DENVER -- Midwestern State begins the 2024 season on the road Friday night and tangles with MSU Denver at The Assembly Athletics Complex at 8 p.m. CDT.

Midwestern State finished last season ranked No. 8 in the country but was ranked as high as No. 2 before suffering a 1-0 loss to Colorado State-Pueblo in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Mustangs outscored their opponents last season, 62-13, including a 5-0 win over MSU Denver at Stang Park. Midwestern State scored on its first three shots and led the Roadrunners 3-0 in the seventh minute of the match.

Mere Escobar scored the fourth of his 17 goals last season in the sixth minute against MSU Denver. Escobar, the reigning D2CCA National Player of the Year, returns for his senior season with the Stang Gang.

Midwestern State is looking to replace Jack Larkin and Maycol Reyes, who were major contributors to the success of the squad last season. Reyes was the second-leading goal scorer with nine, and he had five assists for MSU. Reyes provided leadership along with Larkin, who was a fifth-year senior in the midfield and finished with five goals and four assists.

The Mustangs have three candidates to replace goalkeeper Adam Braman, who transferred to Wisconsin. Daniel Robles, Alec Setterberg and Jakob Stone, a transfer from Air Force, are all vying for the position at the start of the season and have seen action in the exhibition matches leading up to the regular season.

All-American defender Juan Galindo returns for a fifth season with the Mustangs and will be reunited in the back with Tristian Adams, who missed almost all of last season. The 6-6 senior from Mansfield Legacy suffered a season-ending injury in the 37th minute of the third match last year. Adams was a United Soccer Coaches All-South Central Region first-team defender in 2022.

MSU Denver has six returning starters from a team that finished 7-8-4 last season and was 5-3-2 in the RMAC. There are 19 Roadrunners listed as either juniors or seniors on the roster at the start of the 2024 season, and head coach Nick Kirchhof is relying on his experienced players.

Midwestern State completes the trip to Denver with a Sunday afternoon match at Regis Match Pitch. The Mustangs kickoff against the Rangers at 1 p.m. CDT.