DENVER – The single most identifiable thing about the 2018 Metropolitan State University of Denver women's soccer team may be that it isn't easy to identify every scoring threat.
 
"There's a lot of new faces to look for," MSU Denver coach Tracy Chao said. "We have some players who have a strong presence and we'll see some goals from them. That takes the target off players like Reigna (Banks), who the RMAC knows.
 
"Nobody really knows these players. And in the (preseason) we've had goals from multiple players. So hopefully that's going to be a consistent message – we have players who can score and assist all over the field."
 
The Roadrunners, who open the season Thursday at Texas A&M-Commerce before returning to the Regency Athletic Complex for Saturday's 1 p.m. home opener against Dallas Baptist, had only two players score more than one goal last season. One of those was Banks, a preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection who had six goals and three assists in 2017.
 
"We have 14 new girls, so that adds depth, because we have a lot of players who can play," said Banks, who has 20 career goals. "And not all of them are freshmen, so they are acclimated and ready. There are a lot of players fighting to be on the field, and that's really exciting."
 
Newcomers with experience include midfielder Brooklynn Mooney (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield), who saw regular playing time at Wyoming, sophomore Gabriella Gamboa (Prosper, Texas/Prosper), who had five goals and three assists for Division I Northwestern State last season, and junior college transfer Lauren Wynns (Livonia, Mich./Livonia Churchill), an NJCAA second-team All-American last year at Schoolcraft (Mich.) College.
 
Combined with seven returning starters – including preseason All-RMAC goalkeeper Erica Torres (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) – the Roadrunners have a team picked to finish fourth in the RMAC after going 8-9 overall and 7-5 for fifth in the league last year.
 
Torres was 7-5 with four shutouts, an 0.91 goals-against average and an .817 save percentage last year.
 
Besides a competitive opening weekend, the Roadrunners also make a road trip that includes a matchup with seventh-ranked Western Washington.
 
The RMAC schedule includes the third-ranked University of Colorado at Colorado Springs as well as No. 13 Colorado School of Mines.
 
"The RMAC is strong," Chao said. "And it's only getting stronger. We're one of the best conferences in the nation from top to bottom. It's going to be close games every night.
 
"I don't think there's a team out there that we can go into a game with casually and be OK. It's going to be a battle."
 
Getting contributions from multiple players, both offensively and defensively, will be key.
 
"We tell the team, and a big thing for me is, the way we look at the beginning isn't always going to be the way we look at the end," Chao said. "You deal with different things throughout the season. Different players are going to have to step up at different times throughout the season. The depth from top-to-bottom is tight, and the competitiveness in training is a lot better."
 
Competing for championships, which the 2004 and 2006 national champions are determined to do again, takes depth and sacrifice. How close this group can come remains to be seen.
 
"We for sure want to win the RMAC and make the NCAA tournament," Banks said. "It's going to take discipline, making sure that we are working hard every day and taking care of our bodies. People have to be mentally plugged in and execute the plan that coach gives us."