DENVER – The Metropolitan State University of Denver men's soccer team picked up a key victory in its search for a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament bid on Friday afternoon, grinding out a 1-0 victory over the UCCS Mountain Lions at the Regency Athletic Complex.

"We've been joking that in international competition, there's always the group stage," MSU Denver coach Hank Lewis said following the win. "We're thinking of it as 'we have to win these four games in order to get into the knockout round.' That's how we're looking at it."

To win four, you've got to start with one.

The Roadrunners (7-7-1, 5-5-1 RMAC) did just that on Friday afternoon, widening the gap between themselves and the Mountain Lions (5-8-1, 4-7-0 RMAC) in the conference standings in the process.

MSU Denver found itself in control early, as freshman Jerry Gutierrez netted the lone goal of the contest in the ninth minute after finding a loose ball at the edge of the 18-yard box.

"I saw their (center defensive midfielder) play it back to their center back, a sketchy ball in the back," Gutierrez described. "I told Danny Bautista, 'jump him. You could easily win this ball over him.' If he wins that ball, I'll be 1-v-1 with the keeper. He did win the ball, a difficult challenge. I saw the ball bouncing in front of me. I thought about taking a touch but knew the first time had to be the thing and just slotted it home with the volley."

It was the fourth goal of the season for Gutierrez, tying him with Benjamin Brill for the team lead this season.

The early goal didn't indicate how the rest of the match would play out, however. The next 80-plus minutes were an all-out grind as the teams traded chances in a defensive battle.

"We just prepared to be a team that could just move the ball around them," Lewis said. "I've been using boxing analogies all year long. I kind of felt like we knew they'd have heavy punches, but we knew we could technically get our little hits in. I felt like we never felt panicked about it. (UCCS is) a very good team at surging late, both in the season and in games. We just knew we'd have to withstand that."

Withstand that the Roadrunners did, forcing the Mountain Lions to come up empty despite 14 shots. Five of those were turned away by MSU Denver goalkeeper Alessandro Gentile, who earned his fourth shutout of the season.

MSU Denver took 12 shots, including four on frame – but it was the ninth-minute attempt by Jerry Gutierrez that made all the difference.

"We needed this win to get the momentum against Regis this upcoming Sunday," Gutierrez said.

With the momentum on their side after a big win, Lewis knows his team is ready and confident.

"They realize every game's a must-win, but they also realize we're playing well," he said. "It's not like it's a must-win because we feel desperate. We just feel like it's coming together, and now we get a chance to have it peak at the exact time we need it."

The Roadrunners will host Regis (9-5-1, 8-3-0 RMAC) at the Regency Athletic Complex for a 1 p.m. kickoff Sunday in what will likely be a cold and snowy battle between crosstown rivals.

MSU Denver won the non-conference matchup between the two schools earlier this season, defeating the Rangers 1-0 on Sept. 13 at Regis Match Pitch.