DENVER — The Roadrunners are headed back to the RMAC Tournament Championship.
Behind a highlight-reel goal from senior midfielder Phillie Villapudua, No. 2 seed MSU Denver defeated No. 3 seed Regis 1–0 in Wednesday night's RMAC Tournament semifinal at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
"I'm still a little bit in shock to be honest," head coach Nick Kirchhof said postgame. "I was confident in us coming into the game finding a way to win, but I didn't exactly draw it up like that with Phil."
The win propels the Roadrunners to their first conference championship appearance since 2011 and marks the program's first RMAC Tournament win since 2017.
With the match locked in a scoreless battle deep into the second half, Villapudua produced a moment of magic in the 82nd minute. From near the midfield circle, the junior lofted a perfectly struck ball that caught the Regis goalkeeper off guard and dipped just under the crossbar — his first career goal — to send the home crowd into a frenzy and MSU Denver into the title game.
"Phillie is the engine, he's one of the best players, and one of the best guys since he got here," Kirchhof added. "He should have a few more assists this season to be honest…so for him to get one in that fashion and a huge match, that's the thing you dream of seeing as a coach."
The Roadrunners (10–4–5 overall, 7–2–1 RMAC) limited Regis (9–6–4, 6–2–2 RMAC) to just four shots on goal, with goalkeeper Nick McNeil recording his seventh shutout of the season, and third in a row.
The defensive unit — anchored by James Doidge, Riley Liston, and Robert Sumner — helped seal the program's first postseason win under head coach Nick Kirchhof.
With the victory, MSU Denver advances to face No. 1 seed UCCS in the RMAC Championship match on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Colorado Springs. The winner will claim the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
