DENVER – Fresh off a feel-good victory, the MSU Denver men's soccer team is looking to pushing forward against two more tough Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents.
The Roadrunners, who won 1-0 at UCCS on Sunday on a goal with 11 seconds left – the latest game-winning tally in regulation time in program history – play host to Westminster on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Assembly Athletic Complex before heading to Colorado Mesa for a noon game on Sunday.
"Hopefully we can build on that momentum," Kirchhof said. "Looking back at the schedule, what's been good – when we've had a negative result – is that we've responded each time. It hasn't lingered. Now that we're just over halfway through the season, we've done a good job of making sure that we haven't let trends continue in either direction. We've kept a good working mindset, regardless of who the next opponent is."
Westminster is 5-3-2 overall and is one of only two RMAC teams to go 2-0 in the first weekend of league play.
And Westminster coach Josh Pittman was the head coach at Colorado Mesa, back when Kirchhof was one of his assistants.
"It's always entertaining on the sideline," Kirchhof said. "We always chat back and forth. He's a really good coach. They're always very well organized. He can find nuances in a team to try to take advantage of. It's always a tactical battle against them."
Westminster won last year's matchup 1-0, scoring almost immediately after a red card was assessed against MSU Denver with less than five minutes to go and then surviving as the Roadrunners missed a penalty kick in the final 30 seconds.
"Last year I felt it was a dead-even match and probably should have been a tie," Kirchhof said. "We haven't forgotten that we missed out on extending our season (with a trip to the RMAC Tournament) by one point. We feel like we match up well with Westminster, but it's one of those games that could fall either direction."
Mesa, 6-2-2 overall and 1-0-1 in the RMAC, is receiving votes in the Division II top 25 poll.
The Mavericks have also had MSU Denver's number, shutting the Roadrunners out in eight straight wins dating to 2016 and going unbeaten (9-0-3) while allowing only two goals in the last 12 matchups.
"Mesa is a good opponent," Kirchhof said. "Last year I felt like we played them well there, just made a couple of mistakes. They're playing even better than they were last year, against a tough schedule, but we've played a tough schedule as well. So I feel like we're more prepared than we have been going into that game, and we should definitely be confident in how we've been able to do things. Opening up with the weekend that we had, there's not too many tougher than that. The fact that we at least get one game at home will be nice."
MSU Denver (3-5-2, 1-1) played at eighth-ranked CSU Pueblo (losing 2-0) before winning on the road against a UCCS team that was receiving votes in the top 25 poll.
"Hopefully it shows the guys that when we defend well, it gives us an opportunity to be playing in the game," Kirchhof said. "That was the biggest improvement that we've seen. We kept a good attacking team off the scoreboard. That gave us an opportunity to find our moment."
Defender
Andres Arcila Saenz seized that moment, finishing a
Luke Bone free kick into the box.
"One of the best things about Andres is he's very coachable," Kirchhof said. "When we ask him to do things in training and video … he does it. I love to see those guys get rewarded. He's an unsung hero. He does his job, and because he does his job and he isn't a flair type of player, people miss that. But as a coach, I love those guys who come to work every single day and you know what you're going to get from them. I know what I'm going to get from Andres every single day, which is a fantastic trait for a player and a person."
