DENVER – The MSU Denver men's soccer team is the Roadrunners' first program that gets to show off the new playing field and lights at the Assembly Athletic Complex for a regular-season game.
And get used to it.
The Roadrunners play their first six games on the friendly confines under Colfax Avenue.
"We couldn't have timed it any better, to have so many games at home on a brand-new surface," MSU Denver coach Nick Kirchhof said. "It's an awesome spot to play. And we've seen a big difference in how we play (on the AstroTurf field), how we can pass it. It plays so much more true – it's a great surface to play on."
"We've tried to schedule great opponents," Kirchhof said. "And these are good teams from our region playing in a very similar, tough conference like us. We want to try to play the best teams we can in region to prepare ourselves for the RMAC. We have a variety of non-conference opponents that will mimic some of what we see in the RMAC."
Though MSU Denver finished fifth in the RMAC last season at 5-4-1 and went 8-9-2 overall, the Roadrunners were picked by league coaches to finish seventh in the preseason poll.
MSU Denver opens the season with games Friday at 7 p.m. against San Francisco State and Sunday at 1 p.m. against Cal State Monterey Bay. San Francisco State is picked to finish ninth in the 12-team California Collegiate Athletic Association, while Cal State San Marcos is picked 11th.
The program has finally experienced a normal offseason for the first time since 2018. Coaching vacancies occurred shortly before the 2019 and 2020 seasons were to scheduled to begin (the 2020 season was pushed to the spring of 2021), and the 2021 spring season started just weeks after Kirchhof was named head coach. And then the then 2021 fall season came just four months after the spring season ended.
"It's been really enjoyable for me as a coach because we get to focus a lot more on soccer," Kirchhof said. "And then we've been able to bring in higher caliber players in our recruiting class, which has also helped. And it's finally the first class where we've been able to watch the guys for a long period of time, so we knew exactly what we were getting, and they knew what we were all about. So I feel like the transition has been more seamless. Last year, it was almost like trying to bring two separate teams together."
MSU Denver's top 12 players in terms of minutes played last season are back on the roster, a group that includes All-RMAC first team forward Aidan Bates (10 goals) and All-RMAC second team defender Bryson Chiles (nine assists). Battled-tested goalkeeper Ross Miller, defensive stalwarts Nicco Schiappa, Andres Arcila Saenz (one goal), Parker Landry (two assists) and David Pena (one assist), midfielders Alec Nguyen (two goals, two assists) and Noah Hannula (three goals), and offensive sparkplugs Aaron Biggerstaff (three goals, three assists, All-RMAC honorable mention), Adan Perez (one goal) and Hernan Ibarra (three goals, three assists) were among most-utilized Roadrunners a season ago.
"We had so many guys who played a lot of minutes last year – a little bit of trial by fire, but it was super valuable," Kirchhof said. "Now they know what to expect. They've figured out different ways to win games. That should build confidence."
Added to that group are 12 newcomers, including three who have played at the Division I level.
"They can all play," Kirchhof said. "Some of the younger guys may need a little more time to learn, but we're not discounting any of them because they've all got great ability. Right now there are a couple of freshmen who will probably make it into the lineup this weekend, and a couple of the transfer guys will make an impact right away. But we have a culture where everyone is training and preparing as if they were a starter."
The Roadrunners don't play on the road until Sept. 14. They open RMAC play on Sept. 21, and Kirchhof expects a battle.
"It's going to be tough," Kirchhof said. "There's not a single win from last year that you can look at and say, 'Yep, that's a win this year.'"
But MSU Denver did go 4-0-1 to close the regular season last year, fighting its way into the RMAC Tournament as the fifth-place finisher.
"It's important," Kirchhof said of the strong finish. "Because I can talk about things, and give them all the stories and my experiences, but until you've lived them, it's tough. What I was most proud of last year is that things weren't going our way, and we were having to figure things out on the fly early in the season, but by the end, everyone was committed and bought in, and we were doing good things – and they got the reward for it.
"When we commit to doing what we want to do and we're consistent with our effort and behavior, we can play with anybody. Our test now is if we can do it consistently, and consistently push ourselves at a high level."
