DENVER – Three points. That's what the Metropolitan State University of Denver women's soccer team needed on Sunday in a Senior Day matchup against Black Hills State.

Three points to eliminate any doubt of locking down a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament.

Three points the Roadrunners got, and they were a dominant three.

"Everything we had to do this weekend, we controlled and we did it," MSU Denver coach Tracy Chao said following the midday match at the Regency Athletic Complex. "We got a solid one point on Friday an awesome, solid three points today."

The Roadrunners (7-8-2, 6-4-3 RMAC) controlled play from the start of the match, executing a relentless attack against the Yellow Jackets (3-12-1, 3-8-1 RMAC). Sophomore Luna Garcia finally broke through the BHSU defense in the 25^th minute as she turned and fired from the top of the box to give MSU Denver a 1-0 lead. It was Garcia's second goal of the season.

That goal was not without some Senior Day assistance from Brooklynn Mooney, who tied Gabriella Gamboa for the team lead with her third helper of the season.

Mooney reflected on her two years at MSU Denver after transferring from the University of Wyoming after two years there.

"It's been a crazy journey because I definitely thought I'd end up finishing my career at Wyoming," Mooney said. "But it worked out well. This is a really great school and an awesome team. I'm sad it's my last home game but it's been really fun."

One of the best parts of Mooney's transition has been the close proximity of her family, including her teammate and cousin, Jessica Mooney.

"It's awesome honestly, just having such a great support system," the Broomfield native continued. "My family's always there for me. It's been so fun playing with Jess. I'm very thankful for them."

The Roadrunners took a 1-0 lead into halftime, but that score didn't reflect their dominance. MSU Denver took 21 shots in the first 45 minutes while limiting Black Hills State to just two. That total rose to 37 for the Roadrunners, who put 11 shots on frame in the match.

But a 1-0 lead never feels safe, so MSU Denver was on the hunt for another goal in the second half. It came in the 74^th minute off the foot of sophomore Paloma Teran, who found the back of the net for the fourth time this season on a beautiful cross from senior Bry Sanchez.

"(My teammates) were like, 'score on Senior Day!' and I said, 'I don't care who scores, I just want to win,'" said Sanchez. "It doesn't really matter to me. It's exciting. At the end of the day, I just want a W."

Sanchez has made the most of a fifth year of eligibility, granted after her 2017 campaign was cut short due to injury.

"Everything happens for a reason, and this year I took on more of a mentor type of role with some of the freshmen," Sanchez said. "That's been really cool to see and hear it voiced back that they're grateful and sad for me to go. I don't think I would've had that same relationship last year because my class was so tight-knit. This year I've been able to branch out more and build relationships across all the classes. That's been fun."

While a lot of things have changed around Sanchez in her five years with the program, some things started and ended the same.

"It's interesting because it's kind of come full circle," said the Tucson, Ariz., native. "I started with (assistant coach Megan Remec) and she's back now."

Remec coached with the Roadrunners from 2013-2015 and returned this season for her second stint, representing the bookends of Sanchez's career.

Chao expressed gratitude for the Roadrunners' entire senior class after the match, especially those who experienced a transition at the head coach position during their time at MSU Denver.

"I can't say enough how lucky I was," Chao said. "I'm grateful to have inherited great people and players. They certainly committed themselves to what I was doing for the program in that transition. For them to be able to commit to what I was doing and to stay committed for three years was really cool. All great kids and all great people."

Now, it's all eyes on the RMAC Tournament for the Roadrunners, who finish the regular season in sixth place in the league. Unofficially, MSU Denver will play against Dixie State on Friday in the first round of conference tourney in one of the two first-round games hosted by Colorado School of Mines.

"I told them this is why they're here," Chao said.

"You're collegiate athletes," she said of her conversation with the team. "You're not playing intramurals, you're not playing club. It's not 'hey, let's go out and kick it around.' You guys chose this environment; you chose this program; you chose this because you want to be in these pressure moments. This is what the whole fall and everything you guys have prepared for leads up to the postseason. That's the cool thing. This is why you're here."

Stay tuned to RoadrunnersAthletics.com and @MSUDenverSports on Twitter for more information about the Roadrunners' berth in the RMAC Tournament.