STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Soccer fell 1-0 to Grand Canyon in the second game of their three-game road trip in the excessive heat at the GCU Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Texans (7-5-3 overall, 1-2-0 WAC) battled the Lopes (9-4-1, 3-0-0) in extreme heat. The teams felt the weather conditions mightily with the temperature reaching 110 degrees. At points during the match, the real feel temperature exceeded 115 degrees.
 
Goalkeeper Mikayla Kendall recorded nine saves increasing her season-total to 79. Kendall made a number of key saves to keep the game scoreless in the first half and prevent the Texan deficit from enlarging more than one.
 
In the first minute of play, Nicole Fels nearly found the back of the net. Dribbling down the side of the benches she passed a pair of defenders before firing a shot from the top corner of the box choosing the top left corner where the GCU keeper barely got a glove on it to knock it out.
 
In the 18^th minute of the tilt, the Lopes nearly netted the first goal of the match. Kendall came out to the top of the box to make a save and it was deflected to a Lope with the goal open. However, the Texan defense still held strong with Sam Liaty deflecting the ball away from the open goal to keep the game deadlocked at one.
 
Adelaide Wyrzynski initiated another strong chance for the Texans in the 35^th minute. She brought the ball into the box where the loose bal was juggled by a trio of Texans. The ball never found the back of the net or a real shot opportunity despite being less than 10 feet from the goal.
 
The Lopes registered the first goal of the match ten minutes into the second half. Alex Sampson brought the down ball down the opposite side of the field from the benches and found Anahi Cardinal in the middle of the box where her swift punch gave the Lopes a 1-0 lead.
 
The Texans were unable to respond in the remainder of the second half. Tarleton used 20 of their 22 rostered non-goalies in the match, the most this season.

Tarleton State will head back to Stephenville for a six-day break before returning to the west coast for its final road tilt of the season against Seattle U on Saturday October 12, at 3 p.m. CT.