DENVER – Former MSU Denver women's soccer assistant coach Dave Carver can't imagine going through what he is without the support of family, friends, people throughout the soccer community and even people he doesn't know.

 
That's what makes the Roadrunners' Cancer Awareness Match on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Fort Lewis important to him. Carver, who became the Academy Director for U11-U14 boys for FC Boulder after last season, will be at the Regency Athletic Complex to be recognized.
 
"Raising awareness puts into the minds of people that this affects a lot of people, and it's common," Carver said. "The more you can recognize that and realize that people need support, it's just the best way to get people through this stuff. The support and help of MSU Denver while I'm going through this is big element of support for sure."
 
Four years ago Carver was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but had surgery that has an 85 percent success rate. Routine scans continually came back clean until earlier this year, when he was diagnosed with the same cancer. Now he's on week six of a nine-week treatment plan.
 
"It's chemotherapy and they've told me there's a high chance that with the cancer I have, this will take care of it," Carver said. "That's something I cling to, because not everyone gets that news while battling cancer – some are more curable than others and I'm trying to hang on to that good prognosis."
 
Meanwhile, Carver's family has started a GoFundMe page and a Facebook page as he goes through treatment and recovery.
 
As part of the Cancer Awareness Day, MSU Denver soccer player Riley Ostler will take over the NCAA Division II Instagram account. Follow along here:
 
"The NCAA reaches so many people, so it spreads a bigger net and can grab the attention of even more people," Carver said. "The more awareness there is, the better chances that people can catch it early in their own lives, or they can just be more aware of people who need support."
 
While undergoing treatment, Carver looks around at others and is stunned by the numbers.
 
"This is something that is a lot more common than I ever realized until going through it myself," he said. "When I go in for treatment, I go into a room and everyone is sitting in their chair, and you would never realize how many people are going through this. It's alarming to me that it affects this many people and how disruptive it can be, whether they are my age, younger or older. I wonder what they would have been doing if this horrible thing hadn't interrupted their lives."
 
A native of Cambridge, England, Carver noted the support from FC Boulder as well as his pre-MSU Denver location, Schoolcraft (Mich.) College, for its positive benefits.
 
"I don't know if I could be in the place I'm at six weeks in if not for the support me and my family have had," he said. "It's blown us away. Part of that is just being in sports, and what it does for you – you have that community around you who cares for one another. I coach a couple of teams, and when they heard about this (his diagnosis) they immediately put together a meal train, and almost every night food has been sent to our house from another family.
 
"My old college in Michigan had a cancer support day and put my name on T-shirts – my brother is the women's coach and I know the men's coach very well, but it's a fresh crop of players and none of them know me. It's very helpful when things like that happen."
 
Carver said he had planned on going to games more often as a fan this season after spending two years on Coach Tracy Chao's staff, but cancer got in the way. That won't be the case Sunday.
 
"With the way my cycles work out, this is one of my best weeks to be there," he said. "I'll have a heavy session Monday, so Sunday will be my last day of feeling pretty good before they start smashing me again."
 
Despite being unable to attend games, Carver has still followed his old program, which is a little disappointed to be 3-6-2 overall but is still in solid position in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at 2-2-2 for a fourth-place tie with eight points.
 
"I think they've had some unfortunate results," Carver said. "Because how they are playing and the chances they have created have been positive. It looks like they can beat any team in the RMAC on a given day. They can do well enough to get into the playoffs and once you get to the knockout rounds they have a chance to get on the right side of the result."


The Roadrunners also have a 6 p.m. home match Friday against Adams State (3-5-0, 1-4-0) before entertaining Fort Lewis (3-3-2, 2-1-2) on Sunday.
 
"It'll be nice to see everyone," Carver said. "I've definitely missed all of the players and just being around the team and the college soccer environment, and obviously Tracy. I don't want to intrude too much because they have a game to play, but I'm looking forward to catching up for sure."