DENVER – The MSU Denver men's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against Colorado Mesa on Sunday afternoon at the Assembly Athletic Complex in its final home game of the 2026 season.
Despite a second-half equalizer, the Roadrunners were unable to secure the win needed to remain in contention for the RMAC Tournament and have been eliminated from postseason play.
The Roadrunners (6-6-4, 3-5-1 RMAC) and Mavericks (4-3-9, 2-2-5 RMAC) played a scoreless first half before both teams found the back of the net in the second half, with each goal coming from the penalty spot.
Colorado Mesa broke the deadlock in the 61st minute when Richie Tabares Ochoa converted a penalty kick to give the Mavericks a 1-0 advantage. MSU Denver responded in the 75th minute, as Markus Beck buried a penalty kick at 74:16 to level the match at 1-1.
The Roadrunners continued to push for a go-ahead goal late in the contest. Jace Starling led MSU Denver with three shots, putting two on target, while Colin McKenna recorded two shots. Dominic Athearn and Ismael Reyes also looked to generate scoring opportunities in the second half.
MSU Denver finished with an 11-10 advantage in total shots and put five attempts on goal compared to four for Colorado Mesa. The Roadrunners also goalkeeper Dominic Miller played all 90 minutes, recording three saves to keep the match level. Colorado Mesa's two goalkeepers combined for four saves.
The match took a challenging turn for the Roadrunners in the 78th minute when Charlie Lucero received a red card, forcing MSU Denver to play with 10 men for the remainder of the contest. Despite the disadvantage, the Roadrunners continued to create chances, including attempts from Athearn and Starling that were saved in the closing minutes.
The draw marked the Roadrunners' final home match of the season and officially ended their hopes of reaching the RMAC Tournament. MSU Denver will look to close its 2026 campaign on a positive note in its final match of the season.
Up Next
MSU Denver concludes the 2026 season on Wednesday evening, Oct. 28, on the road against Colorado Christian.
