The Sacramento State women’s soccer team began conference play with a 1-0-1 record and enters the home stretch of the season with its eye on a championship.

“We have the mentality going in that we’re going to win every game,” said sophomore midfielder Katelin Hopping.

The Hornets entered the season as the preseason favorite to win the Big Sky Conference title, but were forced to adjust to some key offseason changes. Among them was the loss of last year’s leading scorer, Kayelyn Satkowski, to a knee injury in the spring that will force her to miss the entire 2007 season.

“You always miss a player like that,” said coach Randy Dedini. “We’ve had to look for other players to pick up the slack.”

Another change for the Hornets was Dedini’s promotion to head coach after a three-year stint assisting former coach Katie Poynter. Dedini also brought in assistant coach Maureen Whitney, who worked with the team from 2000 to 2003.

The Hornets started the season out strong, rattling off three consecutive wins at home while outscoring their opponents 11-1. After wins against Mount St. Mary’s and San Jose State, the homestand culminated with a 5-1 thumping of Fresno State.

“Right off the bat we started with great energy,” Hopping said.

The Hornets did not fare as well on their first road trip, however, going winless on the three-game swing. They forced a tie in Nevada and then lost to UC Davis and Saint Mary’s.

“I felt like after the Fresno 5-1 win that we got away from being humble and working hard for everything,” Dedini said.

“We were maybe a little cocky,” said senior forward Katie McCoy. “But it was a deserved win.”

The Hornets returned home and again put together a three-game win streak. They did not allow a single goal against Menlo College, Cal State Bakersfield or the University of Texas at El Paso.

Once the Hornets went back on the road, however, they were still unable to record a victory in enemy territory. The team tied Pepperdine and lost 2-0 to Loyola Marymount. Despite the losses, Dedini said the team played strongly in both games.

“They were just two extremely strong programs,” Dedini said. “I thought we played really well, although we didn’t come out with the results.”

The Hornets began conference play at home on Friday with a double overtime win against Weber State and then managed a tie against Idaho State on Sunday.

The Idaho State game was a rematch of last year’s Big Sky Conference Championship game, where the Hornets lost on penalty kicks.

“I know that game is still sitting in a lot of our girls’ minds,” Dedini said. “(It) was a heartbreaker.”

The team will now travel away from Hornet Field for the last time, beginning a three-game road stint on Friday in Montana. It will then visit Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado before returning to Sacramento to wrap up conference play with two final home games.

Even though the Hornets have not won a game on the road, they are confident in their ability to triumph on another team’s home turf.

“The times that we have been beat, we’ve defeated ourselves,” said junior defender Kara Taylor. “No other team has outplayed us or beaten us.”

The Hornets entered conference play with the best record in the Big Sky Conference at 6-3-2 and are undefeated at home in eight matches. Dedini said he is really happy with how the team has progressed throughout the season.

“Our chemistry is fantastic off the field as well as on the field,” Dedini said. “A team with good chemistry is just that much more willing to fight for each other and put in the extra work for each other.”

Two-time All-Big Sky Conference selection McCoy has led the Hornets offensively, racking up seven goals and 21 points this season. On the defensive end, Dedini said Taylor kept opposing attacks limited on the Hornet backline and hasn’t received the credit she deserves.

As for the new coaching staff, Taylor said, “We have just as much chemistry with them as we do with each other.”

McCoy said the Hornets want to go undefeated in conference play and “probably won’t be happy with anything else.”

“Everything we’re working for during the season is for the conference,” McCoy said.

The team with the best record in conference play gets to host the Big Sky Conference tournament at season’s end, which Taylor said would be huge for Sac State.

“We have one of the best fields in conference too, so it would definitely be a home field advantage,” Taylor said.

Dedini said no team can be taken for granted in conference play, regardless of its record.

“It doesn’t matter who you play – you’re going to be in a dog fight,” Dedini said. “It’s just going to be a scrappy battle.”

Just don’t expect the team to be intimidated by the pressure of conference play.

“I like a little bit of pressure; It makes me play better,” McCoy said. “I think most of our team plays better under pressure.”

Fernando Gallo can be reached at [email protected]