Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer
| Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Founded | 1985 | ||
| University | Grand Canyon University | ||
| Head coach | George Kiefer (2nd season) | ||
| Conference | WAC | ||
| Location | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Stadium | GCU Stadium (capacity: 6,000) | ||
| Nickname | Antelopes | ||
| Colors | Purple, black, and white[1] | ||
| |||
| NCAA tournament Round of 16 | |||
| 2025 | |||
| NCAA tournament Round of 32 | |||
| 2025 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 2018, 2020, 2021, 2025 | |||
| Conference tournament championships | |||
| 2018, 2025 | |||
| Conference Regular Season championships | |||
| 2020, 2021 | |||
The Grand Canyon Antelopes men's soccer program represents Grand Canyon University (GCU) in all NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions. Founded in 1985, the Antelopes have competed in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) since 2013, but will move to the school's primary athletic home of the Mountain West Conference (MW) in 2026. GCU plays its home matches at GCU Stadium.
When the athletic department joined the MW in most sports, the school announced that the men's soccer program would remain in the WAC as an affiliate member.[2] The MW will add men's soccer in 2026 with GCU as one of the league's inaugural members.[3]
NCAA Tournament history
[edit]After transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I, GCU was eligible for the Division I postseason for the first time in 2017. The Lopes qualified for the NCAA Tournament in just their second season of Division I eligibility, winning the Western Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Tournament in 2018 behind three consecutive 1–0 shutout victories.[4]
Grand Canyon qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times at the Division II level, highlighted by a Division II National Championship in 1996.[5]
GCU advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the Division I level on Nov. 20, 2025, drawing UCLA and advancing 3-1 in penalty kicks.[6] GCU recorded its first winning result in an NCAA Tournament match just days later at San Diego.[7]
| Season | Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | First round | UC Irvine | 1–1 (lost in (p)) |
| 2020 | First round | Washington | 0–2 |
| 2021 | Second round | Denver | 0–1 |
| 2025 | First round | UCLA | 0-0 (won in (p)) |
| 2025 | Second round | San Diego | 2-1 |
Facility history
[edit]The Lopes played at GCU Soccer Field up until the construction of GCU Stadium. GCU played its inaugural season in the new facility in 2016. Since the opening of the facility, GCU has ranked in the top 10 in average attendance per match in 2016 and 2018, getting significant fan support from the university's student section, the Havocs.
GCU Stadium hosted its first game on August 26, 2016, when GCU defeated UCF 4–2. The crowd of 6,402 fans was the ninth-largest crowd in the 2016 NCAA Division I men's soccer season.[8]
GCU hosted the fourth-largest crowd of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season when it opened the season by defeating Wisconsin 2–1 in front of 6,648 fans.[9]
Notable seasons
[edit]2018
[edit]The 2018 team qualified for the program's first ever NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament by going 3–0 in the WAC Tournament.
GCU finished as the nation's most improved defense, ranking 181st nationally in goals against average in 2017 before jumping to 25th in 2018.
The Lopes finished the season 5–0 against top-25 opponents, defeating No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 20 Creighton, No. 25 Seattle U, and Air Force twice, once as No. 8 and once as No. 13.[10]
1996
[edit]Grand Canyon won the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship by defeating Seattle Pacific, Lynn and Oakland.
Seasons
[edit]| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Duah (NAIA) (1985–1991) | |||||||||
| 1985 | Peter Duah | 3–7–1 | |||||||
| 1986 | Peter Duah | 8–6–1 | |||||||
| 1987 | Peter Duah | 12–2–0 | |||||||
| 1988 | Peter Duah | 10–7–2 | |||||||
| 1989 | Peter Duah | 12–5–2 | |||||||
| 1990 | Peter Duah | 12–7–2 | |||||||
| 1991 | Peter Duah | 13–6–1 | |||||||
| Peter Duah (NCAA Division II Independent) (1992) | |||||||||
| 1992 | Peter Duah | 16–4–1 | NCAA Division II First Round | ||||||
| Peter Duah: | 86–44–10 | ||||||||
| Petar Draksin (NCAA Division II Independent) (1993) | |||||||||
| 1993 | Petar Draksin | 4–13–2 | |||||||
| Petar Draksin (California Collegiate Athletic Association) (1994–2003) | |||||||||
| 1994 | Petar Draksin | 4–13–2 | 6–4–0 | 3rd | |||||
| 1995 | Petar Draksin | 14–4–3 | 7–3–0 | 2nd | NCAA Division II Quarterfinals | ||||
| 1996 | Petar Draksin | 12–4–5 | 5–2–3 | 1st | NCAA Division II Champions | ||||
| 1997 | Petar Draksin | 7–12–1 | 2–8–0 | 5th | |||||
| 1998 | Petar Draksin | 17–6–1 | 10–4–1 | T–2nd (South) | NCAA Division II Quarterfinals | ||||
| 1999 | Petar Draksin | 17–4–0 | 12–3–0 | 1st (South) | |||||
| 2000 | Petar Draksin | 11–7–3 | 9–4–1 | 2nd (South) | |||||
| 2001 | Petar Draksin | 13–8–0 | 11–3–0 | 1st (South) | |||||
| 2002 | Petar Draksin | 5–15–0 | 2–12–0 | 4th (South) | |||||
| 2003 | Petar Draksin | 4–12–1 | 3–11–0 | 4th (South) | |||||
| Petar Draksin (NCAA Division II Independent) (2004–2005) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Petar Draksin | 3–15–1 | |||||||
| 2005 | Petar Draksin | 9–8–2 | |||||||
| Petar Draksin (Pacific West Conference) (2006–2012) | |||||||||
| 2006 | Petar Draksin | 14–6–0 | 9–1–0 | 1st | |||||
| 2007 | Petar Draksin | 11–5–5 | 8–0–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division II First round | ||||
| 2008 | Petar Draksin | 8–7–4 | 7–3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2009 | Petar Draksin | 14–3–3 | 9–1–2 | 1st | |||||
| 2010 | Petar Draksin | 14–2–2 | 12–1–1 | 1st | |||||
| 2011 | Petar Draksin | 13–4–1 | 9–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 2012 | Petar Draksin | 16–3–1 | 12–1–1 | 1st | NCAA Division II Third round | ||||
| Petar Draksin (Western Athletic Conference) (2013–2014) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Petar Draksin | 4–14–1 | 2–8–0 | 8th | |||||
| 2014 | Petar Draksin | 5–12–3 | 2–6–2 | 9th | |||||
| Petar Draksin: | 225–171–41 | 137–77–16 | |||||||
| Schellas Hyndman (Western Athletic Conference) (2015–2020) | |||||||||
| 2015 | Schellas Hyndman | 7–10–0 | 3–7–0 | 10th | |||||
| 2016 | Schellas Hyndman | 7–9–3 | 4–3–3 | 5th | |||||
| 2017 | Schellas Hyndman | 7–11–1 | 4–5–1 | T–6th | |||||
| 2018 | Schellas Hyndman | 12–8–1 | 6–4–0 | T–4th | NCAA First round | ||||
| 2019 | Schellas Hyndman | 4–9–4 | 1–7–3 | 11th | |||||
| 2020 | Schellas Hyndman | 8–2–0 | 7–0–0 | 1st | NCAA Second round | ||||
| Schellas Hyndman: | 45–49–9 | 25–26–7 | |||||||
| Leonard Griffin (Western Athletic Conference) (2021) | |||||||||
| 2021 | Leonard Griffin | 15–4–1 | 11–9–0 | 1st | NCAA First round | ||||
| Leonard Griffin: | 15–4–1 | 9–2–0 | |||||||
| Mike Kraus (Western Athletic Conference) (2022–2023) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Mike Kraus | 7–8–3 | 4–3–2 | T–5th | |||||
| 2023 | Mike Kraus | 7–7–3 | 2–4–2 | 7th | |||||
| Mike Kraus: | 14–15–6 | 6–7–4 | |||||||
| George Kiefer (Western Athletic Conference) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | George Kiefer | 5–10–3 | 2–6–1 | 9th | |||||
| George Kiefer: | 5–10–3 | 2–6–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 390–293–70 (.564) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Coaching history
[edit]GCU has had six head coaches in its program history.[11]
| Years | Coach | Overall | Conference | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | Pct. | GP | W | L | T | Pct. | ||
| 1985–92 | Peter Duah | 140 | 86 | 44 | 10 | .650 | |||||
| 1993–2014 | Petar Draksin | 437 | 225 | 171 | 41 | .562 | |||||
| 2015–20 | Schellas Hyndman | 103 | 45 | 49 | 9 | .481 | 58 | 25 | 26 | 7 | .491 |
| 2021 | Leonard Griffin | 20 | 15 | 4 | 1 | .775 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | .818 |
| 2022–23 | Mike Kraus | 35 | 14 | 15 | 6 | .486 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | .471 |
| 2024–present | George Kiefer | 18 | 5 | 10 | 3 | .361 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | .278 |
| Totals | 748 | 390 | 293 | 70 | .564 | 310 | 173 | 111 | 26 | .600 | |
Last updated: June 17, 2025
Notable alumni
[edit]- Matheau Hall, professional soccer player
- Niki Jackson, Colorado Rapids and 2018 MLS SuperDraft pick
- Hector Montalvo, Tigres UANL
- Saeed Robinson, Colorado Springs Switchbacks
- Amer Sasivarevic, OKC Energy FC and 2018 MLS SuperDraft pick (program's first MLS SuperDraft pick)
- Evan Waldrep, Phoenix Rising FC
- Esai Easley, Sporting Kansas City and 2022 MLS SuperDraft pick
- Justin Rasmussen, Portland Timbers and 2022 MLS SuperDraft pick
References
[edit]- ^ "Grand Canyon University Athletic Brand Standards". September 20, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "GCU to play in WAC as men's soccer affiliate". Grand Canyon University Athletics. December 6, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ^ "MW Expands Sports Sponsorship with the Addition of Men's Soccer and Men's Swimming and Diving in 2026-27" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 29, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ^ Going Dancing: GCU men's soccer team makes history
- ^ NCAA Division II Men's Soccer History
- ^ "UCLA 0-0 Grand Canyon (Nov 20, 2025) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ^ "Men's Soccer vs Grand Canyon on 11/23/2025 - Box Score". University of San Diego Athletics. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ^ 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Attendance Record Book
- ^ 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer largest single-game crowds
- ^ Season of bests, firsts
- ^ GCU Men's Soccer Coaching History
External links
[edit]
