PORTALES, N.M. – It only takes one.
 
For the fifth straight game, the MSU Denver women's soccer team scored one goal, and four the fourth time that was enough for victory as the Roadrunners went on the road and defeated Eastern New Mexico 1-0 Sunday in their final non-conference game of the regular season.
 
Luna Garcia's first goal of the season, which came on assists from Isa Durkin and Paloma Teran, came in the game's 68^th minute and helped MSU Denver improve to 4-1-1.
 
"We had good possession of the game the first half, and we had a lot of possession underneath their defense – so our shots were from distance," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "So we spoke about getting in behind them and having some urgency on our attack. In the second half we had more urgency and more willingness to get behind them and to get forward – and that opened up a lot of channels."
 
Garcia's goal, a one-touch finish, capped a long sequence of 10 passes that led to the score.
 
"It was a beautiful goal," Mertz said.
 
The win was MSU Denver's 500^th in program history – the 2004 and 2006 national champions have an all-time record of 500-242-65 for a .660 winning percentage.
 
MSU Denver has played five 1-0 games this season, including a loss in the season opener. Its other game was a 1-1 tie that was less than two minutes away from being a 1-0 win.
 
Dating to the end of last season, 10 of the Roadrunners' last 11 games have been 1-0 contests, with MSU Denver 7-3 in those games.
 
"I wouldn't mind getting another goal," has been a frequent refrain by Mertz.
 
However, steady defending and goalkeeping has continued to make the close results a little easier to get through.
 
Kylie Bach improved to 3-0, with three shutout wins, while being required to make just one save. Bach has now played 291 scoreless minutes in goal this season and 564 scoreless minutes for her career.
 
In front of her, defenders Katy Harris, Emily Sirois, Elli Zimmer and Kate Giordano continue to keep opponents at bay.
 
"We played well collectively," Mertz said. "Our back line played really well. They are starting to play together and in sync. We're working on our midfield shape and we had some others up top have a big impact for us – Tessa (Killmon) and Paloma played really well in the second half and put pressure on Eastern New Mexico."
 
MSU Denver opens Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play Thursday with a 6 p.m. home game against Westminster at the Assembly Athletic Complex.