CHICAGO, ILL. – History had its eye on the St. Catherine University soccer team during the 2017 season. The Wildcats opened the year with their smallest roster since the earliest years of the program and also had the toughest schedule in program history. Those factors, though, never seemed to have an effect on St. Kate's soccer team as it defied all odds to win the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff Championship and earn the program's first bid to the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament.

Unfortunately, the Wildcats fantastic and historical season came to an end Friday morning. St. Kate's fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to the University of Chicago by a final score of 3-0.

The Wildcats faced a hard task in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament: upsetting the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. While St. Kate's didn't pull off the epic upset, the team did battle the Maroons for 90 minutes of play. In fact, Chicago only led 1-0 at the half, after a Wildcat own goal gave the Maroons an early lead in the opening half.

Jessica Perez-Adame (San Jacinto, Calif. / San Jacinto) played outstanding in goal for St. Kate's, especially during the first half of play. The senior goalkeeper faced six shots in the opening half of play and made six saves, allowing only the own-goal to slip past in the first 45 minutes. The Wildcat defense also played well in the first half, as Chicago was awarded six corner kicks in the opening 45 minutes and did not score a single goal.

The Maroons unfortunately added to there lead four minutes in to the second half. Shannon Hickey (Eden Prairie, Minn. / Visitation) committed a foul in the box, giving Chicago a penalty kick at 49:45. Maroon forward Mia Calamari took the kick and converted, booting the ball just over the hand of a diving Perez-Adame to extend Chicago's lead to 2-0.

Down 2-0, the Wildcats tried to cut the deficit in half, as Allie Bird (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) had a breakaway chance midway through the half. Unfortunately, Chicago keeper Miranda Malone made a diving save on Bird's ball, preventing St. Kate's from scoring and from earning a corner kick opportunity.

The Wildcats were slowly but surely starting to get some momentum on their side when the Maroons scored their third goal of the game. A give and go, tick-tack-toe play on St. Kate's side of the field left Katie Jaminski open on the back door. The midfielder converted the kick, extending Chicago's lead to 3-0 over the Wildcats.

Despite being down 3-0, St. Kate's continued to battle and show resiliency in the final 20 minutes. The Wildcats continued to try and score their first goal of the game, as they generated offensive chances and started to penetrate the ball deep into the Maroons zone. Sadly, the team was never able to convert, and St. Kate's fell by a final score of 3-0.

Though the season came to an end, there is plenty for the Wildcats to be proud of. St. Kate's gritty determination led to the team's first MIAC Playoff Championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Jesse Campos became the first coach in program history to earn the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year honor, and five Wildcats earned either All-MIAC or All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades. The senior class of Perez-Adame, Hickey, Samantha Boonstra (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) and Emily Stengel (Mankato, Minn. / Mankato) will graduate as the most successful class in program history, with three consecutive appearances in the MIAC playoffs and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

What may be more impressive is how St. Kate's ended the season. After starting the season with a 0-4-0 record, the Wildcats went on a seven-game not losing streak, where they either tied or won seven consecutive games. The Wildcats won 13 of their final 16 games and were able to avenge all but three of the losses they suffered during the regular season.

St. Kate's concludes its season with an overall record of 9-7-4 and a 5-3-3 mark in MIAC play.