PUEBLO, Colo. – No. 11 CSU Pueblo scored two goals late in the first half and held on for a 2-0 victory Sunday over MSU Denver, denying the Roadrunners a second straight trip to the RMAC Tournament.
 
The ThunderWolves scored on a header off a corner kick at 40:53 and on another header with just 19 seconds left in the half.
 
"We played a really good first half until the last five minutes," MSU Denver coach Nick Kirchhof said. "We lost a mark on a corner kick, and then we gave up a goal in a way that we had talked about how Pueblo scores.
 
"The second goal was really the dagger. If we had kept it at one, it would have been a tighter game and we would have had more chances. I think playing them right after an emotional game (a 2-1 win Friday at No. 20 UCCS), we didn't have that extra bit of energy we needed against a fresh team (CSU Pueblo hadn't played since Wednesday)."
 
CSU Pueblo (14-3-1 overall, 8-1-1 RMAC) finished second in the league.
 
"Credit to them," Kirchhof said. "They are a great team and it was tough to play through them. And in the second half they did a great job of killing the game off and making us chase, and we didn't quite have the legs for it."
 
MSU Denver (10-6-2, 4-5-1) needed just a tie to finish tied for sixth and earn the final playoff spot via tiebreaker after Colorado Christian lost 4-1 at Colorado Mesa. But the Roadrunners wound up tied for seventh.
 
Ultimately, Kirchhof said, three league games spelled doom for MSU Denver: a 1-1 tie at home against Regis when the Rangers played a man down the entire second half and scoring the tying goal anyway; a 1-0 loss at Westminster when the Roadrunners gave up the winning goal after taking a red card; and a surprising loss last weekend to previously winless Adams State.
 
"If just get one point out of those games, we would still be playing," Kirchhof said. "Or if we get all six points, we would have finished third, but instead we're tied for seventh. That's how good this conference is, how close the games are, and how big every moment is. Unfortunately, we kind of did this one to ourselves."
 
However, the 10-win season tied for the program's best total since 2016.
 
"Overall, there are so many positives from this season," Kirchhof said. "We've played some really good soccer. Now we have to figure out next year how to get the tight games to go in our favor. The boys realize now more than ever that every detail, every moment matters if we want to keep playing and as we try to get this program back to where it should be."
 
It was the final MSU Denver game for seniors Bryson Chiles, Hernan Ibarra and Alec Nguyen.
 
"I can't thank those three enough," Kirchhof said. "They took a big risk coming with me and playing for me. They've been tremendous in the locker room. They've done great things for us and they'll do great things in their future. I can't thank those three enough for what they've done to help us get things up and running."