Back in my newspaper days, I shot a ton of sports. I worked the evening shift at the Duluth News Tribune so I'd end up shooting soccer, hockey, football, softball, baseball, basketball, you name it. I loved it since shootings sports was one of the big reasons I got into photography. It's the best reality entertainment out there. No script. Unpredictability reigns.

So it was a bonus that my wife is a soccer coach at St. Scholastica. Double bonus that her team is really really good. In between shooting lots of weddings and engagements in the fall, I could transition to something a little different than couples in love. Maybe not so different. I would imagine the first photo below might look like an engagement session in a mosh pit. Maybe?

Anyway, the Saints women's soccer team wrapped up their season this past weekend in San Antonio at the NCAA Division 3 soccer championships. After winning their seventh straight regular season conference championship, the Saints defeated Bethany Lutheran and the University of Minnesota-Morris to advance to their fourth NCAA tournament in five years. Their first round opponent this year was no. 3 ranked Trinity University (20-0). The Saints played the Tigers tough as they entered halftime down 3-2. Those two goals were half as many as the Tigers had allowed during the entire season. In the end, Trinity prevailed 5-2, but it was another solid season for the Saints.

Congrats to seniors Bailey Mahlum, Molly Bergmann, Megan Flesvig and Malia Grosskreutz on being part of an outstanding senior class that never lost a conference game, compiled a record of 68-17-5 overall and 51-0-3 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and qualified for three NCAA tournaments.