DENVER – The Regis University men's soccer team had to wait 26 days after its season opener to play its second game and made the most of its extended rest by besting crosstown rival Metropolitan State University of Denver in its conference and home opener, 2-1, at Regis Match Pitch on Friday.
 
How It Happened: Tied up at 1-1 in the 74th minute, junior forward Ethan Willson fed a cross in front of the net to junior forward Kristian Hooker, who headed the ball into the lower-left corner of the goal for the go-ahead, 2-1 lead, which was the eventual game-winner.
 
The Roadrunners attempted four shots within the final five minutes of the contest, including two that were met with crucial saves by senior goalkeeper Tim Dolan.
 
The first of those saves occurred at the 85:58 mark of the game when MSU Denver junior defender Benjamin Brill sent a shot to the lower right of the box, which Dolan was there to save.
 
Junior midfielder Bryson Chiles nearly forced overtime with 3 seconds remaining in regulation with a shot attempt to the low center of the goal, but Dolan prevented the game from being extended with another save.
 
Regis was clearly more aggressive during the first half, attempting eight shots to MSUD's three.
 
RU attempted its first shot in the seventh minute when Willson directed a ball to the lower right. However, it was saved by Roadrunners' sophomore goalkeeper Nick Jansen.
 
On their seventh shot attempt, the Rangers finally found the back of the net at the 34:59 clock reading when senior forward Jean Carre fielded Hooker's pass and proceeded to send a shot to the lower right of the goalbox for a 1-0 lead.
 
Regis maintained this advantage for nearly 36 minutes. Late in the 71st minute though, MSU Denver junior midfielder Gianni Steijlen broke away from the defense before sending a shot to the lower left for the unassisted, 1-1 equalizer.

Game Notes: Hooker (1 G, 1 A, 3 S, 2 SOG) assisted on the first goal and scored the game-winner. Carre (1 G, 4 S, 1 SOG) scored the first goal and had the game-high in shots. Willson (1 A, 1 S, 1 SOG) had the pivotal assist in the eventual game-winner. Senior defender Danilo Pekovic (3 S, 1 SOG) claimed RU's remaining shot-on-goal. Junior goalkeeper Cooper Erickson (1 SV) did not allow a goal in the game's opening 45 minutes. Dolan (4 SV) made a pair of clutch saves in the final minutes to prevent the game from going into overtime.
 
The Rangers outshot MSUD, 14-12, while the Roadrunners outdueled Regis in shots-on-goal, 6-5.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: Regis improves to a 1-1 record overall and a 1-0 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. RU will next go on the road to face UC-Colorado Springs (1-1, 1-0 RMAC) at Mountain Lion Stadium on Sunday at noon.