DENVER – There's probably a reason that MSU Denver midfielder Jerry Gutierrez shows such uncommon maturity – on and off the pitch – as a true freshman.
 
"I think one of the reasons he's such a mature kid is he's been away from home for two years now," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Hank Lewis said.
 
Gutierrez, unable to get the exposure he deserved growing up in the California soccer ranks, decided to attend a tryout with the Colorado Rapids Development Academy two years ago. He made the grade, and spent his junior and senior years of high school living with a host family in Brighton, Colo.
 
"I've seen it as a positive way to live your life," Gutierrez said. "You don't get these types of opportunities very often, so you have to make the most of it. Living on your own, you experience things that you usually wouldn't as a regular teen – doing your own laundry, doing your own oil change. My first year I didn't have a car so I took the school bus – waking up at 5 a.m. to catch the 6 a.m. bus. Meal prep helped me take care of my body and make sure I got the right nutrition.
 
"It was a good transition for me to prepare for college. It's definitely helped me grow up."
 
As a new kid in school, Gutierrez had to find his way at Brighton High School.
 
"At first it was kind of awkward," he said. "But then I met a couple of people who knew about soccer and knew about me. The counselors brought me into friend groups. And being in Advanced Placement classes really showed them that I wasn't just there for soccer but that I was there for an education as well."
 
Gutierrez has made an immediate impact at MSU Denver, and he recorded a hat trick in only his fifth career game – scoring three goals on three shots in a 5-0 win over Colorado Christian last Friday.
 
Now he and his MSU Denver teammates return home for a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games this weekend, as they play host to Colorado Mesa at 3 p.m. Friday and to Fort Lewis at 1 p.m. Sunday. Colorado Mesa is 3-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 in the RMAC, while Fort Lewis is 3-0-3 and 1-0-1. Those teams played to a 1-1 tie last weekend while also picking up one-goal wins.
 
MSU Denver is 3-3 and 1-1, and is one of eight teams in the 12-team league that picked up at least one win in the opening weekend of the conference season. The Roadrunners, after winning Friday, took a 2-0 lead on Sunday at Dixie State before falling 5-2.
 
"As we were driving back (from Utah), there was a plus-minus to seeing that both Fort Lewis and Mesa won by only one goal," Lewis said. "So parity is alive and that's a positive because everyone is dealing with some adversity. But it was also disappointing because if we had won on Sunday it would've put us in a good place. And now all the teams that are part of this parity are going to be even more motivated."
 
Said Gutierrez: "Hopefully we can set the tone in the league, starting this weekend. Hopefully we can make a point. We're not here for jokes, we're here for business."
 
Gutierrez is all business on the field, despite his relative inexperience.
 
"He's definitely still young as a player, but his ability and his competitive composure is really mature," Lewis said. "Off the field, he's focused. He jokes around like anyone else. But he's the kind of kid you want to have as a son – smart, appropriately playful with his friends and appropriately a teenager, but still a really focused kid."
 
Gutierrez has found a mentor in fellow midfielder Danny Bautista, a fifth-year senior. They are both among the team's hardest workers, Lewis said, and both will be pursuing careers in law enforcement.
 
"He's definitely a big mentor because not only does he play the same position, but we also have the same major, so he's an even bigger influence for me," Gutierrez said. "He's pretty much a big brother for me. Before I came here (as a recruit) he told me how everything was going to work. He's an inspiration."
 
Gutierrez also got an assist from Bautista (though not an official one) when it came to the third goal of his hat trick. The Roadrunners were awarded a penalty kick, and Bautista has made his two attempts on PKs over the past two seasons.
 
But Bautista handed the duty over to Gutierrez.
 
"I have to give a big thanks to Danny," said Gutierrez, who has one other hat trick in his career, as a club player three or four years ago. "Danny really thought about me first. He's our PK-taker. But he looked at me and said, 'Complete your hat trick.'"
 
With the maturity and work ethic of Gutierrez, Lewis sees him as a future team leader. In fact, Gutierrez told him before the season that being a leader was one of his career goals.
 
"Some guys just say that, but he wanted to show how he was going to earn his place by developing as a leader," Lewis said. "It's been very clear from everything he does that he's one of those kinds of guys. He acts about it, not just talks about it."
 
MSU Denver lost its only home game so far this season, a disappointing 3-2 non-conference setback against Chaminade (Hawaii) in which the Roadrunners initially fell behind 3-0.
 
They hope to play with a stronger sense of urgency against Mesa and Fort Lewis, teams picked to finish third and sixth, respectively, in the RMAC.
 
"They both organize very well in defensive transition," Lewis said. "They get to the places they need to be quickly. We have sometimes not been as sharp as we need to be in offensive transition – seeing where we can play a ball, making runs – so that will be a challenge. Can we be sharper and more dangerous for longer stretches in offensive transition?"
 
Gutierrez has a role in that.
 
"He's made a huge step forward in being a connector in the midfield, and when he strings together passing combos and helps switch the play, he also gets himself into dangerous situations so he can score goals the way he did Friday," Lewis said.
 
That kind of development is what Gutierrez hopes to continue.
 
"I want to keep playing how I am right now and become more of an influencer and leader, whether it's assisting my teammates or taking charge and scoring goals," he said. "I want to be a player that people can rely on."