They have been road warriors nearly all postseason, and the UMass men’s soccer team will have to embrace that narrative one more time if they want to advance to their first College Cup since 2007.

The Minutemen (13-3-5) travel to Denver (12-3-4) to take on the third-ranked Pioneers in the NCAA Division I Elite Eight on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.). UMass defeated No. 6 Penn and No. 11 Virginia on the road after starting the tournament out with a win over Evansville at home.

“It’s been a great ride for our guys, I think they’re thoroughly enjoying it,” Minutemen head coach Fran O’Leary said. “To be sitting in the Elite Eight, having won two games against seeded opponents on the road, I think everyone is very, very happy… We’ve worked awfully hard, and we discussed how hard it is to get into the NCAA Tournament. We didn’t want to waste the opportunity by being nervous or anxious. We’ve attacked each of these games with vigor, and it’s a credit to our guys.”

What has turned into a historical season for UMass didn’t look that way after a stumble toward the latter half of the regular season. The Minutemen traveled to North Carolina to take on Davidson – a team that isn’t considered among the Atlantic 10 elite. They ultimately surrendered four goals and were doubled up, 4-2, in a shocking defeat that snapped a four-game stretch without a loss.

Since then, however, UMass has been nothing short of dominant.

It ended the regular season with four straight wins, the finale a 5-1 beatdown over St. Bonaventure on the road, before losing a tough battle in the opening round of the A-10 tournament in penalty kicks to Saint Louis. The big dance came next, and the Minutemen rose to the occasion. The aforementioned win at Rudd Field over the Aces came by a score of 2-1, setting up a pair of 1-0 clean-sheet victories over nationally ranked opponents to get within one win of the Final Four.

Following the Davidson loss, UMass is 7-1 – its only blemish the unfortunate slip up in penalties. And after giving up the four goals to the Wildcats, the Minutemen have seen opponents celebrate a score just three times since.

O’Leary pointed to that game as the turning point of UMass’ campaign.

“That was a really bad game, but the guys really rallied after a tough night and a bit of adversity,” O’Leary said. “There wasn’t a big conversation, just a bunch of bright guys that knew their standards were dropped in that game. We work off fine margins, so if we drop our standards, our commitment together and our work ethic, that can happen to us. It opened a lot of eyes. Just a bunch of guys realizing we have to give it our all every game, and when we do, we can compete with some of the best teams in the country.”

Alec Hughes leads the UMass offense into the Elite Eight, as Hughes currently stands as the program’s all-time leader in goals scored. He’s tallied a whopping 16 this season despite missing three games, and over the last handful of games Hughes has really developed a strong connection with those around him – giving everyone a jolt during the most important part of the season.

“The hardest thing to do in soccer is score goals, and that’s what Alec does,” O’Leary said. “Alec is a goal scorer. And when somebody scores, it boosts everyone’s confidence and gives them a lift. He’s had a terrific career, we’re delighted he’s with the program.”

Hughes scored goals in the first two tournament games. If he didn’t already before, he’s likely to draw a lot of attention from any opposing defense the Minutemen face moving forward. O’Leary is prepared for that, and is also just as confident in everyone else to find the back of the net if Hughes isn’t able to.

Whether it be Johan Feilscher, Matt Cence, Oliver Akintade or Andrew Ortiz, UMass has options. And the Minutemen are certainly known to score goals. They rank 15th in the country in goals (44) and average over two per game. The 44 goals is also most in the Atlantic 1o.

“We can work on different things to free [Hughes] up in different areas,” O’Leary said. “He’ll find a way to have opportunities in these games. And a big part of it is the other attacking players around him. They take pressure off. You can’t double team everybody. There are other guys that have proven they can score for us.”

UMass will have to find a way to get by Denver’s defense, one that is ranked 11th in the country in goals against average. Saturday is sure to be a defensive battle, given that the Minutemen have also played near-perfect in that third of the field.

Senior keeper Alex Geczy is a big reason why, as he has recorded three shutouts in his last four games – including two consecutive clean sheets in the tournament. O’Leary admitted that teams don’t make it this far into the big dance without a lockdown player in the box.

“You don’t get to the Elite Eight of the NCAA with a poor keeper, no matter how strong the rest of your team is,” he said. “And [Geczy] is terrific. He’s had an outstanding season. He’s got confidence in his back four, and his back four has confidence in him. That goes a long way. They bail each other out. [Geczy] has stood tall in some really big games for us.”

UMass is no stranger to playing in these road environments against top seeds, but the Minutemen haven’t quite faced a task as tall as the one Denver provides. They know what they’re up against, but, quite frankly, they don’t care.

UMass is there to play its style of soccer. And if the Minutemen do that, they like their chances against anyone.

“They’re very, very good,” O’Leary said. “They’re one of the elite teams in the country. But we’re unafraid, we’re unselfish, we’re unspoiled and we’re going to enjoy the occasion.”