GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Multiple changes to the defensive line paid off for Colorado Mesa men's soccer, who tallied its second conference win of the year with a 2-0 triumph over Metro State.

Standout defenders Ethan Anderson and Raymond Jackson returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact while Diego Chavez received his second start of the season in goal and extended his season-opening scoreless streak to 210 minutes. Chavez made three saves, all in the first half.

The Mavericks and Roadrunners played a deadlocked opening half. Chavez was tested three times in the opening 15 minutes but made the save each time while Daisuke Takanaka and Matheus Lazzuri had shots stopped by MSU Denver goalkeeper Ross Miller.

After the halftime break, the Mavericks wasted no time being dangerous offensively. Colton Shafer nearly gave the Mavs the lead with a thumping right-footed shot in the 48^th minute, but Miller made a diving one-hop save.

The Mavericks finally scored in the 57^th minute off a corner kick. Diogo Silva hit an outswinging ball from the left side and Jannick Lange headed it in from point blank range for the redshirt senior's first goal of the season.

After each missing six games with injury, Anderson and Jackson resumed their normal starting places at left and right back, respectively, and instantly boosted the Mavs with their defensive prowess and ability to get forward on the wings. Jackson played 75 minutes and Anderson played 86 minutes, just his second time this year going above 45 minutes.

The Mavs' revitalized defensive line was a brick wall in the second half against a Metro State team desperate to equalize. Maverick defenders put their bodies on the line, blocking three shots in a two-minute span before Jackson broke free on a counterattack and dribbled all the way into the box before being taken down by Jackson Van der Ven.

Van der Ven received a yellow card, the fourth of the second half split evenly between the two teams, and the Mavericks had a penalty kick. Fernando Morales sent Miller the wrong way for his fifth goal of the season, three of which have come from the penalty spot. As a team, CMU is a perfect 6-for-6 on penalty kicks this season.

With four games left in the regular season, the Mavs are 7-5-1 with a 2-3-1 record in conference play. They will have their final two road games of the regular season next week, playing at South Dakota Mines on Friday at 2 p.m. and Regis on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.