DENVER – MSU Denver has at least partially flipped the script from a couple of its results from last season, earning ties at home against teams it lost to on the road in 2021 when playing against Westminster and Colorado School of Mines.
 
Two more opportunities present themselves during Homecoming Week this week, as UCCS comes to the Assembly Athletic Complex for a 6 p.m. game Thursday, and CSU Pueblo does the same on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
 
UCCS was a 2-0 regular-season winner against the Roadrunners last year, while CSU Pueblo won 2-1. And UCCS also added a 1-0 home victory over MSU Denver in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament, the Mountain Lions' sixth straight win in the series.
 
And the Mountain Lions (6-2-2 overall, 3-1 RMAC) may not be in a friendly mood, either, having lost 2-0 last Friday at Westminster before bouncing back for a 3-1 win Sunday at Colorado Mesa.
 
"UCCS is clearly a great team with great players," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "They'll show up to play against us. It's a good, healthy rivalry. We need to be able to execute for 90 minutes and I'm still not sure that we've put together a complete 90-minute game yet."
 
At 5-2-3 and 1-1-2, MSU Denver is ever-so-close to being 7-1-2 and 2-0-2 after giving up the tying or winning goal in the final three minutes three times so far this season.
 
But spirits are high, and the Roadrunners have proven to be difficult to beat at home – they're unbeaten in 16 straight dates at the Assembly Athletic Complex (12-0-4) dating back to the start of the Mertz era last season.
 
"We want to protect our home turf," MSU Denver midfielder Brooklyn Gold said. "We did it last year and we want it to continue this year."
 
The tie with then-No. 17 Colorado School of Mines on Sunday snapped another streak – the Roadrunners had lost nine straight to the Orediggers, though they are 0-9-4 against them dating to 2013.
 
And the matchup with Mines included one of those last three-minute goals against.
 
Still, MSU Denver has five points through four league games to stand tied for fourth. Playing those four teams last year, MSU Denver did manage six points, but any points this weekend would put the Roadrunners at or ahead of schedule.
 
CSU Pueblo is dangerous despite its records of 2-8 overall and 1-3 in the RMAC. The ThunderWolves have won their last three against MSU Denver.
 
"I think we can take a lot of positives into this week," forward Paloma Teran said. "We played so well (Sunday) because of our training last week, so we're going to do the same this week and try to take it to (both teams). We're a better team this year than we were last year, and I'm excited and looking forward to it."