Four-time All-SCAC goalkeeper Mary Cardone led the Southwestern Women’s soccer team to victory, defeating long-time reigning Conference Champions Trinity University and winning the entire Conference Soccer tournament. This was the first SCAC Conference championship won in the history of Southwestern Women’s Soccer and was quite a huge deal. After double overtime, the match went into penalty kicks, an extremely anxious and intense few moments for fans and teammates alike. Sam Davis, Sarah McGinn, and Ariel Mansholt made the first three penalty shots. After a couple of misses made by Southwestern, the stats were at a tie. It was then up to Cardone to make the save and win the game, or miss and let everything the team had worked for slip through their fingers. Mary saved the shot and the enormous crowd erupted in cheers and a mob of students from the stands ran out onto the field chanting “Mary” “Mary” “Mary” before dog-piling onto one another.

The Southwestern Women’s team certainly has set the stage for future generations that have yet to join the team. Linda Hamilton, a former member of the Women’s National Team, and entering her fifth season as the current head coach for the Southwestern Women’s soccer team couldn’t be more proud of her team’s hard work and dedication. After the game Linda credited her win to the “talent, experience, and dedication of the team” and her assistant coaches that help push the team during practices. The standard for what’s expected of future pirates that have yet to come to Southwestern is set, and the current team members can rest easy knowing they have left the legacy they set out to make upon their arrival. The hard work, dedication, talent, and team effort put in by every player on the team is ultimately what brought about this championship.