Click here to view a video recap of this and Friday’s games.

At the end of the 2006 season, the Sacramento State women’s soccer team suffered a close loss in the championship game of the Big Sky Conference tournament. Idaho State bested the Hornets in penalty kicks to send them back to Sacramento without their first championship in school history.

“We lost last year to a team that we shouldn’t have lost to,” said senior defender Katie Burton.

Therefore, it was only logical that when the team determined its goals for the 2007 season, winning that championship game was right at the top of the list.

And now, that goal has become a reality.

The Hornets dominated the Bears of Northern Colorado in the championship match of the first Big Sky Conference tournament ever held at Sac State, winning by a final score of 3-0. Although the margin of victory was only three goals, the Hornets had several chances to pad the lead.

“It’s not like an iffy win,” said junior midfielder Missy Matzen. “We sent them home.”

Sophomore forward Kim Kemper and senior forward Katie McCoy both scored goals in the first half to give Sac State a 2-0 advantage heading into halftime. Despite the lead, Burton said she was not comfortable with only two goals.

“A 2-0 lead is the worst lead to have,” Burton said. “Because you score one goal and you’re right back in it.”

“We really did feel like if we could knock one (goal) in, then we’d have a really good shot of coming back,” said Northern Colorado junior forward Teresa Prais. “We kind of are a come-from-behind team.”

The Hornets did not slow down in the second half and continued to be aggressive. They out shot the Bears 10-4 after halftime and added the third and final goal in the 76th minute.

“All of their hard work came down to this game,” Hornets coach Randy Dedini said. “They weren’t going to be denied.”

As the final minute began to tick away, Dedini was doused with ice and water from a nearby cooler by some of the players. The bench players waited, standing just inches from the sidelines, and raced onto the field as soon as the game was over to celebrate with the rest of the team.

McCoy was instrumental in the win, scoring the final two goals for the Hornets. The senior co-captain finished the season with a conference-leading 14 goals and was named the tournament MVP, adding to her impressive list of accolades this year. McCoy has been named Conference Offensive Player of the Week four times, was selected to the All-Conference First-Team for the third consecutive year, and was unanimously chosen as the Big Sky Offensive MVP. Despite all of the awards, McCoy said none of them compare to winning the conference championship.

“Nothing is sweeter than winning the whole thing and getting to go to the NCAA tournament,” McCoy said. “It’s really exciting.”

Senior forward Amanda Gray continued her breakout season, earning an assist on each of the team’s three goals, and was named to the all-conference and all-conference tournament teams. She finishes the year second in the conference in points with 18, trailing only McCoy in that category.

“I just wanted to play my best and leave everything out on the field,” Gray said. “I never would have thought, after last year, that this would happen.”

Rounding out the all-conference tournament team for the Hornets were Kemper, Matzen, sophomore goalkeeper Mandy Trojan and Burton, who Dedini said could have easily been the tournament MVP.

“All three of our seniors have had their best seasons,” Dedini said. “I’m so happy for them.”

Trojan recorded her ninth shutout of the season, a new single-season record. She is now in sole possession of second place for most career shutouts in program history.

Northern Colorado had three players named to the all-tournament team: Prais, senior defender Megan Miller, and sophomore forward Jessica Zimmerman.

The all-tournament selections were honored with plaques in a ceremony after the game. All of the members of the Hornets were then honored with watches and the championship trophy was presented to Dedini.

The Bears saw their season end at Hornet Field and finish with an 8-9-3 record. Sunday’s match was the first Big Sky Conference Championship game in their school’s history for any sport.

“We have to consider it a successful season,” said Bears coach Tim Barrera. “This kind of experience is invaluable for our returning players.”

The Hornets now advance to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championships for the first time in program history. The 64-team, single-elimination, national tournament provides seeding for the top 16 teams in the country. Every one of those 16 will host tournament games in the first and second rounds. The remaining 48 schools will be assigned to host sites based upon geographical region.

“We probably will play a pretty tough team,” McCoy said. “I’m excited to see what we can do.”

Last year’s Big Sky Conference champion, Idaho State, lasted only one round into the NCAA tournament. The team lost 3-2 to Utah in double overtime. In 2005, Big Sky champ Weber State advanced to the second round before being knocked out by Arizona. The Hornets said they believe they can outlast their conference counterparts.

“We think we can go pretty far,” Matzen said. “We’re definitely a team to be reckoned with.”

Gray said that no matter who the Hornets play in the NCAA Sac State will be strong.

“We’re coming in strong and we’re ready to play, wherever we play,” Gray said.

Dedini said his team is capable of playing well in the tournament, and that confidence will be an important factor in its success.

“The mental preparation for this game is going to be just as big as the physical preparation,” he said.

The Hornets will play No. 1 Stanford in the first round tournament game on Friday at Cagan Stadium at 7 p.m.

Fernando Gallo can be reached at [email protected]

Check back with statehornet.com for a video recap from Friday and Sunday’s games.