SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State men's soccer team went toe-to-toe with the No. 21-ranked team in the nation, including playing the final 37 minutes down a man, but a Grand Canyon goal midway through the first half stood as the only score of the match as the Lopes edged the Hornets, 1-0, on Sunday evening at Hornet Soccer Field.
Both teams moved to 1-1 overall on the year with the result.
The two teams combined for only five shots in the first 45 minutes, but GCU was the one able to dent the back of the net as Godson Anim curled a ball in at the far right post from a near-impossible angle on the left side for the only score of the contest in the 35th minute.
After trading shots to open the second period, Sacramento State went down after
Zach Castrence was sent off with a red card in the 54th minute, putting the Hornets down to 10 men, but they did not bow to the Lopes' attack.
Senior goalkeeper
Lucas Bost made three of his four saves after the card and the defense blocked another two scoring chances to keep it a one-goal match.
Hiroshi Yang, who had a goal in the opener against UC Davis last Thursday, forced GCU keeper Beltran Fernandez into a leaping save with his ball destined for the top of the net, while
Ronan Rattigan and
Nick Strangio had solid chances for the equalizer on rebounds in the 64th and 82nd minutes, only to have them sail just wide.
Senior
Zac Giles led the way with two of his team's seven attempts with five teammates joining in.
Having played its first two matches at home to start the season, Sacramento State hits the road for its next four contests beginning Thursday (Aug. 27) at Saint Mary's. The Hornets then head to St. George, Utah, for a rare Monday contest at Utah Tech on Aug. 31.
