DENVER – What's not to like about Sunday's 3-3 tie for the MSU Denver women's soccer team against 17^th-ranked Colorado School of Mines?
 
The Roadrunners extended their unbeaten streak at the Assembly Athletic Complex to 16 games, the program's longest since its NCAA Division II record 61-game home winning streak from 2002 through 2006.
 
They scored three goals for the first time in 15 games dating to last season.
 
They never trailed, scoring the game's first, third and fifth goals.
 
And maybe that's why there's some dissatisfaction – because while a tie might have sounded pretty good before this matchup started, it's maybe not exactly what it seemed like on the field.
 
"It's great that we scored three goals and great that we're undefeated at home," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "It's disappointing to give up two goals on long throw-ins that we had practiced on.
 
"And just the execution in the last 15 minutes of the game – we need to be better. We have to be calm. We clearly can move the ball, and when we did we were really good. When we panicked and kicked the ball long – they're very good at what they do and we just played right into what they wanted to do."
 
Said forward Paloma Teran: It's pretty upsetting, because you could tell we wanted it. I think we outplayed them and we replied really well after they got goals. We just have to work on keeping the lead. It's a little disappointing, but we're still undefeated at home and we got the tie."
 
Teran scored the Roadrunners' third goal, on a left-footed laser from just under 30 yards away at 70:21 to make it 3-2. It was the mirror image of Elli Zimmer's right-footed rocket from also just under 30 yards away at 40:06 for the game's first goal.
 
Both long-range shots sailed over the head of the goalkeeper and just under the crossbar.
 
"You can tell when it's struck well, and it comes off their foot and there's no spin on the ball – it's a really hard ball for the goalkeeper to deal with," Mertz said.
 
Mines tied the game 1-1 just 4:56 into the second half, but MSU Denver answered 91 seconds later as Elisa Dean beat a defender around the corner to the goal line and then sent a cross in front of the goal. Freshman Brooklyn Gold was there for her first career goal.
 
"I was just running and I hit it with me knee," Gold said. "I was just trying to get anything I could on it."
 
Said Mertz: "We've been working on around the goal, working on our services, working on our runs. I love that Elisa took a player on multiple times and just got around her – that's having the confidence. We've got some pretty pacey, athletic players up top. And we've been working on runs to the box and Brooklyn came through there and got a great goal."
 
Teran got her first goal of the season, and 10^th of her career, at 70:21, just over 11 minutes after Mines (6-1-2, 3-0-1) had tied the game 2-2.
 
"I won (the ball) in the middle," Teran said. "I almost lost it, but I won it. She (the defender) fell down and they were complaining to the ref for a foul, but I just kept playing. I remember seeing a window to shoot, and it was on my left foot, so I let loose. It was nice it came off because I've been struggling to shoot the ball more powerfully than I have been."
 
Spirits were high but, for the third time this season and the second game in a row, MSU Denver gave up the tying or winning goal in the final three minutes. Take those goals away and the Roadrunners would be 7-1-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the RMAC instead of their still very respectable 5-2-3 and 1-1-2.
 
"There are so many positives," Teran said. "We played well and we have to be proud of it. We have to work on the same things – clearing the ball and doing better the last 10 to 15 minutes. It's kind of a pattern. But we keep playing better and better, so that's what we can take away from it."
 
Said Mertz: "We'll take a point. It's better than none. Every game is hard. We're excited to get back home again Thursday against UCCS."
 
Besides the 6 p.m. matchup with the Mountain Lions, the Roadrunners also have a Homecoming Weekend game Sunday at 2:30 p.m. against CSU-Pueblo.