LA JOLLA, Calif.—The Chico State women's soccer team started the season with the belief that if they did all the little things right, they would eventually arrive at their desired destination—the NCAA Championship Tournament.
 
That belief, and the actions behind it, paid off. The Wildcats earned their first NCAA Championship Tournament berth since 2011.
 
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, things don't always play out that way in any given game of soccer. It often takes a break or two. And the breaks did not go Chico State's way in a 3–0 loss to 16^th-ranked Concordia–Portland in the opening round of the NCAA Championship Tournament Friday afternoon at Triton Stadium on the campus of UC San Diego.
 
"We showed a lot of grit today to create eight corners and all the opportunities... It just didn't go our way," Wildcats Head Coach Kim Sutton said. "This year's been a super joy to be around them. They've been fun and hard working every single day. It's been such a pleasure. I'm sad that it comes to an end. But what a great run for us to make it to this point. I'm really proud."
 
The Wildcats, who had an eight-match unbeaten streak snapped Friday, finish the season with a record of 11-6-2. Concordia, ranked No. 16 in the nation, improved to 16-3-1 and advances to play top-seeded UC San Diego in Sunday's sub-regional final.
 
A defensive giveaway led to a Concordia goal just 2:02 into the match, and though the Wildcats righted the ship, eventually out-shooting the Cavaliers 17–12 and earning an 8–0 edge in corner kicks, they could not find the back of the net.
 
Concordia doubled its lead in the 23^rd minute on Sydney Van Steenberge's second goal, a gorgeous looping shot into the right upper-V. Brenda Uribe wrapped up the scoring in the 89^th minute.
 
It marked the end of collegiate careers of three Wildcats: Pooja Patel, Courtney Sharrah, and Brooke Coelho.
 
"Some of the greatest years of my life, no doubt," said Patel, who finishes her career among Chico State's career top 10 in assists and points. "Sometimes it's not about the wins and losses, it's about the people and the program. The culture of this whole school really made it a phenomenal experience."
 
The Wildcats' leadership group began this season with a seemingly mundane motto: "Behind the Line." The idea was that doing the little things, like making sure your foot is all the way behind the line when running during conditioning, would make a big difference.
 
They were right. Junior Devon Morones is a member of the team's leadership council.
 
"It's all about looking to your left and looking to your right and holding one another accountable," said Morones. "This is who we're doing it for. You do it for one another. It's getting behind the line in the classroom. Making sure your getting your schoolwork done. Building those characteristics and relationships on and off the field. Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves. I think this team really proved that."
 
Patel agreed.

"We laid out what we wanted to accomplish and we accomplished a lot of it. Behind the line is about much more than just soccer. It's about being good people, making good friendships, building good characteristics that you can take with you in life. I think that's exactly what we did."