WINONA, Minn. — They've done it again! The Saint Mary's University women's soccer team is headed back to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoffs — for the second year in a row.
 
Despite overcoming many unexpected challenges over the course of the season, the Cardinals are heading into the conference postseason tournament after finishing fifth in the MIAC with a 6-3-2 record, while sitting at 11-5-2 overall — including wins in six consecutive games to close out the regular season.
 
And according to head coach Nick Rizzo, that impressive record and post-season appearance have a lot to do with the dedicated work ethic of the team, and their willingness to overcome adversity.
 
"The cool part has been that we get to go out there and step up every day," said Rizzo, whose team will head to Northfield, Minn., on Tuesday for a 2 p.m. MIAC Playoff quarterfinal matchup against fourth-seeded St. Olaf. "We have so many people that are ready to take on challenges, so we're going to keep taking them on."
 
Rizzo wants the team to appreciate the time they have together, and keep fighting for more moments to play together.
 
"We want to play a good, complete soccer game the best we can, but also enjoy the moment," said Rizzo. "Every game we win is another game, another practice, another celebration we get with our seniors. The challenge for us is to win, so we can spend more time with people we love to be around."
 
The seniors feel the same way. 
 
Alexis Nguyen (West Covina, Calif.) — team captain, goalkeeper, and reigning MIAC Defensive Player of the Year — stressed the importance of the team playing the game for each other.
 
"We've worked hard the whole season, so we need to keep pushing ourselves," said Nguyen, who has recorded seven shutouts this season and owns a microscopic 0.87 goals-against-average in 17 appearances. "You want to win this for yourself and also for the team."
 
Sophomore Brooklyn McKinney (Thornton, Colo.) — who is sitting second on the team with four regular-season goals — echoed Nguyen's remarks.
 
"We want to be the best we can be for each other, that's the biggest thing — work hard for each other, win for each other," said McKinney. "We lift each other up." 
 
The team's record is a reflection of how they've developed and dealt with challenges over the course of the season. Now, on a season-best six-game winning streak, the Cardinals are ready to bring everything they've got to the postseason. 
 
"We've been prepping the whole season, but winning these last few games, we've really found our groove," said freshman Lauryn Skoruppa (Littleton, Colo.). "We're excited and we really want this."  
 
Skoruppa and McKinney are a few of the many underclassmen who have stepped into major roles this season. The team had to deal with several injuries over the course of the season, and those underclassmen rose to the challenge of filling in without hesitation. 
 
"We had to have a lot of people step up and play a lot more minutes, it's definitely been a team effort," said Maya Wachter (Dubuque, Iowa), a sophomore team captain. "As a team, I'm so proud of us for the adversity we've faced and how we got through it." 
 
Haddy Falkman (Waconia, Minn.), a senior captain, agreed with Wachter. She added that leadership and responsibility comes from everybody.
 
"Everyone is a leader on the team, I don't think it just comes from us with the title of captain," said Falkman, the team's goal-scoring leader with five. "I truly believe leadership is a team effort. Everyone has stepped up to the plate and gets the job done." 
 
The team will carry those roles of leadership with them as they face off against St. Olaf on Tuesday in their playoff opener. The Cardinals fell 3-0 to the Oles during their regular-season matchup on Oct. 12.
 
And the Cardinals are ready for a rematch — and aren't afraid to rise to the challenge. 
 
"Last year, we were the underdogs," said Nguyen. "This year, they know that we're tough and that we can play smart, and that we can win." 
 
The team is proud of how far they've come as a group throughout the season. 
 
"This year, we proved that last year's season wasn't a fluke," said Wachter, who was a member of last year's squad, a team that finished third in the regular-season standings and reached the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs. "We're a strong team and we can do it again." 
 
Rizzo believes this is a turning point for the program as a whole. He hopes that other athletic teams at Saint Mary's feel inspired and challenged to rise to the next level. 
 
"We're trying to honor what teams in the past have done, and going to the playoffs consistently can be a way to do that," said Rizzo. "We want to create a culture of encouragement and support among the teams at Saint Mary's."