The Sacramento State women’s soccer team started the season off as underdogs.

They were told by the “experts” that they could not be competitive in their conference. No team with a 3-15-0, 1-5-0 record last year could turn around and be successful this quickly.

Please. Come on. No way.

The team that was picked to finish seventh in the seven-team Big Sky Conference before the season, has since proven that it can play with anybody it faces. The team played so well, disproving their doubters, that they were within one game of not only being in the Big Sky tournament, but hosting it as the team with the best conference record.

The Hornets finished second in the conference and now head into postseason play for the first time since 2001.

The No. 2 seed Hornets (8-7-3, 4-1-1) will be joined by the No. 1 seed Weber State Wildcats (12-4-1, 5-1-0), No. 3 seed Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (9-10-0, 4-2-0) and No. 4 seed Eastern Washington Eagles (4-10-3, 2-3-1) in the tournament.

The tournament begins in Ogden, Utah, on Nov. 3 and will pit Weber State against Eastern Washington while Sac State will play Northern Arizona in the first round.

The winner of each game will then face each other in the title game on Nov. 5. Sac State holds a 1-1-1 record against the three opposing teams in this year’s tournament.

In the two teams’ only match of the year on Oct. 16, the Hornets beat the Lumberjacks 2-1 at home.

Sac State trailed most of the game until forward Kayelyn Satkowski fired home a shot to tie the game at one goal apiece in the 86th minute. The game headed into overtime.

In overtime, the Hornets took the only two shots; the second of which was the game winner by forward Kelly Novak. Novak was mobbed in front of the goal as the Hornets won perhaps the biggest game in their history.

With the win, the Hornets grabbed first place in the conference, a lead that had been Northern Arizona’s only hours before.

The Hornets played the Eagles of Eastern Washington to a 1-1 tie on Oct.7 at Hornet Soccer Field. Despite the fact that the game ended in a tie after two overtimes, the Hornets dominated every facet of the game as Sac State out shot the Eagles 18-9.

The game marked the first collegiate goal for freshman midfielder Sarah Howard.

On Saturday the then conference-leading Hornets had a chance to clinch the regular season championship when they faced the Wildcats of Weber State. The Wildcats proved to be too much as they won 4-1 behind three goals from forward Rochelle Hoover.

The loss put the Hornets into the number two slot in the tournament while the Wildcats snatched the top seed and the right to host.

The Hornets lone goal came from midfielder Katie Burton, her first of the year. Had the Hornets been able to win the game they would have brought the tournament home to Sac State, something no Sac State women’s soccer team has ever done.

Weber State will likely be favored to win the tournament because they are playing at home and have the best overall and conference records.

The Wildcats also hold an advantage over all other tournament participants in goals (33), fewest goals against (22), most shots (273), fewest shots against (206) and forcing opposing goalies to make the most saves (104).

The last time the Hornets made the Big Sky Tournament was in 2001 when they were eliminated in the first round by Weber State.

Regardless of this year’s outcome, the team has proven its critics wrong with an incredible season.

Can they prove their critics wrong one more time and bring home a championship? Please. Come on. No way.

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Benn Hodapp can be reached at [email protected]