DENVER – A team in need of a home game has one more stop to make before reaching its intended destination.
The MSU Denver men's soccer team plays a 1 p.m. game Friday at South Dakota Mines before proving that you can go home again in a 1 p.m. game Sunday against Fort Lewis at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
The Roadrunners, 1-3-2, have opened the season by playing five of their first six games on the road.
"What you miss out on a little bit is some extra rest time and some extra preparation time," MSU Denver coach
Nick Kirchhof said. "But the advantages are having the guys being able to hang out and spend quality time together, and that's been a huge positive. The guys have really enjoyed being around each other, even though we've been traveling all over."
MSU Denver will have played in four states in four weekends, following an Aug. 31 game in Kansas, two games in Texas during the second week of September, and two games in California last weekend prior to Friday's game at South Dakota Mines.
Both games this weekend, though against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents, are being played as non-conference games.
South Dakota Mines is 1-5 this season. The Roadrunners are 13-1 in the series, including 10 straight wins. But three of the last four games have been decided by one goal, the other by two.
"It's a tough place to go play," Kirchhof said. "Generally it's windy, and they always play well at home. And we might have some weather to mess with, maybe some rain. I'm glad we've played on grass surfaces in three of our last four games away, just to have a chance to get used to the conditions and prepare for whatever weather South Dakota throws at us."
After scoring nine goals Sept. 3 in its only game at the Assembly Athletic Complex this season, the Roadrunners will attempt to demonstrate that home is where the heart is when Fort Lewis comes to town Sunday for what is MSU Denver's Alumni Day.
It's also another reunion for Kirchhof with his former college roommate, Fort Lewis coach David Oberholtzer. Both played for the Skyhawks during their era as a national power in Division II.
"We get to see each other twice a year now, at home and away," Kirchhof said. "It will be great to be home again. We have such a great a facility, and we had a really good crowd for our first game as well. We've been on the road for so long, it will be nice to see some more friendly faces on Sunday."
Fort Lewis is off to a 2-2-1 start. One common opponent is Lubbock Christian – Fort Lewis lost 3-2 at home to the Chaparrals, while MSU Denver had a 3-1 lead with seven minutes left at Lubbock Christian before settling for a 3-3 tie, one of a couple of disappointing results the first few weeks of the season.
"We're close to turning the corner," Kirchhof said. "The boys have been up and down, and it's been hard to stay even-keeled. We've played a tougher non-conference schedule than last year, and that's good. We've should've won two games that were in our control, and if we had we'd be in a completely different mindscape right now. But we still have everything to play for, and we're looking forward to our next opponent each week."
