She was named captain her senior year, led the team in scoring with 15.5 points per games, and helped the team reach the 1991 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament Final Four, where they beat the Connecticut Huskies in the semifinal, then lost in overtime in the championship game.

[5] Cardoza briefly played in 1992 as a professional basketball player in Segovia, Spain following her graduation from Virginia.

[6] Cardoza was selected by USA Basketball to play on the U.S. Olympic Festival East team in 1987.

However, Cardoza shared her assessment with the head coach, "You're looking at our starting point guard next year".

[citation needed] Following the 2013 season, Temple transitioned to the American Athletic Conference, which was a step up in competition.

Over the next eight seasons under Cardoza’s leadership, the Owls would earn only one more NCAA tournament appearance, bowing out in the first round of the 2017 competition.