COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — MSU Denver came up just short in the RMAC Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon, falling 3–2 to UCCS at Mountain Lion Stadium. 

The Roadrunners, now 10-5-5 overall and 7-2-1 in RMAC play, led for more than 70 minutes before a late UCCS surge flipped the match. Still, the performance capped a highly successful season — one that has positioned the Roadrunners firmly in the NCAA Tournament conversation.

MSU Denver struck first in the 17th minute, when Rhyson Johnston buried a clean finish off a setup from Charlie Lucero. Johnston struck again in the 59th minute — his third and fourth goals of the season — after a smooth combination play with Joey Kresnik to put the Roadrunners ahead 2–0. 

UCCS rallied late with three goals in a 15-minute span to secure the title, but the Roadrunners' overall body of work this fall remained front and center as the final whistle sounded.

Following the match, Phillie Villapudua, Cooper Landry, Rhyson Johnston, and Riley Liston were each named to the RMAC All-Tournament Team, recognizing their strong play throughout MSU Denver's postseason run.

The Roadrunners now await their postseason fate. The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Selection Show is scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. MT, where MSU Denver looks to hear its name called after completing one of its strongest seasons in over a decade.

This year marked a major step forward for the program under head coach Nick Kirchhof. MSU Denver finished as RMAC co-champions in the regular season, secured its highest conference finish since 2012, and earned its first RMAC Tournament win since 2017 earlier this week in the semifinals. Now, the Roadrunners hope that resume will carry them into the national tournament for the first time since 2011.