Sacramento State women’s soccer clinched the 5th seed in the Big Sky Conference Tournament and will play the 4th seeded Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in Missoula, Montana.
The Hornets ended the regular season with a 5-6-6 record. They went undefeated at home but struggled on the road, only winning one game.
Both teams had a very similar season. They have each been outscored by their opponents by a close margin, and are going into the tournament off of wins to close out regular season play.
Each side benefits from talented goalkeepers with 183 total saves between them and both have allowed an average of less than 1.5 goals allowed per game. The last matchup between the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw on Oct. 20.
While NAU has more shots on goal this season, Sac State has been more efficient, with 17 goals on 73 shots on goal compared to NAU’s 14 goals on 85 shots on goal.
If Sac State can control possession on offense and find more shots on goal, they will have a good chance of coming out on top.
Despite the two teams’ similarities, they are separated by the amount of yellow cards; the Hornets have 17 on the season to the Lumberjack’s four.
“We’re a deep team this year and health-wise, we’ve been able to stay healthier throughout the year because we were able to use a little bit more players than we did last year,” Sac State head coach Randy Dedini said.
RELATED: Hornets earn first road win in final game of the season entering Big Sky Tournament
The Hornets have many emotions entering their final games of the season and, for some, the final games of their college careers.
“It’s my last season. So I have personal emotions just because I really want our team to be able to perform the way I know we can and get the outcome that I know we deserve,” redshirt senior midfielder Cassandra Herrman said. “I think we’re very motivated and the feeling we have this season is different than we’ve had any other season.”
Herman said the Hornet’s seniors feel the most pressure to perform in the postseason in their last year.
“This year especially, we’ve had the most seniors, and I think that puts a lot of pressure on our seniors,” Herrman said. “Our team dynamic and everyone is just so positive and encouraging of each other, so that really relieves a lot of pressures that we put amongst ourselves.”
This year’s team has connected and has had a close bond throughout the season which has contributed to the team’s success.
“In previous years, it hasn’t been as close-knit,” sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier said. “This year, we’ve been doing more team bonding, we’ve been doing sister gifts for every home game and even going to after-practice chapels doing some spiritual stuff together, which I think has brought us a lot closer.”
Sac State is dealing with fewer injuries this season and are more experienced, having more than four times the seniors they had last year.
“We finished the season strong, we’re fairly healthy and experienced,” Dedini said. “We feel pretty confident going in that we’ve got what it takes to win a championship.”
The Hornets face the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament in Missoula, Montana on Wednesday Nov. 6, 2024 at 1 p.m.
