DENVER – Two high-profile home men's soccer matches highlight the MSU Denver athletics schedule for this week.
 
MEN'S SOCCER
MSU Denver vs. #20 CSU Pueblo, Thursday, 7 p.m.
MSU Denver vs. #4 UCCS, Sunday, noon
 
The MSU Denver men's soccer team earned two home victories last week, beating both Westminster and Colorado School of Mines in non-conference matchups against conference opponents. The win over Mines was the program's first since 2017.
 
Maintaining momentum will be a challenge, though, with CSU Pueblo and UCCS coming to the Assembly Athletic Complex for games Thursday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at noon, respectively, that will officially start Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
 
CSU Pueblo, national runner-up each of the last two seasons, had been ranked No. 9 this season before last week, when it tied then-No. 18 Fort Lewis 2-2 and lost to then-No. 5 UCCS 2-1 and dropped to No. 20 nationally. The Thunderwolves are 5-2-1.
 
MSU Denver is 32-27-4 all-time against CSU Pueblo, including 19-9-2 at home, but is 0-7-1 in the series dating back to the start of the 2019 season. Of those last eight meetings, though, all but the 0-0 tie on Oct. 29, 2021, were played in Pueblo.
 
UCCS, 7-0-1, picked by coaches to finish fourth in the RMAC, is now ranked No. 4 in Division II. The Roadrunners are 43-15-5 all-time against UCCS, including 22-7-3 at home. MSU Denver has won three straight in the series, but this appears to be a different breed of Mountain Lion.
 
MSU Denver is 3-4-1, though three of the losses were against top-10 teams. Nicco Schiappa, who had a goal and an assist while helping the Roadrunners keep both Westminster and Mines to one goal, is the reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week. Midfielder Cooper Landry had a goal and an assist against Westminster.
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER
MSU Denver at CSU Pueblo, Thursday, 7 p.m.
MSU Denver at UCCS, Sunday, 1 p.m.  
 
With seven shutouts in eight games, the MSU Denver women's soccer team ranks second nationally in shutout percentage – only Concordia-Irvine (Calif.), which has shutouts in all of its games, has been better. The Roadrunners will seek to keep that success going on the road, with games Thursday at 7 p.m. at CSU Pueblo and Sunday at 1 p.m. at UCCS.
 
The Roadrunners, 3-1-4 overall and 2-0 and tied for first in the RMAC with six points, once again received votes in the Division II national top 25 poll and are now ranked fourth in the South Central Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
 
MSU Denver broke out of its offensive funk last weekend with a 2-0 win over Regis and a 3-0 blanking of Black Hills State. Madrid Mack and Monica Yoder each had a goal and an assist for the weekend. Despite its defensive prowess, MSU Denver has still somehow not received a league defensive player of the week honor and has won goalkeeper of the week just once in four weeks.
  
CSU Pueblo, picked to finish eighth in the RMAC, is 1-5-2 overall and 0-2 in the RMAC, but three of its losses have come to teams ranked in the national top 10. MSU Denver is 35-10-3 in the all-time series with the Thunderwolves, including 21-2-2 on the road. The series has been much closer recently, though, with the Roadrunners just 3-4 in the last seven meetings.
 
UCCS, a narrow second choice behind Colorado School of Mines in the RMAC's preseason coaches' poll, is a surprising 2-4-2 overall and 0-2 in the league. Though the first RMAC loss was 4-1 to third-ranked Mines, the Mountain Lions were upset 2-1 Sunday at Western Colorado. National quarterfinalists last year, UCCS was ranked sixth nationally in the preseason poll.
 
MSU Denver is 11-9-2 overall in the series, including 4-5-1 at UCCS, but hasn't beaten the Mountain Lions since 2016, going 0-7-1 in the last eight meetings.
  
VOLLEYBALL
No. 2 MSU Denver at Colorado School of Mines, Friday, 7 p.m. 

The MSU Denver volleyball team, ranked No. 2 in Division II, has a rare one-match weekend Friday at Colorado School of Mines, beginning at 7 p.m.
 
The match is a non-conference meeting.

MSU Denver, 12-1 overall, has won six straight, but was generally blasé about its play in a 3-0 sweep Tuesday against Colorado Christian and is hoping to tune things up against what has been one of its traditional rivals.
 
The Roadrunners are second in Division II in blocks per set (3.01), third in hitting percentage (.310) and 13^th with 13.3 assists per set.
 
Outside hitter Annika Helf and middle blocker Alyssa Boyte are the reigning RMAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. Boyte and Kryssa Moerman rank 1-2 in the RMAC in blocks per set at 1.38 and 1.36, respectively, and Maddy Williams is fifth at 1.15.
 
Also, Moerman is second in the league in hitting percentage (.409), while Helf is fifth (.349). Helf is also fourth in the league in kills per set (3.7), third in points per set (4.5) and first in aces per set (0.54) and Riley Anderson ranks eighth in kills per set (3.4) and seventh in points per set (3.9).
 
Mines, picked to finish sixth in the RMAC preseason poll, is 5-7 overall and 2-2 in league play, including a loss to Colorado Christian and a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Westminster.
 
MSU Denver is 68-20 all-time in the series, including 26-8 at Mines, and has won four straight in the series but is 8-8 in the last 16 meetings with the Orediggers.
    
MEN'S & CROSS COUNTRY
 
MSU Denver at DBU Old Glory Gallop, Dallas, Saturday
MSU Denver at Ted Castaneda Classic, Colorado Springs, Colo., Saturday

The MSU Denver men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Dallas for an important regional meet, the DBU Old Glory Gallop, hosted by Dallas Baptist, on Saturday.
 
Performances against teams from both the South Central Region and other regions help determine the field for the Division II National Championships and MSU Denver is aiming to fare well against teams it doesn't normally compete against.
 
Noel Lopez and Mia Salas were the team leaders two weeks ago with strong top-10 finishes at the Roadrunners Invitational.
 
Meanwhile, another group of Roadrunners will continue to get race experience Saturday as they compete at Colorado College's Ted Castaneda Classic.
 
WOMEN'S GOLF
Proal Invitational, Pueblo, Colo., Monday and Tuesday
 
The MSU Denver women's golf team will be looking to put together back-to-back solid rounds again this week at the Proal Invitational at the Pueblo Country Club.
 
Mackenzie Carpenter was the individual leader after the first round of the Wasatch Invitational, the team's last meet, on Sept. 22, and the Roadrunners were tied for the team lead after the first round of the RJGA Shootout at Estrella on Sept. 16.
 
So clearly the potential is there.
 
MSU Denver was fourth among 13 teams at this tournament last season.