DENVER – For the past couple of seasons, the names and faces of the MSU Denver women's soccer team became very familiar.
 
Zimmer. Sawaged. Giordano. Harris. Teran. Coats. Ostler. Dean.
 
They were mainstays for teams that combined to go 22-10-6 overall in the first two seasons of the Kat Mertz era, a timeline that includes a 14-7-3 mark in regular-season Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play and an undefeated (14-0-5) record at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
But those players have moved on after completing their senior seasons in 2022.
 
And the 2023 Roadrunners will start forging their identity without them in a season-opening weekend that includes road games Thursday at 3 p.m. MDT at Midwestern State (Texas) and Sunday at 10 a.m. MDT at St. Edward's (Texas).
 
"We are young, but the game never knows how old you are – it has no clue how old you are," Mertz said.
 
"We have a lot of new players, and we have a lot of players stepping up from the spring into some big-time roles, so it's exciting to see how we're coming together. We have a lot of energy and excitement in the roles we want the players to take on. And the players are hungry. These players see an opportunity to step into some big-time roles that they've been waiting to step into."
 
Last year MSU Denver led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in goals-against average at 0.64 and conceded just 13 goals all season while compiling a 12-4-4 record.
 
"When you have a veteran team, you've already put things in place where you're not coaching a ton – you're tweaking little things," Mertz said. "Now we're coaching a ton, which is great. It's good to go back to the basics and really explain what the demands and expectations are. You're only as strong as your foundation.
 
"We talk about our soccer DNA … what makes our Roadrunners team so special? We're stingy in front of the goal. How do we do that? It's X, Y and Z."
 
Kylie Bach was the Roadrunners' top goalkeeper last season, with a 7-2-3 record, seven shutouts, an 0.80 GAA and a .778 save percentage.
 
But three of the four back-line starters in front of her – all-region center back Elli Zimmer and tough outside backs Kate Giordano and Katy Harris – are among the group that has moved on, leaving All-RMAC second team center back Emily Sirois as a critical returning piece.
 
"She's a staple to our backline," Mertz said. "We've been able to play her out wide and centrally. What she does really well is read the game. She's got a great soccer IQ in the sense of understanding when to pick off passes and when to drop. She can cover a lot of ground pretty quickly and is good physically."
 
Meanwhile, midfielder Isa Durkin earned All-RMAC honorable mention recognition last season as a true freshman after recording two goals and an assist.
 
"She worked really hard all summer and came in fit," Mertz said. "She has just a really good work rate in the middle, and she makes things happen. She's really good on the ball, and our challenge to her is to get on the ball more often. She's taking on more leadership roles. We're demanding a lot more from her, because we know she can handle it."
 
Despite their successes, the Roadrunners have for several years struggled to score goals commensurate with their dominating possession of the ball.
 
They scored 29 goals in 20 games last year, and are now looking to replace the production of All-RMAC first team forward Jaimy Sawaged (nine goals, three assists), Paloma Teran (five goals, five assists) and Katy Coats (four goals, four assists). A set-piece wizard, Zimmer also added four goals last year.
 
"We are looking for someone to step up and score," Mertz said. "We aren't returning our leading goal-scorer. So it's an awesome opportunity for others. What is our identity in the final third? I'm looking forward to seeing that.
 
"We have some exciting new players. We went after some wide, attacking players and we definitely have some wide attacking players."
 
One of the new names that pops off the page is forward Taryn O'Brien, a junior college All-American at Northeast Community College (Neb.) last season after posting 31 goals and 17 assists for 79 points.
 
"I'm happy she was able to come in the spring because that was a huge developmental piece for her," Mertz said. "She was able to see how we want our forwards to defend, to transition and to attack. She was able to settle into our system. There's no question she has a good nose around the goal."
 
MSU Denver is picked to finish fifth in the RMAC, the same spot it finished last year despite a 7-2-3 record in league play.
 
"The RMAC is such an appealing conference," Mertz said. "It's so competitive from the top down. There isn't an easy game on the schedule. Every game is a championship game. There are great coaches in the league, and that makes it exciting. You've got tactical battles, and battles on the field."
 
The non-conference schedule is stout, with five Lone Star Conference teams on the slate, including this weekend's opponents. Midwestern State was 9-9-2 last season, while St. Edward's was 9-6-4, including a tie at MSU Denver when the Hilltoppers scored the equalizer at 88:19.
 
"These teams are hard to beat," Mertz said. "We have to match up against the Lone Star Conference, and those teams are tough. Our goal was to play a tough non-conference schedule and we'll do that."
 
A talented freshman class will help complement a group of returning veterans seeking elevated roles.
 
"We've spent the last two weeks getting on the same page in the sense of what the expectations are, what our defending principles are, what our attacking principles are, what our set-piece responsibilities are," Mertz said. "We've got some special players. We've got some new life. They don't really know what's about to hit them, but there's a lot of joy, and we'll see how it translates this weekend."