FAIRMONT — Anticipation.

After qualifying for the Section 2A girls soccer championship match in back-to-back seasons, the Fairmont Area Cardinals might have to officially wait until the fall of 2021 to complete the rare trifecta.

Unfortunately, the current coronavirus pandemic has proven the ultimate foe as its widesweeping impact has reduced the Cardinals’ fall campaign by 30%, with neither sectional nor state tournaments on the Minnesota State High School League’s horizon.

“It’s a short season with only 11 games on our schedule,” said Matt Nielsen, who enters his 15th campaign at the Cardinals’ girls soccer helm. “On the plus side, we should be able to go longer with minutes. Since there’s no overtime this year, we don’t have to save legs for that possibility.”

Fairmont Area kicks off its reduced schedule by playing host to the Waseca Bluejays at 7 p.m. Friday night at Jeffery Kot Soccer Complex in Fairmont.

The Cardinals will play home-and-away series with Big South Conference rivals Waseca, Mankato Loyola, Marshall, New Ulm and St. Peter, in addition to one road game at Worthington.

“The main mental trick to a shortened season like this is to always be careful with setting goals,” said Nielsen. “With no playoffs (beyond the conference competition), you have to set attainable goals to keep the players motivated each and every time out.

“However, our aspiration is to win the conference championship since it appears to be the only thing we can play for at this time.”

All-Big South honorable mention goalkeeper Cadence Becker, along with junior forward Rayah Quiring and junior midfielder Sami Lenort, return to spearhead the Cardinals’ march downfield this fall.

Becker, a junior, generated an incredible nine shutouts and an .830 goals against average to help pace Fairmont Area’s record-setting mark of 14-3-1 during the 2019 campaign.

While Becker will play a pivotal role in stonewalling the Cardinals’ opponents, Quiring and Lenort bring solid numbers to the red-and-white’s offensive side of the field.

Quiring proved Fairmont Area’s No. 1 point producer with 20 on the strength of the second-best goals total (13) and a share of the top assist mark with seven helpers last season.

Lenort, who also co-led the lineup with seven assists, generated six goals to finish as the Cardinals’ No. 4 point producer at 13 during her sophomore campaign.

“In terms of the 15 years I’ve coached, these girls are definitely at the upper levels from an overall team speed perspective,” said Nielsen. “Since the majority of our sophomores did not get much playing time at the varsity level last season, they’re a bit behind in communication skills, but that will improve as the season progresses.”

Quiring will look to blend her speed and scoring skills with a varsity newcomer in freshman forward Elayna Anderson, while senior Brooklyn Meyer will utilize her passing and scoring talents to help Lenort filter into the offensive mix from the outside midfielder positions.

The junior tandem of Mackenzie Householder and Ellie Schultze return to handle the inside midfielding duties, with sophomore Kate Busche also figuring into the rotation.

Junior stalwart Carissa Saxton returns to anchor the defensive line in front of Becker, with junior Bailey Martinson playing at the other inside spot. Junior Alyssa Wiederhoeft and junior Samantha Castro will flank Saxton and Martinson in the back row, with the sophomore duo of Hannah Goerndt and Anna Busche figuring into the defensive mix.

Senior forward Maddie Maakestad, who produced five goals in 2019, and junior defender Alexis Newville return to the field after logging varsity minutes a year ago, while Jackson County Central basketball and volleyball standout junior Sadie Voss will try her feet and athleticism as a midfielder as part of the multi-school sharing mix.

“Since we didn’t have a spring season, our footwork is not there yet, but that will come in time,” said Nielsen. “That’s why we’re getting April blisters in August.

“I’m not worried though as I’ve got Claire (Gerhardt) as an assistant coach to keep us healthy.”

Gerhardt, a fitness professional at Cutting Edge Fitness in Fairmont, will coach the junior varsity in addition to being Nielsen’s varsity assistant this season, while Jesse Koskovich will join Kelly Quiring at the C-squad level.

“One of our coaching challenges has been the kids didn’t get to do anything in the spring and most of the summer, and now we have to try to teach them to enjoy the moment,” said Nielsen. “We’re going to try to make the most out of our opportunities this season.”