(Phoenix, Ariz. – Oct. 19, 2023) Utah Tech men's soccer played on Thursday, defeating the Grand Canyon Lopes 1-0 at GCU Stadium. With the result, Utah Tech now holds an 8-6 record on the season with just two games remaining in the regular season.
 
Jerod Allen returned to the starting eleven as the game's opening minutes were a balanced affair. Austin Wallace fired the first shot for either squad in the 13^th minute before AJ Ciampini found the best look of the first half for the Trailblazers in the 30^th minute, finding himself open near the edge of the six-yard box and forcing a kick save from the Lopes' goalkeeper.
 
Grand Canyon came inches from scoring in the 36^th minute but Julian Herrera made a goal line stop to keep the game scoreless, a result that held until the halftime horn.
 
The Trailblazer defense made some noise early in the second period of play, as Miguel Regino prevented a goal with a sliding block to prevent GCU's shot from going on frame. Stockton Short came up with a huge save mere minutes later, using a strong right hand to stop a rocket of a ball at the near post to keep things level in the 59^th minute.
 
The pair of stops would prove pivotal, as Utah Tech found the game's opening goal just seven minutes later thanks to a pair of Arizona natives.
 
Jerod Allen (Sierra Vista, Ariz.) cut through the GCU defense and laid a ball off for Bryce Backlund (Gilbert, Ariz.), who made no mistake with a 67^th minute strike, finishing past the goalkeeper from the center of the box. For Allen, it's his second-consecutive game with points, having scored against Air Force on Sunday, while Backlund's goal was his second of the 2023 campaign.
 
The momentum for UT continued and the Trailblazers looked close to finding another just 11 minutes later. After a GCU clearance was picked off on the far side of the 18, Abigay Gomez smashed a cross across the face of goal that appeared to hit the hand of a Lope defender, but Utah Tech appeals did not culminate in a penalty kick.
 
Though GCU continue to rip off shots down the stretch, Short was not called into action as the Trailblazers handed Grand Canyon its first home loss of the season and earned three crucial points.
 
In the end, the hosts held a 17-9 advantage in shots, though it was only a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Utah Tech defense held Bright Nutornutsi, the WAC's second-leading scorer who entered Thursday's contest with eight goals, to just three shots, none of which were on goal. The Trailblazers drew 15 fouls in the game as Short finished with three saves; Short, Herrera, Gomez, and Phoenix native Angel Saldana all played the full 90 minutes.
 
Utah Tech returns to action Sunday night, facing California Baptist on the road. Kickoff against the Lancers is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.