GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa scored in the 19^th minute and hung on for a 1-0 victory over MSU Denver on Sunday in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's soccer.
 
MSU Denver had a decided advantage in shots on goal at 8-5, including Logan Hitzeman's blast with 44 seconds left that was redirected over the crossbar, but couldn't put one past Diego Chavez.
 
"We had plenty of chances, and played really well, and the ball didn't go into the net," MSU Denver coach Nick Kirchhof said. "Their keeper made some great saves in a couple of situations. I keep telling our guys that we're playing well, we're working hard, we're in games, and we're just not getting that reward right now."
 
Eight different Roadrunners put shot on goal.
 
"This is the best we've played against Mesa, and against a couple of other teams, and we're just not getting the result," said Kirchhof, the Roadrunners' fourth-year coach. "We're playing great soccer, creating chances, limiting the other teams' chances. We just need to get one to drop our way, and once we do, hopefully it will be like a flood."
 
MSU Denver fell to 3-7-2 overall and 1-3 in the RMAC, though it has played three of its four league games on the road while playing teams picked to finish first, third, fourth and sixth in the league's preseason coaches poll.
 
Colorado Mesa, receiving votes in the national top 25 poll, improved to 8-2-2 and 3-0-1.
 
"We have six games left, and they're all great games that I think we can win," Kirchhof said. "I'm not losing hope in this team. We're working hard, we're in a great rhythm. We've got everything but the icing on the cake right now."