Andrew Bailey may have put too much pressure on himself before he left for Seattle. He wanted to come home with at least two goals.
It was Grand Canyon's first shutout of the season as they donned the white jerseys for the first time this year. Nick Sykes
"It feels great to be home," GCU defender Bosko Jovicevic said. "We were supposed to come back from the road games with a couple of wins, but it didn't happen. Playing at home is a big advantage for us."
GCU (1-3-2, 1-0 PacWest) has lost one home game in the past two years. They are in the midst of a seven-game homestand.
"We feel really confident about going on a roll at home," Jovicevic said.
Bailey scored on quick pass from Matheau Hall from the left side when he banged a shot just under the bar in the 39th minute. He struck again 3:03 into the second half on a pass from Jovicevic in the box, banging the shot home.
"The goalie came off the line to clear the ball," Bailey said, replaying the first goal. "I could have rushed the shot, but the defender delayed me, so the goalie got back in goal and I just beat the defender to the left and blasted it with my left foot.
"Coming back from Seattle I was questioning myself. My confidence was a little low. Even today, the coach called the starting lineup, and I wasn't in it and I'm used to being in it. I was a little low. That motivated me a little bit. As soon as we got that goal, we grew in confidence. The second half we proved it.
"It was a must-win game tonight and we got out there and got the job done. The road has just begun with all these home games. We're always a better team at home."
Bailey's second half goal put the Antelopes up 2-0.
"I always knew we had it in us," GCU coach Petar Draksin said. "Now they stepped it up and have some confidence."
GCU midfielders Joel Ibarra and Jordan Demos diagrammed a good scheme all night for the Antelopes, who had been smarting for the first five games.
"Joel has been our best player," Lopes assistant coach Carlos Gomez said. "He helped control the game and has been keeping the team organized and under composure. He and Jordan both."
The Antelopes added an insurance goal in the 53rd minute when Nick Sykes scored on a header off a corner kick from Fito Collazo. Dusan Radisavljevic headed the ball to Sykes, who redirected it in.
"There's nothing like being home," Draksin said. "Now we just have to go on a roll."
GCU had five shots on goal to BYU-Hawaii's three. Antelopes goalkeeper Franco Carotenuto stopped all three shots to record his ninth career shutout.
"We've been playing good defense the whole year, but we just got unlucky we got scored on," Jovicevic said. "We feel we're one of the best defenses in the country.
"We finally started playing with all 11 guys and started helping our forwards more and giving them balls they can use. I'm confident in our forwards, especially Andrew Bailey. I'm sure he's gonna show in his last 13 games."
BYU-Hawaii (2-5, 0-1) had 15 shots, but only three that tested the Antelopes.
"The fans and our schoolmates, we promise in the future they're gonna have a lot of good things to see," Jovicevic said.
The Antelopes host Chaminade at 7 p.m. Thursday.
"We've just got to come out on Thursday and get the job done again," Bailey said.