GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa scored a first-half goal and made it stand up Sunday for a 1-0 victory over MSU Denver in women's college soccer.
 
"I'm proud of our team's effort today," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "I thought we had them
on their heels in the second half, and it was disappointing not to score. However, we had some fantastic efforts all around, and Jordan (Lewis) and Elli (Zimmer) did a great job of shutting down No. 5 (13-goal scorer Lila Dere)."
 
Colorado Mesa, receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches' Top 25 poll, improved to 11-2 overall and 8-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
Katy Coats put two shots on goal and Kayla Caballero had five saves for MSU Denver, which is 7-5-2 overall and 4-5 for seventh in the RMAC.
 
The Roadrunners return home for games Friday against Western Colorado and Saturday against Fort Lewis as they pursue a top-eight RMAC finish that would allow them to qualify for the RMAC Tournament.
 
"We're looking forward to being back home in front of our home crowd,'" Mertz said.