Minnesota Aurora players fanned out after Wednesday’s training session for one-on-one interviews with reporters going into Friday’s USL W League playoff game.

One common refrain heard and overheard from the squad was that Aurora has “unfinished business” this postseason. The amateur women’s soccer team just completed its third straight unbeaten regular season, but their first two playoff appearances were cut short of a championship.

After a 11-0-1 record in 2022, Aurora won two playoff games before losing to Tormenta FC in the championship game. After a 12-0-0 record in 2023, Aurora won one playoff game before falling to Indy Eleven in the quarterfinals.

This year, top-seed Aurora (10-0-2) will play Indy Eleven (7-1-2) in a first-round match at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, Mich. The winner will play Detroit City or River Light in a quarterfinal Sunday.

“The returning players have really brought that kind of unfinished business perspective to this, and I think that that really drives the squad as a whole,” first-year head coach Colette Montgomery said. “We know that we’re grateful for what’s been done, and we’re not content to leave it where it is. So we’re going to do our best to put out the best performance this weekend.”

Midfielder Addy Weichers, a team captain for each of Aurora’s three seasons, was there when Aurora beat Indy in the 2022 quarterfinals and lost to that team 1-0 a year ago. Indy went on to win the 2023 USL W championship.

“Last year, it was a game that I felt like we definitely could have won,” Weichers said. “You know how soccer goes; it can go anyway. But I think feeling like we walked away with goals left on field that we should have scored definitely. It has left a drive where, this is our year coming back with more fire than before. So we’re really excited.”

Weichers said this year’s Aurora team is made up of players with bigger goals.

“I think having a mix of returning players, but also these new players we have brought in,” Weichers said. “Everybody has such high ambitions. Everyone on this team wants to go further, and so I think that makes all the difference. Some of the best college players and those who have done well. Players who are past college want to go pro. It’s just such a competitive environment that makes it super good.”

Aurora’s level in training sessions has been higher than in some matches. Aurora had a plus-55 goal differential in its 12 regular-season matches and won the regular-season finale 14-0.

With the cream rising in the playoffs, Montgomery has been trying to provide a consistent message that both Minnesota and Indy are not the same teams as a year ago.

“Historical context is not in the present,” Montgomery said. “We’ve scouted them and know what they do well. We lock in on what to do and bring our game to them. Hopefully we get that unfinished business finished.”

If Aurora wins two games this weekend, the club can bid to host later-round matches at TCO Stadium in Eagan. The USL W semifinals are set for July 12-14 and the final will be between July 19-21.

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