DENVER – Last season's conference schedule was a stark dichotomy for the MSU Denver women's soccer team.
 
Home: 6-0. Road: 1-5.
 
The Roadrunners are looking to amend that this season, and while they have thus far maintained their solid play at the Assembly Athletic Complex, they have their first road test of the season Thursday at 7 p.m. at Regis.
 
And, while part of last year's struggles on the road had to do with the fact that MSU Denver played five of the league's best teams in foreign venues, it's also worth noting that Regis – though picked only seventh in the preseason coaches' poll is, by that measure, expected to be the most difficult road game of the season.
 
"Regis is a good team," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "Well-coached by a new coach. It's a big game, and a rivalry. We need to make sure that we're ready. If we've got the right mind-set, I'm excited to see what we can do."
 
MSU Denver is off to a 5-1-2 start overall, including 1-0-1 in league games last weekend. The overall start matches last season's as the best since the 2018 team opened at 6-1-2.
 
Last year at home, the Roadrunners defeated the Rangers 2-1.
 
"Regis is always a really good team," midfielder Riley Ostler said. "We have to make sure we're locked in and ready to get three points."
 
The Rangers are 3-4-1 overall, but are 2-0 in the RMAC.
 
"We're just going to play them like we would any other game," midfielder Luna Garcia said. "It's the same thing, we just want to keep doing what we're doing."
 
Of course, that's not all that's ahead of the Roadrunners this week.
 
Colorado School of Mines, the preseason RMAC favorite and ranked No. 17 nationally while starting the season 5-1-1 overall and 2-0 in league play, comes to the Assembly Athletic Complex for a 1 p.m. game Saturday.
 
MSU Denver has never lost at home since Mertz took over the program for the 2021 season, compiling a 15-game unbeaten streak while going 12-0-3. It's the longest home unbeaten streak for the program at the Assembly Athletic Complex, and the longest overall since the Roadrunners were 13-0-2 at Auraria Field from Sept. 1, 2008, until Sept. 4, 2009.
 
MSU Denver still holds the Division II record with a 61-game home winning streak from Sept. 20, 2002, through Oct. 22, 2006 – that was also Division II's record for longest home unbeaten streak until it was surpassed by Grand Valley State (Mich.) in 2014.
 
Getting to No. 16 against Mines will be difficult, though and it will require continued quality play from multiple Roadrunners, including Ostler and Garcia in the midfield.
 
"I'm really happy with the midfield rotation," Mertz said. "Riley is just a warrior back there. She's the heart and soul of our team. She'll fight and do whatever she can to make sure she's putting her best effort on the field."
 
Garcia has also been inspirational, with two goals thus far after sitting out last season. She was All-RMAC honorable mention in the 2020 season (which was played in the spring of 2021).
 
"I could be a lot more fit – that's where I'm struggling right now," Garcia said. "But I'm so excited to finally be back playing."