DENVER – Like a pinball, Jessica Mooney's (Broomfield, Colo./Broomfield) corner kick floated into the box and then began bouncing around, off Reigna Banks' (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) head, then off a defender's foot, then off Banks' foot.
 
And then it came to Metropolitan State University of Denver defender Makenna Brassard (Thornton, Colo./Horizon).
 
"I've been trying all season to get (a goal) off a corner kick," Brassard said. "I got one last season, too. It hit off somebody and the ball came right to my foot. I saw the right corner open and I placed it in there."
 
Brassard's second career goal, and her first of the season, broke open a scoreless game in the 52^nd minute, and 11^th-ranked MSU Denver went on to a 3-0 victory over Western State Colorado on Sunday at the Regency Athletic Complex.
 
Fellow defender Taylor Reising (Redmond, Wash./Rock Canyon) scored her first career goal, as did sophomore midfielder Mackayla Duerksen (Bakersfield, Calif./Liberty), as the Roadrunners showed they have plenty more offense than just the high-scoring forward duo of Banks and Gabriella Gamboa (Prosper, Texas/Prosper).
 
Having the ability to score from different positions on the field leads MSU Denver coach Tracy Chao to drawing the comparison to an old bar game – not pinball, but rather foosball.
 
"The game presents itself in different ways, and it requires players to have good soccer IQs and to go with it," she said. "It's not foosball, where everyone is stuck in their positions connected by a metal rod. Soccer is a flowing game and sometimes the demands players in different positions to get forward."
 
Reising did that, scoring in the 66^th minute, pivoting from the 18 just right of the goal, and shooting with her left foot to the left corner.
 
"For me, Taylor was the player of the match," Chao said. "In terms of how hard she played, her ability to get forward, and to serve and finish, too. Great finish."
 
Finally, Katy Harris (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) played a fantastic ball through the defense for a streaking Duerksen to make it 3-0 in the 75^th minute. Duerksen raced in alone on the goalkeeper and tapped it off the keeper's right hand and into the net.
 
So MSU Denver remains unscored upon in four RMAC games, as it closes in on the best defensive start to league play since the 2008 team posted six straight shutouts. Western State (1-7, 1-3) wasn't able to attempt a shot until late in the contest and never did get a shot on goal – MSU Denver took 25 shots, including 15 on goal.
 
"It starts with our forwards," Brassard said of the defense. "Our game key is to force wide, then press and squeeze vertically. We've been doing that and it's been awesome. They (the forwards) are making it easy for our back line."
 
Said Chao: "(Goalkeeper Erica) Torres has been fantastic. Our back line, Jordan (Lewis) and Makenna certainly have been holding strong and Emily (Romer) and Jess (Mooney), it's a really solid foundation of defending back there. And it's also the pressure we can apply ahead of the game (offensively), too.
 
"I really love where we're at. Getting a shutout is a huge victory in terms of showing where our grit comes from. Not giving teams opportunities, doing what we need to do, shows a lot."
 
At 6-1-1 overall, the Roadrunners are off to their best start since the 2011 team opened 7-1.
OK, if you're nitpicking, the Roadrunners could start a little faster – all five of their goals in two wins this weekend came in the second half, though Western State's Emilie Eckhart had six of her 11 saves in the opening 45 minutes.
 
"We've got to do a better job of stepping out of the locker room and plugging in right away," Chao said. "Once you step onto the field you should be plugged in and ready to go. Not that we're so far off, it's just the small things that can help us take control of the game earlier."