DENVER – They have traveled various routes and have come from a wide range of backgrounds to arrive at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
 
But on Saturday, they'll all go out together.
 
Goalkeeper James Tanner (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens), defender Kyle VanAlstine (Vail, Ariz./Cienega) and forwards Jacob Coking (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton), Rafael Munoz-Vega and Jaydon Moreschini (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo West) will play their final regular-season men's soccer home game at the Regency Athletic Complex, in an 11 a.m. start against Westminster.
 
The Roadrunners first have a road game Thursday at 1:30 p.m. against Colorado Christian.
 
And MSU Denver (8-8 overall, 7-5 and sixth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with 21 points) is hoping to have at least one more home game in the league tournament.
 
Two wins this weekend would give the Roadrunners a chance to host a first-round game as a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. Two losses could potentially drop MSU Denver out of the top six and force the Roadrunners to miss the league tournament.
 
"Home-field advantage would be important for us, because we haven't shown ourselves to be great on the road," said MSU Denver coach Jeremy Tittle said, who then began smiling. "Hopefully going over to Lakewood (nine miles) isn't too long of a drive, as we showed in going over to Regis. Outside of a 15-mile radius I need to be more concerned."
 
The Roadrunners traveled six miles and walloped Regis 5-0 on the road last Friday before falling 2-0 at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Sunday. That made the Roadrunners 2-5 on the road – with the other win coming outside the 15-mile buffer at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
 
Colorado Christian (1-13-1, 1-9-1) lost 4-0 when it came to the Regency Athletic Complex in the RMAC opener. Should MSU Denver be able to repeat the feat, the Senior Day showdown with Westminster (12-3-1, 8-3-1) could have implications on the league tournament pairings.
 
"There are still games among us that will have to be sorted out," Tittle said of a four-team jumble from third through sixth in the table. "It's going to be an interesting run, as it always is at the end of every year."
 
Though most scenarios indicate the Roadrunners would play on the road as a fifth or sixth seed in the first round on Tuesday, a few upsets (like UCCS over Regis, South Dakota Mines over UCCS and Dixie State over Westminster) would give MSU Denver a chance to finish as high as third.
 
Barring that, though, this Saturday would be the end of the home careers for the Roadrunners' seniors.
 
Tanner is a sixth-year senior after missing two seasons due to injuries. For his career, he is 28-26-2 with 12 shutouts, a 1.70 goals-against average and a .690 save percentage. He is third in school history in wins and saves (214), fourth with 3.75 saves per game and fifth in shutouts. This season he is 8-8 with five shutouts, a 1.43 GAA and .744 save percentage.
 
"James is the long-standing fixture of the seniors," Tittle said. "There's something to be said for the institutional knowledge that he has over the time that he's been here. It's been really valuable to have him and hear his voice."
 
Said assistant coach Aaron King: "He's an example of the standard and what our program is about."


Moreschini is another player with at least four years in the program. He has one goal and two assists this season, and has three goals and three assists for his career.
 
"He's another one with the institutional knowledge," Tittle said. "He's been here for so long and has accumulated so much wisdom, and he's been able to share his insights and pass them on. He's been a model of values to the program. He's shown a relentless work ethic.
 
"He's someone who, more than anyone on the team, you know you're going to get 100 percent effort out of him every day. It doesn't matter if he plays 90 minutes or 10, or at any position, Jaydon is Jaydon. He is consistent."
 
Said King: "It's been really cool for me seeing Jaydon progress, even as a senior. He's still finding ways to elevate his game."
 
VanAlstine, Munoz-Vega and Coking are all former junior college players in their second year with the MSU Denver team.
 
VanAlstine has anchored the MSU Denver defense and has scored two goals this season – including a bicycle-kick score against Fort Hays State that was ESPN SportsCenter's top play for Sept. 9.
 
"He's been a captain at times for us, and his leadership is still super important – he has a good voice on the team," Tittle said. "He sees the game very well. I can see him coaching in the future – he has a good mind for the game. And he brought his game to a new level this year: his decision-making and composure have improved. He's become a really mature center back for us. Another great person and student, works hard and very responsible."
 
Munoz-Vega has emerged with two goals and three assists this season after recording one assist last year.


"Rafa is a solid guy who has made a solid contribution, especially this year," Tittle said. "I think he had a bit of a transition last year to the next level of the game. But he's been a solid contributor. He's a good guy – a really good guy. He's a great student who works really hard. His grades are very important to him."
 
The effervescent Coking has also had a high-impact senior season: after recording one goal and one assist last year, he ranks second on the team in goals (six) and points (13) in 2018. Two of his goals have been game-winners.
 
"He's like our energy bus – super charismatic, always having a good time, joking or singing or doing voice impersonations – fun-loving, jovial guy. Every team needs a person like Jacob in the group to give it some balance," said Tittle, who then smiled and said. "I wouldn't want to have a team of jokers like that, but it would be missed if you didn't have someone like that."
 
For what they've brought to the program, these seniors will all be missed.