GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- Midwestern State opens the 2025 season with a trip to Colorado and faces two RMAC opponents at the Colorado Mesa Men's Soccer Showcase. The host school welcomes the Mustangs for the season opener at Community Hospital Unity Field on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Sunday morning the Mustangs face Westminster at the same venue with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m.

Midwestern State finished last season with a 15-3-3 overall record and was 7-2-1 in conference play. Midwestern State won the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive season and fifth time overall. The Mustangs reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship and finished the season ranked No. 10 in the nation.

Forward Liam Pritchard, who has six goals and 14 assists in his three seasons at MSU, returns for his senior season after recording seven assists last season.

Gabriel Gacovicaj, who scored four goals and had two assists last season, returns as a fifth-year senior after scoring twice in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship, leading the Mustangs to a 3-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona.

Sophomore Skyler Krchnak, a member of the LSC All-Freshman Team last season, started 17 of the 18 matches in which he appeared last season and had three assists for the Mustangs.

Cooper Tea, Ethan Krchnak and Skyler Krchnak are back for the Mustangs following their redshirt freshman season. All three players played more than 800 minutes last season, and each had three assists. Tea scored a goal in a 2-0 win over St. Mary's last year.

Senior midfielder Jarrod McKechnie, who saw his role expand as the season progressed last season, is also returning for the Mustangs this year.

Davis Mays and Cristobal Benito both transferred into Midwestern State and are expected to start in the back for the Mustangs, who only conceded 1.24 goals per game last season.

Daniel Robles started 15 games in goal for MSU last season, and he finished with a record of 10-2-3 with a goals-against average of 1.15. The senior from Tyler, Texas, posted four clean sheets last season and had a .679 save percentage.

The Mustangs are 7-1-1 in their nine previous meetings with Colorado Mesa and defeated the Mavericks in their last encounter, 1-0, when the two schools clashed in Salt Lake City two years ago. Midwestern State is 1-1-0 in its previous visits to Grand Junction, but the Mustangs have not visited Colorado Mesa since 2014.

Midwestern State has won all three of its meetings with Westminster and has not conceded a goal in the all-time series. The Mustangs won the last encounter, 3-0, in Salt Lake City two years ago and also posted a 3-0 triumph at Stang Park in 2021. The first meeting was in 1991, and MSU prevailed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2-0.

Colorado Mesa: Colorado Mesa is picked to finish seventh in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Mavericks were 5-10-2 last season with a 2-7-1 record against RMAC opponents. Colorado Mesa won only one of its six home matches last year.

Marc Bonafe, a midfielder from Spain, led Colorado Mesa with 15 points last season, scoring four goals and adding seven assists. Bonafe was named Preseason All-RMAC.

Westminster: Westminster is picked to finish eighth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Griffins were 6-7-5 last season with a conference record of 2-5-3, and Westminster won its only neutral site match last season.

Westminster conceded 1.39 goals per game last season, but managed to score just 1.22 goals per match.

Jack Cardwell and Landon Ward each scored five goals to lead the Griffins attack last season. Cardwell is back for his fourth campaign with Westminster and has scored 11 career goals with seven assists, including a career-high three assists last season.