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DENVER - No. 11 Metro State opened Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with a 5-1 victory over Adams State at home on Friday.  The Roadrunners improved to 5-0 overall, while ASC fell to 3-2.

The Grizzlies came out on fire, peppering three shots toward the net and earning a corner kick in the first 12 minutes, including a goal by Autumn Boyer for a 1-0 lead at 3:18.  A turning point in the game came in the 13th minute when Metro State defender Hayley Renko (Aurora, Colo./Rangeview H.S.) was injured on a hard foul by Boyer.  The Roadrunners turned it on at that moment and outshot ASC 29-8 the rest of the game.

Metro State rallied to take a 2-1 lead at halftime, tying the game at 38:19 on an own goal after Nicole Pollack (Englewood, Colo./Englewood H.S.)'s shot from the top of the box was deflected into the net by an ASC defender. Abby Rolph (Golden, Colo./Golden H.S.) scored the go-ahead goal just three minutes later, creating a turnover near the top of the box as she intercepted a pass back to goalkeeper Christine Stemple, then dribbled around Stemple for a wide open net.

The Roadrunners put two shots on goal in the first six minutes of the second half.  The score remained 2-1 until Taylor Nicholls (Littleton, Colo./Heritage H.S.) received a pass in the middle of the box after two quick passes from Carly Nelson (Wheat Ridge, Colo./Wheat Ridge H.S.) and Aubrey Fondy (Arvada, Colo./Faith Christian H.S.).  Nicholls dribbled around the charging Stemple for another wide open net at 65:30 for the 3-1 lead.

Metro State had a goal taken off the board in the 71st minute when Becca Medina (Denver, Colo./Heritage H.S.)'s long free kick missed several heads and rolled into the net, but the Roadrunners were whistled for offsides.

Nelson blistered a shot from the top of the box just over the crossbar at 69:01 and Marie Ipock (Los Lunas, N.M./Los Lunas H.S.) was stopped from point-blank range in the 75th minute.  The Roadrunners finally pushed the lead to 4-1 when Kelci Newlin (Parker, Colo./Ponderosa H.S.) scored on a floating shot from the top of the box off Rolph's corner kick at 74:57.  Newlin, who subbed in for the injured Renko in the 13th minute, was playing her first game of the season.

Nicholls iced the game at 86:57, putting in a rebound after Brandi Farley (Colorado Springs/Pine Creek H.S.)'s shot from the near-left side of the box was deflected to Nicholls in the center of the box.

Tess Hagenlock (Bozeman, Mont./Bozeman H.S.) had a chance to put a sixth goal on the board, but was denied on a breakaway with 14 seconds left in the game.


Metro State will host New Mexico Highlands at noon on Sunday.