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MSU Denver Athletics

Schedule

Alec Nguyen dribbles against Regis on Sept. 23, 2021.
Darral Freund
Alec Nguyen scored both MSU Denver goals.
2
MSU Denver MSUD (8-9-2, 5-5-1)
5
Winner CSU Pueblo CSUP (13-4-2, 6-3-2)
MSU Denver MSUD
(8-9-2, 5-5-1)
2
Final
5
CSU Pueblo CSUP
(13-4-2, 6-3-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
MSU Denver MSUD 0 2 2
CSU Pueblo CSUP 0 5 5

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | by Rob White

@MSUDenverMSOC: CSU-Pueblo Uses Late Flurry to Defeat Roadrunners in RMAC Tournament

The teams played 67 scoreless minutes before combining for seven goals

PUEBLO, Colo. – Even though the 5-2 final score indicates otherwise, MSU Denver and CSU-Pueblo were locked into a defensive struggle Thursday night in the first round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
The teams that had played to a 110-minute scoreless draw Friday in a regular-season matchup played another 67 minutes Thursday before CSU-Pueblo broke through.
 
MSU Denver quicky tied the game on the first of Alec Nguyen's two goals, but CSU-Pueblo scored four goals in five minutes to put the game out of reach.
 
"I couldn't be prouder of the effort of our group down the stretch," said MSU Denver coach Nick Kirchhof, whose team finished the regular season by going 4-0-1. "Every game was a playoff game down the stretch. We came up short today, but we took huge steps in a positive direction for this team and for the program overall. We can be upset about tonight, but I'm excited about what we've done and what we will continue to do in the future."
 
The fourth-seeded ThunderWolves (13-4-2) advance to a Sunday semifinal at Colorado School of Mines, while fifth-seeded MSU Denver's season ends at 8-9-2.
 
CSU-Pueblo took 22 shots and put 14 on goal.
 
"I thought we played well, and weathered their storm early on," Kirchhof said. "We got to the half and created a couple of good chances. Unfortunately they caught us on a free kick to go ahead, but we were able to fight right back, which was fantastic."
 
Nguyen's first goal tied it in the 74th minute and came on assists from Sam Funnell and Bryson Chiles.
 
CSU-Pueblo went ahead just over seven minutes later and the dam broke. The talented ThunderWolves added on three spectacular goals.
 
"A couple of those goals, there's not much you can coach against," Kirchhof said. "A couple of them they smashed off the post and in … more credit to them for continuing to keep pushing."
 
Nguyen got his second goal on a shot from the top of the box off a long throw-in.
 
"I love that we still responded, even after we were down, and scored another of our own," Kirchhof said. "Alec had two fantastic goals, and that's the type of player and personality we want."
 
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