For the Vicksburg Missy Gators, Tuesday’s soccer playoff opener isn’t so much about winning as it is redemption.

Each of the past two seasons they’ve let second-half leads slip away and lost in the first round. This season was marked by a month-long hiatus, caused by MHSAA penalties stemming from an incident in a December game with Murrah.

When the Missy Gators go to Oxford for their opener in the 2016 Class 5A playoffs, erasing all of those bad memories will be as much a goal as taking the first step toward a state championship.

“That would be a bright light at the end of a dark tunnel,” Vicksburg goal keeper Virgie Demby said.

This season has been one long, dark tunnel for the Missy Gators. They were 1-5 when they were involved in a fracas in the Murrah game in early December and put on probation for a month. They had to cancel several games and did not practice over the holiday break.

“I felt like I didn’t even play soccer anymore,” said junior forward Mikayla Banks, who leads the team with 16 goals.

Since returning from their midseason hiatus, the Missy Gators have won just one of four games but have had some bright spots. They beat Magee 6-0 and lost two close games to division rival Ridgeland.

Banks’ scoring prowess gives them a chance against anyone, but they know they need to get her some help. Banks has scored seven of Vicksburg’s 10 goals in their last four games and 16 of the 20 they’ve scored this season.

“A lot of these teams stack the middle. They’ll have four or five in the midfield and it’ll just be like a line we can’t get past,” midfielder Leiana Thornell said. “We’ve got to figure out how to stop that.”

The Missy Gators will also have to contend with a long road trip, a wider and faster turf field, and a top-tier opponent with Division 2-5A champion Oxford (14-5). Banks, though, was happy with at least one part of that challenge. After losing in the first round at home in 2014 and 2015, she said a change of scenery might help.

“I like that we’re playing away,” Banks said. “The last two years we played at home and didn’t do too good.”

Vicksburg’s boys’ team will also play its first-round game at Oxford (12-8-1). If the girls’ team has an uphill climb, the boys are climbing Mount Everest.

The Gators (1-13) have not won since beating Lawrence County on Nov. 21. They made the playoffs because only they and Ridgeland fielded teams in Division 4-5A, and the first- and second-place teams both receive postseason bids.

First-year head coach Tyrone Hargro quit in November and assistant Kristen Williams has filled in. It’s been a disastrous season on a number of levels, and yet the Gators are still holding out hope they can shock the Mississippi soccer world by winning on Tuesday night.

They’ve had some fleeting glimpses of brilliance during their losing streak. They were tied with a good Forest team at halftime and trailed by one goal with 12 minutes to go before falling apart late and losing 7-2. They scored first-half goals against Magee and Ridgeland, but couldn’t sustain the momentum.

“We just fell apart. We’ve got to learn how to stick with it,” senior forward Rashad Fisher said.

Finding a way to keep those moments going for a full 80 minutes will likely be the difference between being competitive, possibly even winning, and getting blown out. Whatever happens, the Gators are ready to take the experience and learn from it.

“We shall do great and succeed,” junior midfielder Tyler Kimble said. “Next season will be better.”