COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – MSU Denver held No. 10 UCCS scoreless for 66 minutes, but the Mountain Lions scored the only goal they needed and then held on for a 1-0 victory Sunday in the quarterfinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
MSU Denver had a 14-10 advantage in shots and a 5-2 edge in corner kicks, while UCCS put five shots on goal to the Roadrunners' four.
 
The Roadrunners finished with a flurry, firing 10 shots – including two on goal – after Ella Fischer scored for UCCS at 66:01.
 
"I thought that in the first half we controlled the tempo, and I thought it was pretty possession-based for both teams," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "In the second half, clearly it opened up and we were on our heels a little for about 10 minutes – we needed to find ways to put better pressure on them.
 
"After they scored, we took some risks, switched formations and played with even more urgency. I'm disappointed to not get the result today."
 
MSU Denver finishes its season at 10-6-2, matching the program's highest win total since 2014. The Roadrunners allowed only 12 goals in 18 games for the season.
 
"Our players played their hearts out, and I'm gutted for them," Mertz said. "There were moments that we showed some great brilliance. I'm excited for our future, but I hurt for players like Annie (Rolf) and Jordy (Lewis), who left it all on the field knowing they're not coming back next year.
 
"I'm sad to see it over for sure. But it was a good run, and we're looking forward to the future."