DENVER – When the opportunity presented itself, MSU Denver's Adan Perez was ready for it.
 
David Pena served a pass into the box that deflected off a Regis defender, then off MSU Denver's Zack Williams and then right to Perez.
 
"David served it and I saw the ball coming over me, so I was ready for anything," Perez said. "I was like a fox in the box, smelling the goal out. When it bounced to me, I feinted a guy and I was already in front of the goal. All I had to do was put it on target."
 
The Perez goal, his third of the season, with 2:56 left in the first half gave the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead and stood up as the final score in an important Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory Sunday on Hispanic Heritage Day at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
"We talk about getting it in the box and getting bodies in the box, because good things happen," MSU Denver coach Nick Kirchhof said. "Zack fought for it and knocked it down, and we always talk about being ready to shoot – and then you can change your mind. For Adan to be able to get something on it, that's all we needed. That was an opportune time as well. That's deflating for the other team."
 
It was the second straight win of the weekend for the Roadrunners – known as Correcaminos for a day – as they vaulted from eighth to sixth in the RMAC table with four games left in the regular season. The top six teams in the league qualify for the RMAC Tournament.
 
"The first few games that we had, they were tough games, but games we could have drawn points out of, one point or three points," Perez said. "That was tough. But with these points that we have won, everyone is very motivated to finish out the season strong."

MSU Denver is now 5-7-2 overall and 3-3 for nine points in the RMAC. Regis dropped to 3-9-2 and 1-4-1.
 
MSU Denver struck first, with Jackson Vander Ven heading in a Luke Bone corner kick at 23:02.
 
"My man lost me, and I was just open on the back post for a great ball," said Vander Ven, the defender who is a key figure on corner kick plays.
 
It was a team-high fifth assist for Bone.
 
"It was a fantastic delivery, and then it's all about the timing and the movement," Kirchhof said. "As soon as Luke hit the ball, I saw two guys that could have had it. That means we had the timing right, and the ball in a good area. I'm very happy with that goal."
 
The Correcaminos were unhappy just over four minutes later, though, as Regis got the equalizer on a free kick from just outside the box.
 
"We just had to keep grinding," Vander Ven said. "Guys just had to keep doing their role, doing the little things to get us the win."
 
Said Perez: "It's a tough feeling, but when we conceded that goal, I screamed to the guys, 'Come on, there's still plenty of time left in the game.' I told them, 'Let's keep pushing.' We were knocking on the door with chance after chance. I knew the goal was going to come."
 
And the fox in the box made sure of that.
 
"The goal right before halftime is a huge one," Kirchhof said. "We always talk about trying to score two goals and limiting our opponent to one or less. Being able to do that today was fantastic.
 
"Overall, top to bottom, not our best performance, but it was a performance definitely worth three points."