DENVER – In the first two years of the Kat Mertz era as MSU Denver's women's soccer coach, the Roadrunners haven't lost at the Assembly Athletic Complex, compiling an impressive 14-0-5 record.
 
That streak is the second longest in program history behind the school-record mark of 61 (all wins) that stood as the Division II record from 2006 until 2014. (The 61-game home winning streak still is the Division II record.)
 
But now the teams predicted to finish first and second in the Lone Star Conference are coming to town, with the Roadrunners facing Division II No. 3 Dallas Baptist at 7 p.m. Thursday before squaring off with Angelo State (Texas) at 6 p.m. Saturday.
 
The streak will be put to the test.
 
"We knew that," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "But I'd rather be playing them at home than down in Texas, which we will next year. Our players talk about it, talk about why we play well at home and why we have such pride in our house. Hopefully they rise to the occasion and to the opportunity of being challenged."
 
Despite having only three starters back from the team that was 12-4-4 last season, Mertz didn't pass when the chance to play these opponents came up.
 
"I didn't want to miss the opportunity," she said. "The more you compete, the more you learn about yourself, the more confidence you gain. Our challenge has always been to be consistent for 90 minutes. When you play the best, good things happen."
 
Dallas Baptist, which reached the round of 16 at the Division II National Tournament last season, has played in the last eight national tournaments, including a trip to the national semifinals in 2021. The Patriots were 17-2-1 overall in 2022.
 
Angelo State also played in the national tournament last year and finished 13-4-3.
 
"It's a wonderful opportunity," Mertz said. "We've put ourselves in a good spot the past two years to be able to attract quality opponents. Good coaches, good teams, want to be challenged in non-conference to get ready for conference. These are the kinds of games we want to have in non-conference.
  
"We want to be talking about playing at the national level, and these two teams have a history of playing in post-season. In order to get there, we have to know what it takes to be there. To do that, we have to challenge ourselves."
 
MSU Denver is off to an 0-0-2 start after playing to 0-0 ties at Midwestern State (Texas) and St. Edward's (Texas).
 
"I think at one point we had six freshmen on the field Sunday," Mertz said. "That's our new normal. And you could tell there was a big growth for them between the first and second games. They were able to handle the physicality and the speed of the game."