DENVER – Goal totals are trending up for the MSU Denver women's soccer team.
 
After getting just one in the first six games of the season, the Roadrunners followed up Thursday's two-goal uprising with a three-goal outburst on Sunday for a 3-0 victory over Black Hills State at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
"Brick by brick," MSU Denver coach Kat Mertz said. "One game at a time, one pass at a time. I'm happy for the players for sticking with it and not getting frustrated. Five goals in two games, that feels good."
 
MSU Denver's air-tight defense has keep the team well-positioned regionally, and on Sunday the Roadrunners allowed just two shot attempts – with only one on goal – for their seventh shutout in eight games.
 
The Roadrunners are 3-1-4 overall and 2-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
 
All three goals came in the first half – Sami Spring headed home a Brooklyn Gold corner kick at 20:59, Maya Woods bounced a shot over the head of the Black Hills State goalkeeper at 32:06, and then Elly Peterson drove a whirling dervish left-footed shot from the top of the box over the keeper at 43:53.
 
"We're all really excited," Spring said. "There's a lot of love on this team, and we've all been working really hard to focus on our final third and scoring goals. Five goals in two games is really exciting for us."
 
Spring's header just under the crossbar was quick and precise and caused equal parts confusion and celebration.
 
"I celebrated," Spring said, laughing. "As soon as it went in I put my hands up, but no one else was celebrating, so I thought maybe it didn't go in. It was just a delayed reaction."
 
Said Mertz: "I wasn't looking, so I had no idea what was happening. I looked up and everyone was frozen."
 
In the end, the goal was an expectation.
 
"We thought the back post would be open in that zone," Mertz said, citing assistant coach Amanda Raso's scouting report. "That was one of the points of emphasis from the scout. We practiced them, and it was great to see it come alive."
 
Said Spring: "Brooklyn just has a perfect corner kick. … We have a lot of good corner kickers."
 
Woods' goal, her first of the season and the third of her career, was set up nicely on a pass from Tessa Bretschneider.
 
Then Peterson, like Woods a sophomore, scored her first career goal after taking a well-played pass from Monica Yoder.
 
"Honestly, I didn't expect it to go in," Peterson said. "I cut it back on my left and thought, 'Here we go, left-footed shot.' But I got it up top and over the keeper's hands."
 
Said Spring: "That's so exciting for us. Maya and Elly are two of the fastest girls on our team. … It's only the beginning for them. They'll score a lot more."