Over the past five years, the Aquinas athletic department has continued its storied tradition of athletic success in the form of individual national championships, incredible postseason runs, WHAC championships, record-breaking performances, and a tremendous number of athletic and academic All-America honorees.
 
We wanted to provide our fans with an enjoyable look back at some of the best moments from all of our athletic programs since 2015. Over the next two months, we will highlight a few programs each week - 25 programs in total - and provide a reminder of why it's great to be an Aquinas Saint.

The Aquinas College women's soccer team has been on one of its most successful runs in program history the past few years, with last year proving to be a big step on the team's climb to be a national contender. 

Following a 2018 season that saw the Saints win the WHAC Tournament title and advance to the NAIA National Tournament, head coach Lewis Robinson's squad put together an historic season last fall in 2019. The Saints won a school-record 18 games on the season, including a stretch where they won 14 of 15 matches and had a 10-game winning streak. Finishing second in the WHAC regular-season standings, they once again advanced to the WHAC Championship game, where they were topped by #3 UNOH. However, due to the strength of their accomplishments throughout the season, the Saints earned an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament, their second straight trip.

The Saints were placed in the Columbia (Mo.) region, along with #25 ranked Olivet Nazarene and the hosts, #6 ranked Central Methodist. Aquinas would take on ONU in the opening round on November 22nd, 2019, for the chance to play for the Regional Title. 

Aquinas took an early lead just over ten minutes into the game thanks to senior midfielder Jenna Smith. After a ONU foul occurring just outside of the box, Aquinas earned a free-kick in a dangerous area. Smith, the Saints' All-WHAC midfielder, stepped up to the ball to take the shot and drilled a beautiful curling shot around the Tigers' wall and past the outstretched arms of the ONU goalkeeper. The Tigers would counter before the break to even the score at 1-1, but the second half would be all Saints. Raegan Radaz, crossed a ball into the box that found Hannah Crum. Crum did the rest, scoring her 11th goal of the season to give the Saints a 2-1 lead. Just minutes later, the Saints put the game away with a goal by forward Filippa Struxsjo, who beat the Tiger goalkeeper one on one and found the back of the net. Saints' goalkeeper Braeleigh McCoy made five saves on the day, including a sprawling save in the second-half to keep the Tigers at just one goal in the contest.

When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard read 3-1 in favor of the Saints, giving them their first ever win in the NAIA National Tournament and advancing them to the next round. While the Saints would come up short in the Regional Final against Central Methodist, the run to the second round of the tournament was the furthest the team had ever advanced and capped of a record-setting fall. The team finished the season with an 18-4-1 record, with their only four losses all coming to teams ranked in the top-6 in the NAIA rankings. 

Next Moment: Tuesday, September 8th

Previous Moments:
Women's Volleyball: Saints Capture First WHAC Title in 22 Years
Men's Cross Country: Aquinas Men Earn 2018 WHAC Championship