s four. Lauren Marquez made one save in her half in goal and Sophie Augustin made four saves in the second half.
The combination of GCU’s defensive pressure and strong winds kept the Wahine pinned on their side of the pitch before the weather turned nasty on Thursday. Nagamine said it was the first time in her career she’s had a match split over two days.
“We were all huddled in the locker room and we could see the flashes of lightning,” Nagamine said. “So when they postponed the game we could totally understand it because it was a monsoon. It was crazy.”
The postponement will chop into UH’s recovery time entering Sunday’s match at Arizona State (0-0-1). The match with the Sun Devils caps UH’s season-opening road trip. It is set for 4 p.m. and will be televised on Pac-12 Network.
“We’re still tinkering with our lineup … and that’s what the preseason is for,” Nagamine said. “I’m excited about this group because of their attitude, their mentality, their approach to the game and their care for each other. It’s a good vibe and we can build on that.”
