GOLDEN, Colo. – It wasn't the day the MSU Denver women's soccer team wanted.
 
Playing in high winds at Stermole Stadium, the Roadrunners had the advantage in shots on goal but wound up falling 5-1 to 14^th-ranked Colorado School of Mines.
 
"We didn't problem-solve very well in the first half," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Tracy Chao said. "I was disappointed with some of our starters who needed to come our and be ready to go and they weren't. We let the conditions, things that we couldn't control, dictate our energy. We made some changes for the second half and had some players step up.
 
"We couldn't control the wind. But more than anything it was about controlling your and attitude and your energy. At the end of the day, both teams were playing in the wind and it was going to be about who was going to work a little harder and who was going to be a little more together. And they were a bit more together than we were."
 
MSU Denver fell behind 3-0 in the first half while playing with winds of 35 to 45 mph, and gusts of 60 mph, at its back. Playing into the wind in the second half, the Roadrunners got within 3-1 on a penalty-kick goal by Gabriella Gamboa at 63:42.
 
But the Orediggers (12-2-1 overall, 8-1-1 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) added two late goals to secure the win. MSU Denver (6-7-2, 5-3-2) had a 9-7 advantage in shots on goal.
 
"It's hard because you have two good teams, and it's always a good matchup, and neither team was able to play the way it wanted to play (because of the wind)," Chao said. "But we played way better in the second half. We created a penalty kick and created more quality chances against the wind."
 
The Roadrunners, in third place in the RMAC, plays next Sunday at 1 p.m. at national No. 1 UCCS (14-0, 10-0).