UW Women’s Soccer Looking To “Level Up” In Second Big Ten Season
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - A newly renovated Husky Soccer Stadium awaits the University of Washington’s women’s soccer program, providing a higher quality home for a program that did well to prove doubters and predictions wrong in their inaugural Big Ten season last year. The new surface, featuring a subgrade subsurface drainage system, irrigation system, natural grass playing surface, synthetic turf perimeter, and raised pitch level is a warm welcome for head coach Nicole Van Dyke’s squad as they look to improve upon a season that saw them concede the fewest goals in program history on their way to a NCAA Tournament run that saw them narrowly fall to top seeded Mississippi State University in the second round. Reaching the big dance for the first time since 2020, Van Dyke’s first year leading the Huskies, has instilled a strong foundation of confidence in a group led by her first group of seniors with Washington as they look to “level up” and push for greater heights this upcoming campaign.
To add to a largely returning roster that helped propel the Huskies to a strong first year in their new conference that touted remarkable defense, Washington is welcoming eight newcomers to the group: Vanessa Aguilar, Laura Cetina, Angelica Chou, Cadi Doran, Julia Hüsch, Maylen Montoya, Mary Camp Newton, and Anouk Westphal. Two of the Husky defenders that started in that second round NCAA Tournament matchup against Mississippi State are back in Maya Loudd and Kolo Suliafu, as Jace Holmes graduated and Kate Cheldelin transferred to rival Oregon, with it likely that the new defenders in Westphal and Hüsch will be tasked with continuing the strong defensive play we saw from the purple and gold last year.
“The 2025 incoming class is an exciting group. From the very beginning, it was clear that each new member had a strong desire to excel both academically and athletically. This is a talented, competitive and team-first group that is committed to working hard in pursuit of championships. Each one brings a unique skill set to Montlake and the potential to make an immediate impact.”
That group includes six incoming freshmen and two transfers from Division I schools, with names coming internationally from Germany, Spain, and Wales. Van Dyke’s staff, featuring Kary Whitney, Cole Schmit, and Raphael Cox, scoured the country and the globe to add talent that will help this Husky program add on to what was achieved in 2024, doing just that by bringing in players with all sorts of experience. That experience includes players who have spent time with the Mexico U17 National Team, a Spanish second division club, the Wales Youth National Team system and Liverpool U21 team, Bayer 04 Leverkusen's U23 team, and the Germany U17 National Team. That international experience and time spent with major clubs around the world emphasizes the quality players and people that Washington is bringing in to enhance not only the product on the field, but the “vibes” the group talks about in the locker room.
“I think they’ve done a fantastic job of really just kind of diving in and learning a new system, growing with the group. All of them have exceptional experience. Julia [Hüsch] is coming from playing pretty much every minute, so she’s driving in and learning more about how to play in a back four at this level. Laura [Cetina] has really kind of just put her stamp on things early, she’s dynamic. She’s great with body positioning, she has a keen eye for the goal, for creating chances. We just keep encouraging her to keep creating the attack, you know? Her soccer IQ has really kind of helped the midfield become more dynamic as a whole, just because of her movement on and off the ball. ”
While the goal is to put together an encore performance to the historic defensive season that the Huskies put together last year, it’s not going to be easy and especially not when you consider that Washington will have to insert two different names into the back line to replace those who left. In addition to the defenders, a new goalkeeper will be holding down the fort as last years starter in Mia Hamant is currently battling Stage 4 SMARCB1-deficient kidney cancer. We’ll talk more about the inspiration that Hamant is on and off the field shortly, but even with her not playing this season, the Huskies will be in safe hands (Or, goalkeeper gloves) as it appears that sophomore Tanner Ijams is set to take over the top spot and has already impressed through the preseason so far. Even if things don’t particularly work out with Ijams, there’s a wealth of experience in the goalkeeper room with junior Malie Chamberland, freshman Cadi Doran (From Wales with experience in Liverpool FC’s system), and sophomore Rory Murry. The pieces are there for the Huskies to plug in as they aim for improvement upon an already great defensive year, but it’ll be up to them to put that into action.
“Defending is always going to be at the forefront of everything that we do. I think that mentality that comes from the compete, the bricks, which is no goals in the back of the net, the shutouts, we encourage everybody on the field to defend. It’s everyone’s responsibility. It’s incredible goalkeeping, it’s a back line that can sometimes be up against it and defends the box well, but it’s also players that recover, players that work for each other, players that understand the role and the role that they play in. Our goals against average, and while we’d love to recreate that, we also know that the most successful seasons come from limiting goals in the back of the net. Having said that, I think one of the things we focused on in the offseason is just the mentality that if we expect everyone to defend, then we we there. There has to be a standard expectation that everyone is to attack and everyone can create chances. And so I think just a little mindset shift is more fun. It’s it’s you can you play a part in the goals. And so even some of the goals we’ve scored in preseason have been really exciting because they’ve been team goals. We’re creating more chances with the ball, but we also know that we can do some great things in transition, both attack and defend. So I think it’s really just a coming together for the entire group and expanding on our strengths, and then finding those one or two or three ways that can make us special, and defending is one of them. So we’re always going to own that. But I think it’s that mindset that anybody on this field can score a goal, and everyone wants that moment.”
For those unaware of Mia Hamant, the senior goalkeeper out of Corte Madera, California, is a force on and off the soccer pitch. While not the original slated starter in the early stages of the season, Hamant broke out while splitting time with then senior Olivia Juarez, making 15 starts and ending the season ranked third in the country with a .882 save percentage, leading the Big Ten. Hamant’s goals against average of 0.66 was the third-best in program history, earning her a spot on the Big Ten all-tournament team as the Huskies went into penalty kicks twice in the postseason (winning both times) while allowing just 3 goals over the last six matches on the season for Washington.
While her play is an easy aspect of her to highlight, Hamant is more than just the player you see on the pitch. Mia is a noted leader in the locker room, admired as an inclusive and welcoming presence to the younger players on the roster while holding her older teammates accountable as she’s built up her own confidence over time. Mia has gained remarkable support through her current battle, as the University of Washington community has shown their love for the goalkeeper in a few ways part largely with an orange ribbon in some way, the Seattle soccer community doing the same, while a GoFundMe set up by teammate and close friend Lucy Newlin’s mom has rocketed past the original goal of $50,000, sitting currently at $127,845 with 1,300+ donors. To keep Mia close at all times this season, the teams jerseys will feature an orange ribbon with the Hamant’s initials on the lower left hand side.
Hamant is part of a special senior class for Van Dyke, a group that she said “brings something different” when asked last season about the teams battle throughout the course of the year. This years senior class is made up of Kolo Suliafu, Kelsey Branson, Lucy Newlin, Kalea Eichenberger, Avery Nguyen, and Hamant. Van Dyke has often praised this class for their competitive spirit, saying that they bring it in everything they do - including playing a “Family Feud” computer game when the team goes on road trips. They’ve been the tone setters for the program under the current coaching staff, highlighting how they “prepare on another level” which helps bring a mentality of “no quit” to the roster and the other classes on it.
“The junior class now, senior and now our sophomore are now juniors, I think it’s just been like a coming together. This group understands the legacy that we want them to have, and they’ve created their own kind of class dynamic. They’re Uber competitive, they want to win, but they don’t just want to win. They’re action oriented, they dive into film, they have good conversations, and I think ultimately it wasn’t just about getting to the tournament once. It was getting there, being consistent and competing for a national championship. Last year, they weren’t going to settle unless that happened. Now it’s striving for more, it’s continuing to work above the line and for them to set the standard for where they want everyone to follow. When you have a senior class like that, the junior class follows that, the sophomore follows that. Our mantra this year is level up, so everyone’s trying to level up, but it’s with each other. It’s not against each other. What more can each person bring? Because coming off a great season, what we learned from that was awesome. We celebrated it, and now it’s like we’re going for the next and what can team 35 do?”
Through that strong senior class and a rigorous first season in the Big Ten, accounting for all the travel that Washington had and the difficult list opponents that they had to face, the Huskies prevailed in the face of adversity to finish sixth in the standings of the 18 team conference. They held a better record than Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Penn State but unlike those teams, the Huskies were not ranked in the top 25. Washington competed against some of the nations best teams, falling narrowly to Santa Clara (ranked tenth at the time), UCLA twice (ranked 18th at the time of their regular season matchup and eighth in the Big Ten tournament), Iowa (ranked 14th at the time), and Mississippi State (ranked second at the time) while taking down Utah State (ranked 25th at the time) Iowa in the Big Ten tournament (ranked 17th at the time) and Michigan State (ranked fifth at the time). With an impressive defensive pedigree, a strong incoming class, and a tight knit bond, the Huskies will look to “level up” and propel themselves to another echelon of success.
“We are so excited to play someone else. It’s the shortest pre-season, and it’s also the longest time of the year, because the game gives us so many answers. Having a group that loves to grow, loves to develop and loves to learn, they seek feedback, so the ability to watch film, get better and celebrate things, celebrate each other, that’s where the we find the joy in competing. We do that every day, now it’s time for someone to play against each other. It’s someone else, we’re just excited for the opportunity. Everyone’s a new opportunity, we’re gonna learn and grow, win, loss, or draw. We’re gonna get to see some new faces and create some momentum in the non-conference [schedule] and attack another Big Ten Conference hopefully by getting into the tournament and then getting into the NCAA tournament.”
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Follow our accounts dedicated strictly to University of Washington athletics! Instagram: @CSS_UWHuskies Twitter: @CSS_College
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Follow our accounts dedicated strictly to University of Washington athletics! Instagram: @CSS_UWHuskies Twitter: @CSS_College 〰️
Check out our previous CSS Huskies articles here.
Check out our previous Washington Husky women’s soccer articles here.
Check out more articles with writing by Charles Hamaker here.
Cover photo provided by UW Athletics
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