Thursday, August 24
Seattle, WA
4:30 PM
University of Washington
vs
Santa Clara
Husky Women To Host Marquee Matchup With No. 13 Santa Clara
August 23, 2023 | Women's Soccer
SEATTLE – Facing possibly its biggest test of the young season, the Washington women's soccer team will take on No. 13 Santa Clara Thursday afternoon at Husky Soccer Stadium, taking on the Broncos at 4:30 p.m. PT.
It will be part of a doubleheader affair on Montlake as the sixth-ranked Husky men battle South Florida afterwards.
Thursday's match will be aired live on Pac-12 Washington. Links to live coverage can be found to the right and on the schedule page at GoHuskies.com.
SCOUTING SANTA CLARA
Legendary coach Jerry Smith, one of three coaches in NCAA Division I history with more than 500 career wins, is in his 37th season at the helm of the Santa Clara program. He has led the Broncos to 32 NCAA Tournaments, 12 College Cups, including the 2001 and 2020 National Championships, and 13 West Coast Conference titles.
The Broncos are 2-0-0 on the year, earning home victories over San Jose State and Oregon State.
Santa Clara boasts three players named Preseason All-West Coast Conference in Colby Barnett, Annie Karich and Sally Menti. Senior Makoto Nezu paces the Broncos with two goals, scoring in each of the first two matches of the season.
SCU has started two keepers in goal this season. Redshirt senior Marlee Nicolos got the nod in the opener against SJSU, allowing one goal and making one save. Senior Kylie Foutch also posted one save, earning a clean sheet versus OSU.
SERIES HISTORY
Dating back to 1992, Washington and Santa Clara have faced off 10 times previously, with the Broncos holding a 6-3-1 advantage in the series. However, the Huskies have come out on top in both of the last two matchups, including a 2-1 victory at Husky Soccer Stadium in 2016. Thursday's meeting will be just the third since the turn of the century, with the Huskies and Broncos facing off seven times during the 1990s.
LAST MEETING (8/28/16)
SEATTLE - Playing in its home opener at Husky Soccer Stadium, Washington defeated Santa Clara 2-1 in a great comeback in front of a packed house of over 1,000 fans.
The beginning of the game saw each team fighting for possession in midfield, with Santa Clara producing a majority of the attacks. The Husky defense was able to stand their ground until 18 minutes in when Jordan Jesolva scored on a shot that snuck into the back of the net.
As the whistle blew for the start of the second half, the Dawgs came out in attack mode searching for an equalizer. A shot by Shannon Simon two minutes in deflected off the post, as a try by Becca Schoales a minute later was saved by the keeper. But Schoales didn't miss on her next opportunity, as Amanda Johnston sent a cross in from the right side, the redshirt junior connected with a great header that deflected off a Santa Clara defender and bounced into the net.
As the match neared the end of regulation Dominique Bond-Flasza ran up the right side of the field in front of the Husky bench looking to send a pass into the box. On a great ball that rolled its way in front of the net, Pascale Dumesnil slid around a Santa Clara defender pushing the ball just past the keeper to give the Dawgs a 2-1 lead with under three minutes remaining. The Huskies were able to hold the lead as the clock hit zeros.
SISTER, SISTER
Thursday's matchup will have an added significance for one Seattle based family as sisters Anna and Sally Menti square off for the first time in their collegiate careers. A true freshman for the Huskies, Anna made her first career start in Sunday's 3-1 victory at Idaho and has played a significant role in each of UW's first two matches. Meanwhile, Sally earned a plethora of honors as a rookie in 2020, including WCC Freshman of the Year and TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Freshman Team nods. Despite missing the 2021 season through injury, the Seattle native was named Preseason All-WCC entering her redshirt junior campaign.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Just two matches into their college careers, the Huskies' freshman class has already made a major impact on the pitch. Six true freshmen have seen action for the Dawgs, five of which have cracked the starting XI. Radisson Banks, Jadyn Holdenried, Enora Matté and Anna Menti have all played over 100 minutes, with Banks and Holdenried leading UW with three points on a goal and an assist.
MONTLAKE MAGIC
Washington will look to turn Husky Soccer Stadium into a fortress once again in 2023. The Dawgs were nearly unbeatable on their home pitch a season ago, posting a 7-1-1 record on Montlake.
NON-CON CONTROL
The Huskies are undefeated in their last 12 non-conference matchups, turning in the program's first-ever undefeated non-con schedule in 2022. UW has racked up an 8-0-4 record over those 12 matches.
FRESH FACES
With 10 of 11 primary starters gone from the 2022 roster, Washington will be relying on a bevy of newcomers and returners who played in a reserve role a season ago to replace the production lost.
Gone from the 2022 roster are 27-of-37 goals (73.0%), 31-of-38 assists (81.6%), 85-of-112 points (75.9%), 252-of-312 shots (80.8%) and 43-of-46 saves (93.5%).
Of the 28 players on the Huskies' roster, just seven are upperclassmen. U Dub boasts 11 freshmen and 10 sophomores on its squad list. Outside of the 17 matches started by Kalea Eichenberger at Cal State Bakersfield in 2022, those 21 underclassmen have recorded just 27 collegiate starts collectively.
NEW SCHOOL, WHO DIS?
Washington added three transfers to its roster for the 2023 season in forwards Kalea Eichenberger and Ioanna Papatheodorou and goalkeeper Megan Nail.
Eichenberger spent her freshman season at Cal State Bakersfield, earning All-Big West Freshman Team honors. The California native appeared in 20 matches for the Roadrunners, starting the final 17 of the 2022 season. She bagged a team-high four goals, finishing the season with 10 points to pace the UCSB. She was named Big West Player of the Week after securing a brace against Cal Poly.
Papatheodorou joined Washington in the spring after starring for two seasons at UMass Lowell, earning back-to-back First Team All-America East nods. A Greece international, Papatheodorou was named the 2021 America East Striker of the Year after leading UMass Lowell with 10 goals. She followed up in 2022 with another 10-goal campaign, ranking second on the America East.
Nail is a graduate transfer from San Francisco, where she played for four seasons for the Dons, securing the starting role between the posts in 2022. Making the USF Starting XI 14 times on the year, she garnered a 1.23 goals against average. The veteran shot stopper tallied 64 saves for a .790 save percentage, logging five clean sheets.
WARRIOR MENTALITY
In the 33rd minute of the Huskies' opening match against Houston, Kolo Suliafu was forced to be subbed off following a head-to-head collision with a Cougar player. Despite needing 10 stitches to mend the wound, Suliafu returned for the final 20 minutes of the match and started UW's next contest at Idaho, playing 82 minutes and dishing out an assist.
ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS
Washington had two representatives at the 2022 rendition of the prestigious High School All-American game as true freshmen Maya Loudd and Samiah Shell were both selected to the West Team.
YOU CAN FIND ME IN DA CLUB
Among Washington's 15 newcomers for the 2023 season is sophomore Avery Nguyen, who was offered a roster spot during preseason training after a trial. A native of the Kansas City metro area and a former standout for Olathe Northwest High School and Sporting Blue Valley, Nguyen led the UW club team in scoring as a college freshman in 2022.
COWART MAKES HISTORY
This summer, former Husky Jessika Cowart became the sixth former Dawg to make a World Cup roster, joining Hope Solo, Tina Frimpong, Veronica Perez, Mireya Grey and Dominique Bond-Flasza. Representing her mother's home nation, Cowart suited up for the Philippines National Team after helping the Philippines lift the 2022 AFF Cup. One of the great storylines of the tournament, Cowart started all three matches of the group stage as the Philippines made its first-ever World Cup appearance.
FOR DAWGS AND COUNTRY
This summer, two Huskies represented their home country and donned their nation's badge as part of their respective national teams. Ioanna Papatheodorou was called into the Greece National Team in July for a pair of friendlies against Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Budapest, Hungary.
Meanwhile, Husky freshman Enora Matté made the squad list for Belgium's Under-19 team for the 2023 UEFA U19 Championship, receiving one cap during the group stage.
Another freshman on the Dawg's roster, Daniella Alali was called into the Nigeria U17 Women's National Team Camp ahead of the 2022 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, but did not attend the camp due to injury.
PROS MADE HERE
Over the past two seasons, Washington has developed 11 different players who have gone on to play at the professional ranks. Following the 2021 campaign, Olivia Van der Jagt was selected in the 3rd round of the NWSL Draft by OL Reign, while Ameera Hussen signed with Icelandic club IBV. Since finishing her Husky career, Jessika Cowart has gone on to ink deals with Çaykur Rizespor (Turkey), Spartak Subotica (Serbia) and IFK Kalmar (Sweden).
Eight former Huskies from the 2022 roster are now playing at the professional level. Shae Holmes was drafted in the second round of the NWSL Draft by OL Reign, followed in the fourth round by Summer Yates, who was selected by the Orlando Pride. Olivia Sekany and McKenzie Weinert have also signed NWSL contracts with Racing Louisville and OL Reign, respectively.
Overseas, Vanessa Millsaps signed with Liga MX club Pachuca. Cori Sullivan also signed a Liga MX deal with Cruz Azul and has since signed with Glasgow City in Scotland. Evelina Pettersson returned to her native Sweden to play for Trelleborgs FF, while Kala McDaniel signed with Racing Power FC in Portugal.
RAPHA'S RETURN
A former standout player and coach for Washington's men's soccer team, Raphael Cox returned to Montlake ahead of the 2023 as an assistant coach following one season as a men's team assistant at San Diego State.
Cox spent three seasons on Jamie Clark's staff at Washington as volunteer assistant coach from 2019-21. As a player, Cox a two-time All-Pac-12 selection at UW where he played from 2006-2008. After graduating, Cox was selected in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake, where he was part of the MLS Cup Champion squad in 2009.
B1G THINGS COMING
The 2023 season will be Washington's last in the Pac-12 Conference, with the university announcing in August that it has accepted an invitation to the Big Ten Conference, beginning play in the conference in Fall 2024.
UW was one of the four founding members of what started in December of 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference, which eventually grew to become the Pac-12.
HUSKIES PICKED SEVENTH IN PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL
The Pac-12 announced the 2023 Preseason Coaches' Poll prior to the season, with Washington predicted to match its 2022 finish and place seventh in the league table as voted on by the conference's 12 head coaches. The Huskies received the same number of votes as both Arizona State and Colorado.
2022 PAC-12 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Team
1. UCLA (9) T7. Washington
2. Stanford (3) T7. Arizona State
3. USC T7. Colorado
4. Cal 10. Utah
5. Washington State 11. Oregon
6. Arizona 12. Oregon State
FOLLOW THE DAWGS!
Fans can keep up with all the goings on around the Washington women's soccer program by following the Huskies on the team's various social media platforms. You can find the Dawgs on X at @UW_WSoccer, on Instagram at @uw_wsoccer or on Facebook by searching "Washington Women's Soccer". Fans can also follow the Huskies through the women's soccer page at GoHuskies.com.
It will be part of a doubleheader affair on Montlake as the sixth-ranked Husky men battle South Florida afterwards.
Thursday's match will be aired live on Pac-12 Washington. Links to live coverage can be found to the right and on the schedule page at GoHuskies.com.
SCOUTING SANTA CLARA
Legendary coach Jerry Smith, one of three coaches in NCAA Division I history with more than 500 career wins, is in his 37th season at the helm of the Santa Clara program. He has led the Broncos to 32 NCAA Tournaments, 12 College Cups, including the 2001 and 2020 National Championships, and 13 West Coast Conference titles.
The Broncos are 2-0-0 on the year, earning home victories over San Jose State and Oregon State.
Santa Clara boasts three players named Preseason All-West Coast Conference in Colby Barnett, Annie Karich and Sally Menti. Senior Makoto Nezu paces the Broncos with two goals, scoring in each of the first two matches of the season.
SCU has started two keepers in goal this season. Redshirt senior Marlee Nicolos got the nod in the opener against SJSU, allowing one goal and making one save. Senior Kylie Foutch also posted one save, earning a clean sheet versus OSU.
SERIES HISTORY
Dating back to 1992, Washington and Santa Clara have faced off 10 times previously, with the Broncos holding a 6-3-1 advantage in the series. However, the Huskies have come out on top in both of the last two matchups, including a 2-1 victory at Husky Soccer Stadium in 2016. Thursday's meeting will be just the third since the turn of the century, with the Huskies and Broncos facing off seven times during the 1990s.
LAST MEETING (8/28/16)
SEATTLE - Playing in its home opener at Husky Soccer Stadium, Washington defeated Santa Clara 2-1 in a great comeback in front of a packed house of over 1,000 fans.
The beginning of the game saw each team fighting for possession in midfield, with Santa Clara producing a majority of the attacks. The Husky defense was able to stand their ground until 18 minutes in when Jordan Jesolva scored on a shot that snuck into the back of the net.
As the whistle blew for the start of the second half, the Dawgs came out in attack mode searching for an equalizer. A shot by Shannon Simon two minutes in deflected off the post, as a try by Becca Schoales a minute later was saved by the keeper. But Schoales didn't miss on her next opportunity, as Amanda Johnston sent a cross in from the right side, the redshirt junior connected with a great header that deflected off a Santa Clara defender and bounced into the net.
As the match neared the end of regulation Dominique Bond-Flasza ran up the right side of the field in front of the Husky bench looking to send a pass into the box. On a great ball that rolled its way in front of the net, Pascale Dumesnil slid around a Santa Clara defender pushing the ball just past the keeper to give the Dawgs a 2-1 lead with under three minutes remaining. The Huskies were able to hold the lead as the clock hit zeros.
SISTER, SISTER
Thursday's matchup will have an added significance for one Seattle based family as sisters Anna and Sally Menti square off for the first time in their collegiate careers. A true freshman for the Huskies, Anna made her first career start in Sunday's 3-1 victory at Idaho and has played a significant role in each of UW's first two matches. Meanwhile, Sally earned a plethora of honors as a rookie in 2020, including WCC Freshman of the Year and TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Freshman Team nods. Despite missing the 2021 season through injury, the Seattle native was named Preseason All-WCC entering her redshirt junior campaign.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Just two matches into their college careers, the Huskies' freshman class has already made a major impact on the pitch. Six true freshmen have seen action for the Dawgs, five of which have cracked the starting XI. Radisson Banks, Jadyn Holdenried, Enora Matté and Anna Menti have all played over 100 minutes, with Banks and Holdenried leading UW with three points on a goal and an assist.
MONTLAKE MAGIC
Washington will look to turn Husky Soccer Stadium into a fortress once again in 2023. The Dawgs were nearly unbeatable on their home pitch a season ago, posting a 7-1-1 record on Montlake.
NON-CON CONTROL
The Huskies are undefeated in their last 12 non-conference matchups, turning in the program's first-ever undefeated non-con schedule in 2022. UW has racked up an 8-0-4 record over those 12 matches.
FRESH FACES
With 10 of 11 primary starters gone from the 2022 roster, Washington will be relying on a bevy of newcomers and returners who played in a reserve role a season ago to replace the production lost.
Gone from the 2022 roster are 27-of-37 goals (73.0%), 31-of-38 assists (81.6%), 85-of-112 points (75.9%), 252-of-312 shots (80.8%) and 43-of-46 saves (93.5%).
Of the 28 players on the Huskies' roster, just seven are upperclassmen. U Dub boasts 11 freshmen and 10 sophomores on its squad list. Outside of the 17 matches started by Kalea Eichenberger at Cal State Bakersfield in 2022, those 21 underclassmen have recorded just 27 collegiate starts collectively.
NEW SCHOOL, WHO DIS?
Washington added three transfers to its roster for the 2023 season in forwards Kalea Eichenberger and Ioanna Papatheodorou and goalkeeper Megan Nail.
Eichenberger spent her freshman season at Cal State Bakersfield, earning All-Big West Freshman Team honors. The California native appeared in 20 matches for the Roadrunners, starting the final 17 of the 2022 season. She bagged a team-high four goals, finishing the season with 10 points to pace the UCSB. She was named Big West Player of the Week after securing a brace against Cal Poly.
Papatheodorou joined Washington in the spring after starring for two seasons at UMass Lowell, earning back-to-back First Team All-America East nods. A Greece international, Papatheodorou was named the 2021 America East Striker of the Year after leading UMass Lowell with 10 goals. She followed up in 2022 with another 10-goal campaign, ranking second on the America East.
Nail is a graduate transfer from San Francisco, where she played for four seasons for the Dons, securing the starting role between the posts in 2022. Making the USF Starting XI 14 times on the year, she garnered a 1.23 goals against average. The veteran shot stopper tallied 64 saves for a .790 save percentage, logging five clean sheets.
WARRIOR MENTALITY
In the 33rd minute of the Huskies' opening match against Houston, Kolo Suliafu was forced to be subbed off following a head-to-head collision with a Cougar player. Despite needing 10 stitches to mend the wound, Suliafu returned for the final 20 minutes of the match and started UW's next contest at Idaho, playing 82 minutes and dishing out an assist.
ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS
Washington had two representatives at the 2022 rendition of the prestigious High School All-American game as true freshmen Maya Loudd and Samiah Shell were both selected to the West Team.
YOU CAN FIND ME IN DA CLUB
Among Washington's 15 newcomers for the 2023 season is sophomore Avery Nguyen, who was offered a roster spot during preseason training after a trial. A native of the Kansas City metro area and a former standout for Olathe Northwest High School and Sporting Blue Valley, Nguyen led the UW club team in scoring as a college freshman in 2022.
COWART MAKES HISTORY
This summer, former Husky Jessika Cowart became the sixth former Dawg to make a World Cup roster, joining Hope Solo, Tina Frimpong, Veronica Perez, Mireya Grey and Dominique Bond-Flasza. Representing her mother's home nation, Cowart suited up for the Philippines National Team after helping the Philippines lift the 2022 AFF Cup. One of the great storylines of the tournament, Cowart started all three matches of the group stage as the Philippines made its first-ever World Cup appearance.
FOR DAWGS AND COUNTRY
This summer, two Huskies represented their home country and donned their nation's badge as part of their respective national teams. Ioanna Papatheodorou was called into the Greece National Team in July for a pair of friendlies against Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Budapest, Hungary.
Meanwhile, Husky freshman Enora Matté made the squad list for Belgium's Under-19 team for the 2023 UEFA U19 Championship, receiving one cap during the group stage.
Another freshman on the Dawg's roster, Daniella Alali was called into the Nigeria U17 Women's National Team Camp ahead of the 2022 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, but did not attend the camp due to injury.
PROS MADE HERE
Over the past two seasons, Washington has developed 11 different players who have gone on to play at the professional ranks. Following the 2021 campaign, Olivia Van der Jagt was selected in the 3rd round of the NWSL Draft by OL Reign, while Ameera Hussen signed with Icelandic club IBV. Since finishing her Husky career, Jessika Cowart has gone on to ink deals with Çaykur Rizespor (Turkey), Spartak Subotica (Serbia) and IFK Kalmar (Sweden).
Eight former Huskies from the 2022 roster are now playing at the professional level. Shae Holmes was drafted in the second round of the NWSL Draft by OL Reign, followed in the fourth round by Summer Yates, who was selected by the Orlando Pride. Olivia Sekany and McKenzie Weinert have also signed NWSL contracts with Racing Louisville and OL Reign, respectively.
Overseas, Vanessa Millsaps signed with Liga MX club Pachuca. Cori Sullivan also signed a Liga MX deal with Cruz Azul and has since signed with Glasgow City in Scotland. Evelina Pettersson returned to her native Sweden to play for Trelleborgs FF, while Kala McDaniel signed with Racing Power FC in Portugal.
RAPHA'S RETURN
A former standout player and coach for Washington's men's soccer team, Raphael Cox returned to Montlake ahead of the 2023 as an assistant coach following one season as a men's team assistant at San Diego State.
Cox spent three seasons on Jamie Clark's staff at Washington as volunteer assistant coach from 2019-21. As a player, Cox a two-time All-Pac-12 selection at UW where he played from 2006-2008. After graduating, Cox was selected in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft by Real Salt Lake, where he was part of the MLS Cup Champion squad in 2009.
B1G THINGS COMING
The 2023 season will be Washington's last in the Pac-12 Conference, with the university announcing in August that it has accepted an invitation to the Big Ten Conference, beginning play in the conference in Fall 2024.
UW was one of the four founding members of what started in December of 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference, which eventually grew to become the Pac-12.
HUSKIES PICKED SEVENTH IN PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL
The Pac-12 announced the 2023 Preseason Coaches' Poll prior to the season, with Washington predicted to match its 2022 finish and place seventh in the league table as voted on by the conference's 12 head coaches. The Huskies received the same number of votes as both Arizona State and Colorado.
2022 PAC-12 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Team
1. UCLA (9) T7. Washington
2. Stanford (3) T7. Arizona State
3. USC T7. Colorado
4. Cal 10. Utah
5. Washington State 11. Oregon
6. Arizona 12. Oregon State
FOLLOW THE DAWGS!
Fans can keep up with all the goings on around the Washington women's soccer program by following the Huskies on the team's various social media platforms. You can find the Dawgs on X at @UW_WSoccer, on Instagram at @uw_wsoccer or on Facebook by searching "Washington Women's Soccer". Fans can also follow the Huskies through the women's soccer page at GoHuskies.com.
Players Mentioned
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GK
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