DENVER – Back in 2021, the MSU Denver men's soccer team was hard to find.
 
The Roadrunners were, somewhat true to their name, seemingly always on the road.
 
The schedule flipped this year and to this point MSU Denver has played nine of its first 12 games at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
But that changes this weekend as the Roadrunners head off for their biggest road trip of the season – at least so far – for games Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Westminster and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Colorado Mesa.
 
"Everyone was laughing because this is the only time we'll have been gone for four days in a row the entire year," MSU Denver coach Nick Kirchhof said. "Last year it seemed like we were doing it every week.
 
"I'm really looking forward to being away with the guys for a little bit, being in a new environment with some enjoyable things to do in both places. It's a great time as a team to regroup and spend time together as a team."
 
But, make no mistake, this will be no relaxing retreat.
 
At 8-2-2 overall and 2-1-1 and tied for fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, MSU Denver is vying for a potential place in the postseason league tournament. But so too are Westminster (3-1-1 in the RMAC) and Mesa (1-3-1).
 
And both the Griffins and Mavericks (both 6-5-1) have played challenging schedules, both in non-conference and conference play. Westminster beat Colorado Mesa 3-1 Wednesday night.
 
"Both teams are in a similar position with us, fighting for one of those top six spots," Kirchhof said. "Their records don't reflect the quality that each team has.
 
"It's two good environments and great places to play. We're at the fun part of the season now. We're getting down to the end, and right now everyone still has everything to play for. We're going to try to get the result on Friday, and after that one, we'll regroup, refocus and get ready to do it again on Sunday."
 
One more road trip, potentially even bigger, looms for MSU Denver, which travels to play UCCS and CSU-Pueblo – currently tied for second – on Oct. 21 and 23.
 
How big that weekend is will be determined in some degree by what happens this weekend.
 
While Westminster was the preseason choice by coaches to finish fifth in the league this season, MSU Denver was picked to finished tied for seventh. Mesa, meanwhile, was picked to repeat as league champions.
 
Mesa is second in the league with an average of 2.5 goals per game, while Westminster ranks fifth at 2.0.
 
"They both pass really well, they defend, and they have special players who can influence the game," Kirchhof said. "They're evenly matched teams with us, and if we do what we're supposed to do we have an opportunity for success."
 
MSU Denver has made major strides defensively this season and is tied for second in the league with just 0.67 goals allowed per game. The improved attention to defensive detail all over the field has helped Ross Miller – who has played every minute in goal, and thus has an 0.67 goals-against average that is on track to be the best in program history.
 
And three of the eight goals he has allowed have come on two penalty kicks and a fluke when a blowout game was all but over.
 
"He's having a tremendous year, doing all the right things, making good decisions, and making massive saves that influence the game," Kirchhof said. "He's been a huge contributor to the success of our team. But the whole team's defending has been a priority and that has improved drastically."