DENVER – It was a tough day at the pitch for the MSU Denver men's soccer team.
 
Colorado School of Mines, perhaps frustrated with its 4-3 record after being ranked as high as No. 4 in NCAA Division II earlier this season, showed why that rating may have been justified on Sunday in a 4-0 victory over the Roadrunners at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
"Mines was very good," MSU Denver coach Nick Kirchhof said. "They got on top of us right away. They outworked us in every facet of the game. Realistically, we deserved this result. We tell the guys that no one is going to hand us anything, that we've got to earn everything we get.
 
"Today we got what we earned because we didn't come to work hard and compete. Good teams like Mines are going to make you work every game – that's why they're a good program and why they're at the top of the league. If we want to get better, we have to give our best effort every time we step on the field."
 
MSU Denver dropped to 3-4-1 for the season. The game was played as a non-conference affair – the teams' official Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchup is Oct. 8.
 
Mines had advantages of 16-1 in shots, 10-1 in shots on goal, and 6-0 on corner kicks.
 
"Credit to them, it's still hard to score goals, and they got four against us," Kirchhof said. "They made it pretty easy for themselves. Mines is a good team, but we were nowhere near what we are capable of being, and that's disappointing."