DENVER – Metropolitan State University of Denver was locked into a difficult, scoreless tie with Colorado Mesa and momentum was headed straight for Paloma Teran's (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic) right foot.
 
The freshman midfielder didn't miss.
 
Teran's goal in the 60^th minute put the Roadrunners in front and Gabriella Gamboa (Prosper, Texas/Prosper) added a late insurance score in a 2-0 victory before an enthusiastic crowd of 285 Friday night.
 
"I didn't see (the goal opportunity) coming at first, but the ball went out and I saw that (Jessica Mooney (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield)) was going to kick it, she always crosses it in that spot," Teran said. "I was on the weak side, alone. Then I saw it (the opportunity), and I felt it."
 
It was the second goal of the year for Teran and a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference-leading fifth assist for Mooney, who made her cross from left to right. Teran volleyed the one-bounce cross and put it in from a close angle near the right upright.
 
Another Mooney assist, this one from cousin Brooklynn Mooney (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield), led to Gamboa's fifth goal of the season. Brooklyn Mooney made a perfect lead pass to Gamboa to the left side of the box, and Gamboa finished on the run with a firm shot to the right corner.
 
That NCAA Division II scoring leader Reigna Banks' (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) six-game goal scoring streak came to an end, while her season total stayed at nine, mattered little.
 
The 11^th-ranked Roadrunners improved to 5-1-1 overall and 3-0 in the RMAC. Mesa dropped to 3-3-1 and 1-2.
 
"That was a really solid win for us," MSU Denver coach Tracy Chao said. "Mesa is a great team. They're organized. They're hard to play. It's a huge win, another shutout win at home, so defensively we took care of business and offensively we got a couple of great goals."
 
The Roadrunners haven't allowed a goal in three home RMAC games and will try to make it 4-for-4 on Sunday in a 1 p.m. matchup with Western State Colorado (1-6, 1-2).
 
"It's a hard conference, so every win is going to mean a lot," Chao said.
 
Mesa bottled up Banks and the rest of the Roadrunners through the first half.
 
"We were starting to get frustrated towards the end of the first half," Teran said. "But we regrouped in the locker room, corrected our mistakes, coach gave us tactics. And we just listened to what she said and took advantage of it. We wanted it more and took care of our chances."
 
Though MSU Denver appeared to control play for much of the first half, it was the Mavericks who had the advantage in shots (6-3) and shots on goal (2-1).
 
"We looked at some areas of the field that we could execute a little better in," Chao said. "A lot of it was that the energy we brought off the bench revived us a little. Our fitness level was extremely high and we've got lots of depth. To have players who can bring a surge of energy is a huge thing."
 
Teran is one of those players bringing energy. She played 54 minutes in a reserve role.
 
"We came out stronger in the second half," she said. "On every ball we tried to get there first. We would pressure every single ball. Then chances came and we took advantage of them."
 
MSU Denver is 4-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents 11-1. Erica Torres (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) had four saves, improving her save percentage to .911 and her goals-against average to 0.55.

"We continue to take pride at home," Chao said. "Can we make this a really hard place to play? The crowd was outstanding tonight. We want this to be an awesome environment to come watch a game, and that certainly was."