Husky Girls’s Soccer Seems to be To Keep Scorching Thursday At Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Sitting prime of the desk with three weeks left within the common season, the Washington girls’s soccer staff hits the street for a pair of matches out east, starting with a Thursday night time matchup with Penn State.

Kickoff from Jeffrey Field is about for 4:00 p.m. PT, with the match obtainable for streaming by way of B1G+. Links to stay protection can be found on the ladies’s soccer schedule web page at GoHuskies.com.

SCOUTING PENN STATE
Penn State is in its nineteenth season below head coach Erica Dambach, who has constructed the Nittany Lion program into one of many premier models within the nation. Dambach owns almost 300 wins throughout her PSU profession alone, guiding the Nittany Lions to 11 Big Ten common season titles and the 2015 National Championship.

Penn State enters Thursday’s matchup in State College with a 7-4-2 total file, tied for sixth within the Big Ten desk at 3-2-1 in convention motion. The Nittany Lions are coming off of a two win week on the street, besting Northwestern and Rutgers by matching 2-1 scorelines.

The Nittany Lion assault, the second most potent within the Big Ten with 28 objectives, is led by the duo of sophomore ahead Aubrey Kulpa and graduate scholar ahead Kaitlyn MacBean, combining for eight and 7 objectives, respectively, rating second and third within the Big Ten. Senior midfielder Riley Gleason has dished out 9 assists on the season, the second most within the nation.

Junior keeper Mackenzie Gress is again in aim for her second season as PSU’s main possibility between the posts. Gress owns a 1.29 objectives in opposition to common with 16 objectives conceded in 13 matches, registering 31 saves for a .660 proportion.

SERIES HISTORY
Washington and Penn State have squared off 4 instances beforehand, with the collection dormant for 15 years because the 2010 season. The Huskies are 3-1-0 all-time in opposition to the Nittany Lions, dropping the one earlier go to to State College in 2005, 3-2.

LAST MEETING (9/10/10)
PORTLAND, Ore. – In a tricky battle with a Big Ten staff, the Washington Husky girls’s soccer staff got here out on prime with a tough fought 2-1 victory over Penn State Friday night time.

The Dawgs managed the ball a lot of the first half, taking a 2-0 lead on the half. Penn State got here out within the second half and scored its solely aim of the sport late, making a number of makes an attempt to tie and even take the lead. However, the Husky protection was sharp all night time as seniors Kendyl Pele and Hannah Greig and freshmen Brianna Sweeney and Lindsey Bos have been good within the again.

Jane Mitchell scored the primary aim of the sport for both staff within the tenth minute. The aim got here from 25 yards out and was assisted by senior McKenna Waitley.

The second aim got here from junior Kate Deines within the thirtieth minute. The aim was scored on a free kick and the help was from Pele.

The Penn State aim got here within the 84th minute by Maya Hayes. The ball was deflected off of Husky goalkeeper Kari Davidson and put behind the online.

Davidson made 4 saves within the recreation. Krissy Tribbett was the shedding keeper for Penn State, making two saves.

STARTING STRONG
Washington has gotten off to fast begins all season, with 12 of UW’s 19 objectives for the season coming within the first half, together with seven objectives inside the primary 25 minutes of a match. The Huskies have led on the break in 10-of-13 matches in 2025 and have but to concede a primary half aim.

CAN’T BE BEAT
Washington’s six-match unbeaten streak to open convention play is its longest since profitable the primary eight Pac-10 matches of the 2000 season. It is simply the second time within the 35-year historical past of the UW girls’s soccer program that the Huskies have remained unbeaten by way of six league matches.

JUNIOR YEAR JUMP
Jadyn Holdenried’s third season at Washington has been a breakout marketing campaign, with the junior scoring six objectives in 2025, two greater than her first two seasons mixed. Holdenried ranks tied for second within the nation with 4 match-winning objectives, rating tied for third within the Big Ten with 15 complete factors.

TINSEL TOWN TAKEDOWN
For the third time in program-history, Washington has defeated each of its LA-based convention foes. En path to incomes top-15 victories over USC and UCLA, the stout Husky protection held the Trojans and Bruins to season-low totals in photographs.

Washington made a press release in its Big Ten opener at No. 15 USC, defeating the Trojans 1-0 at Rawlinson Stadium. It was UW’s first street win over a ranked opponent since topping then-No. 7 USC in 2019.

The Dawgs then locked up No. 4 UCLA in a 1-0 victory in Seattle to leapfrog to the highest of the Big Ten desk, Washington’s highest-ranked win since 2017. Putting forth a ferocious defensive effort, UW held the Bruins with no first half shot, a feat that had not occurred since 2018.

The two wins netted Washington 5 Big Ten Player of the Week honors in complete as Alex Buck and Kolo Suliafu earned respective Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week nods following the win at USC, whereas Jadyn Holdenried, Maya Loudd and Maylen Montoya have been tabbed Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week after UW’s win over UCLA.

GIANT KILLERS
Washington has defeated a top-5 staff for the primary time in program historical past with wins over No. 5 Michigan State (2024) and No. 4 UCLA (2025) at dwelling.

YOU CAN FIND ME IN DA CLUB
One of the extra distinctive paths to the Husky roster comes from junior Avery Nguyen, who was provided a roster spot previous to the beginning of the 2023 season after a trial throughout preseason coaching. A local of the Kansas City metro space and a former standout for Olathe Northwest High School and Sporting Blue Valley, Nguyen led the UW membership staff in scoring as a university freshman in 2022.

Nguyen acquired her senior season off to a robust begin, scoring her first profession aim in opposition to Idaho. Nguyen has made 24 profession appearances for Washington.

ALL ROADS CLOSED

The stout Husky defensive unit, which tied this system file for fewest objectives allowed in a single season in 2024, surrendering simply 12, is led by senior centerback Kolo Suliafu, who was named to the United Soccer Coaches’ Defenders to Watch record. Suliafu, a Second Team All-Big Ten and United Soccer Coaches All-Region choice, made 35 consecutive begins for Washington earlier than a one-match ban to start out the season and contributed to twenty-eight clear sheets all through her illustrious UW profession, together with 26 as a member of the beginning XI. Suliafu was additionally ranked because the No. 91 participant in all of girls’s faculty soccer in TopDrawerSoccer’s annual preseason top-100 record.

WATCH OUT!

Suliafu was joined on the Big Ten Players to Watch List by a pair of teammates in junior midfielder Samiah Shell and fifth yr Laura Cetina. It was Suliafu’s second consecutive look on the preseason record.

 

Shell, a local of Auburn, Washington, is Washington’s main returning scorer with 5 objectives throughout a breakout sophomore marketing campaign. A former participant within the prestigious High School All-American Game, Shell additionally dished out three assists in 2024 for 13 complete factors. The Auburn Riverside HS product opened her Husky scoring account with a aim at No. 10 Santa Clara, additionally including a brace in UW’s Big Ten street victory over Maryland.

 

Meanwhile, Cetina is a contemporary face to Montlake, becoming a member of Washington after enjoying the final two seasons at UMass Lowell, the previous dwelling of Husky All-Big Ten standout Ioanna Papatheodorou. Cetina brings a profitable pedigree in tow, having guided Eastern Florida State College to its first-ever NJCAA National Championship in 2021. Prior to coming stateside, the A Coruña, Spain, native scored 38 objectives over 4 seasons for Spanish membership Victoria C.F.

 

STARTING XI FIXTURE

Since making seven-straight begins to finish her freshman marketing campaign, Kelsey Branson has not did not crack the Huskies’ beginning XI a single time, a streak spanning 60     consecutive matches. Branson was the one Husky to start out all 19 matches in 2023 and all 21 fixtures of 2024.

 

SMART COOKIES

For the tenth straight season, Washington has acquired the United Soccer Coaches Academic Award after incomes a 3.67 staff GPA.

 

MIA KICKS CANCER

Washington will probably be enjoying for way over bragging rights and glory on the pitch in 2025, sporting an orange ribbon on the entrance of its jerseys in help of senior goalkeeper Mia Hamant, who was identified with Stage 4 SMARCB1-deficient kidney most cancers. Hamant hopes to return to the pitch in Purple and Gold however is not going to go well with up on the pitch in 2025.

 

The California native, who lately celebrated her twenty first birthday, did extra than simply carry out in her first season as Washington’s main keeper a season in the past, she starred. Hamant posted the nation’s third-best save proportion in 2024 at .882, whereas UW collectively hailed the NCAA’s prime save proportion. Hamant’s 0.66 objectives in opposition to common was the third lowest in a season for a UW keeper, whereas her seven clear sheets have been the sixth most in a season for a Husky.

 

Hamant, who additionally excels within the classroom at U Dub as a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and Big Ten Fall All-Academic honoree, put UW on her again throughout Washington’s postseason run final season. The Redwood HS product was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team after making three penalty saves to raise UW over Iowa into the Big Ten Semifinals, then adopted up with extra penalty shootout excellence as UW superior previous No. 25 Utah State into the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

 

The UW group has rallied round Hamant, with a number of Husky applications donning orange ribbons within the standout shot stopper’s honor. Additionally, a GoFundMe to help the assorted prices related to Hamant’s care has raised over $125,000 thus far. Fans can observe together with Hamant’s most cancers journey on Instagram at @miakickscancer.

 

KEEP SLEEPING

Despite grossly outperforming its preseason prognostication of thirteenth within the 2024 Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, ending tied for fifth within the league desk and advancing to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals, Washington as soon as once more is just not predicted to be amongst the league’s prime groups. The Huskies have been picked to complete ninth within the 2025 iteration of the preseason ballot, with USC predicted to win this season’s league crown.

 

2025 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll

1. USC

2. UCLA

3. Penn State

4. Michigan State

5. Ohio State

6. Iowa

7. Wisconsin

8. Rutgers

9. Washington

10. Minnesota

11. Purdue

12. Nebraska

13. Michigan

14. Northwestern

15. Illinois

16. Oregon

17. Indiana

18. Maryland

LEFT SIDE, BEST SIDE

Of the 28 members of Washington’s 2025 roster, 20 hail from West Coast states, that includes 11 natives of California, eight dwelling state merchandise from Washington and one product of the Portland suburbs in Oregon. However, Washington’s squad spans the US and globe, with natives of Georgia, Kansas, Nevada and 5 internationals donning the Purple and Gold.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

This summer time, Washington senior Lucy Newlin was considered one of two UW athletes chosen as a Big Ten’s Outstanding Sportsmanship Award honoree, together with baseball’s Malakhi Knight. A two-way participant on the pitch and within the classroom, Newlin leads by way of each phrases and actions, displaying consummate respect and sportsmanship for each her teammates and opponents. The NorCal native can also be a frontrunner in the neighborhood for the Dawgs, persistently score as considered one of UW’s prime members in group service initiatives. On the sphere, the Newlin is anticipated to be a key cog to the Husky protection after battling by way of nagging accidents in 2024.

 

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

For the second consecutive season, Washington returns each member of its teaching employees, retaining assistant coaches Cole Schmit, Raphael Cox and Kary Whitney to Nicole Van Dyke‘s employees. Previously Washington had not returned each member of its teaching employees since 2018.

CROOTIN’ ALL OVER THE WORLD

Washington spanned not solely the nation to bolster its roster in 2025, the Huskies searched all around the world to herald the latest group of Dawgs. UW added 5 Europeans this summer time in midfielder Laura Cetina (Spain/UMass Lowell), goalkeeper Cadi Doran (Wales/Liverpool FC), defender Julia Hüsch (Germany/UNC Asheville) and defender Anouk Westphal (Germany/Hertha BSC). Washington additionally returns junior Belgian worldwide defender/midfielder Enora Matté, who is about to renew motion after tearing her ACL throughout Big Ten play in 2024.

 

VEGAS BORN, SEATTLE PROUD

Hailing from the Las Vegas desert, Washington sophomore Andrea Leyva and her brother, Seattle Sounders midfielder Danny Leyva now name the Evergreen State dwelling. Andrea has appeared in 26 matches with 13 begins for UW and was ranked as a 4 star recruit and the No. 39 prospect within the nation by TopDrawerSoccer. Meanwhile, Danny has performed in 98 matches within the MLS (82 for Seattle), changing into the third youngest participant in league historical past after approaching as a late substitute within the Sounders’ away loss to the Montreal Impact.

MENTI BE

The Leyva’s usually are not the one sibling connection in Seattle. Anna and Sally Menti, who starred at Roosevelt High School, lower than three miles from Husky Soccer Stadium, have shared totally different paths to enjoying in entrance of their dwelling state followers. Sally was an All-American midfielder at Santa Clara earlier than signing a short-term contract and later a two-year extension this season with the NWSL’s Seattle Reign, making 14 appearances with one aim and one help. Meanwhile, Anna is in her third season at UW, making 49 appearances with 35 begins and accumulating two objectives and two assists alongside the best way.

 

For extra data on Husky Women’s Soccer, observe @UW_WSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.