PUEBLO, Colo. – Soccer is one of the only sports in which one team can wholly outperform another and still fail to come up with the win.

For MSU Denver women's soccer, that is a frustrating yet real phenomenon that has reared its head plenty this season.

Sunday's match at CSU-Pueblo was another instance. The Roadrunners (2-5-0, 1-1-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) played dominant soccer for the large majority of the match yet failed to capitalize on key offensive opportunities and suffered one brief lapse that resulted in a 2-1 final score in favor of the ThunderWolves (2-4-0, 1-1-0 RMAC).

"We dominated the entire middle third," MSU Denver head coach Tracy Chao said. "(The ThunderWolves) couldn't figure out how to defend our attack, but they did enough to defend it in the box to not let us score. We've got to score goals, though. Nobody gives you victories for dominating a possession stat."

The Roadrunners had the edge in shots, 15-13, and shots on goal, 8-7, yet only found the back of the net once on a Jordan Lewis penalty kick in the 62^nd minute.

That wasn't enough to overcome a 90-second spurt from CSU-Pueblo just over 20 minutes into the match in which ThunderWolves forward Justine Martinez scored twice.

While CSU-Pueblo capitalized on its opportunities, MSU Denver simply struggled to find the back of the net when deep in enemy territory.

"We missed probably four or five (shots) inside their six (yard-box)," Chao said. "It doesn't matter what you do inside the game if you can't finish and can't execute."

Sophomores Miriam Caballero and Jessica Mooney each took two shots on goal to lead the Roadrunners in the category, while senior goalkeeper Erica Torres made five saves.

Though final scores haven't always shown it lately, Chao is seeing impressive play from her team in 2019.

"We're consistently dominating teams," she said.

One would think that dominance should eventually turn into more balls in the back of the net, which typically results in more additions to the win column.

MSU Denver will have two more chances to make additions to the win column next weekend in Grand Junction, Colo., taking on Colorado Mesa at 7 p.m. Friday before a 1 p.m. match against Western Colorado next Sunday.

With Western Colorado's new soccer field under construction, Colorado Mesa will play host to the Roadrunners' Sunday showdown with the Mountaineers.

As the conference schedule unfolds, Chao is looking for the addition of individual edge from her players to put the Roadrunners over the hump and give the team an edge over league foes.

"It's going to be a battle to see who can do it," said Chao. "Who's going to prove that they can score goals?"