Thursday, September 12
Seattle, WA
6:30 PM
University of Washington
vs
USC
Washington, USC Square Off In First Ever Big Ten Bout
September 11, 2024 | Women's Soccer
SEATTLE โย Washington begins its first ever Big Ten schedule on Thursday, taking on a familiar foe in USC for a 6:30 p.m. PT kickoff at Husky Soccer Stadium.
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It will be the B1G Kickoff celebration on Montlake, with several giveaway items available for fans in attendance.
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Thursday's match will be featured on national television on the Big Ten Network, with live stats available at HuskyStats.com.
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SCOUTING USC
Jane Alukonis is in her third season as the head coach at USC, making the trip across town to South Central LA in 2022 after four seasons as an assistant coach at rival UCLA. Alukonis holds a 27-9-7 record with the Trojans, leading USC to an NCAA Tournament bid in her first two seasons, including a second round appearance in 2023.
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USC enters Thursday's match at 4-1-1 in 2024, all on the road. The Trojans suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to No. 1 Stanford 2-1 in Palo Alto.
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The Trojans were picked to finish fifth in their inaugural season in the Big Ten, placing three players on the Big Ten Players to Watch List in Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Maribel Flores, senior forward/defender Kayla Colbert and senior defender Brooklyn Courtnall.
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Senior forward Maile Hayes leads USC with three goals on the season, scoring in three of the Trojans' first four matches. Two other Trojans own multiple goals in Colbert and senior midfielder Maria Alagoa. Freshman forward Faith George paces USC with three assists.
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Penn graduate student transfer Laurence Gladu has played every minute in goal for USC in 2024. The Quebec native has allowed six goals for a 1.00 GAA, making 17 stops for a .739 save percentage. Gladu has posted two shutouts this season.
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SERIES HISTORY
Washington is 9-18-3 against longtime Pac-12 foe USC, including 6-5-2ย on home soil. The Trojans have won three of the last four matchups, while Washington last defeated USC in 2019, earning a 2-0 victory in Los Angeles. USC has won six of the last eight meetings between the two sides.
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LAST MEETING (10/1/23)
SEATTLE - After falling behind early, the Washington women's soccer team battled back hard Sunday afternoon at Husky Soccer Stadium but were unable to overcome the deficit, falling 3-0 to No. 10 USC.
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The Huskies found themselves behind less than six minutes in, with Izzy Kimberly beating UW keeper Megan Nail, starting in place of an injured Olivia Juarez, low to give USC the early lead.
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Washington built its way back into the game throughout the first half and in the second half, came out the more aggressive side.
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However, Florianne Jourde struck for a second Trojan goal against the run of play in the 74th minute, and Helena Sampaio finished off a swift linkup play with Kayla Duran and Kimberly finish things off at 3-0.
A B1G NEW ERA
Washington enters a new era in 2024 as a member of the prestigious Big Ten Conference. The move means not only new destinations but new challenges for the Huskies as well, with the Big Ten boasting nine teams that earned a bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament and seven schools ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
Washington, a founding member of what eventually became the Pac-12 Conference, began play in what was then known as the Pac-10 during the conference's first season supporting women's soccer in 1995. UW launched its women's soccer program in 1991.
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DOS A CERO
Washington has won three of its last four matches by a 2-0 scoreline, earning clean sheet victories over UC Irvine, New Mexico State and Long Beach State. The Huskies have shut out 4-of-6 opponents in 2024.
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HERE TO HELP
Seven of Washington's eight goals this season have been setup via at least one assist. The Huskies' eight assists in 2024 have been made by eight different players.
STARTING XI FIXTURE
Since making seven-straight starts to end her freshman campaign, junior Kelsey Branson has not failed to crack the Huskies' starting XI a single time, a streak spanning 32 consecutive matches. Branson is the only Husky to start all 19 matches in 2023 and start the first six fixtures of 2024.
INSTANT IMPACT
The Huskies have gotten immediate contributions from three true freshmen in Alex Buck, Kate Cheldelin and Andrea Leyva, with Cheldelin starting five-consecutive matches on the back line and Leyva and Buck each making three starts and recording one assist apiece.
EMPTYING THE TANK
Kolo Suliafu has not come off the pitch in any of the last 12 matches for Washington, playing 1,080 straight minutes for the Huskies. Suliafu played the full 90 minutes in 13 of 18 matches played in 2023.
TITLE FAVORITES
Washington played two teams during its non-conference schedule that were projected to claim their respective conference's regular season championship in Long Beach State and Santa Clara, the Big West and WCC favorites. Meanwhile, Seattle U and New Mexico State were picked to finish second in the WAC and C-USA, respectively.
GANG'S ALL BACK
Washington returns nearly the entirety of its roster from the 2023 roster, standing as the only team in the Big Ten to return its entire starting XI with 11 returners with 10 or more starts in 2023.
What's more, the bulk of the Huskies firepower is back, with Washington returning the vast majority of its goals (26/31, 83.9%), assists (31/33, 93.9%), points (83/95, 87.4%) shots (215/246, 87.4%), shots on goal (90/108, 83.3%) and game-winning goals (9/9, 100%) from a season ago.
ย
Additionally, with 3-of-4 goalkeepers back from the 2023 roster, the Dawgs return practically all of its goalkeeper minutes (1605:29/1710:00, 93.9%) and saves (62/64, 96.9%).
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Despite returning the vast majority of its 2023 roster, Washington nonetheless reloaded with a talented crop of nine freshmen newcomers.
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Among the group are three players who were selected to the prestigious High School All-American Game in Alex Buck, Maggie Dutra and Andrea Leyva.
EURO TRIP
This summer, Husky senior Ioanna Papatheodorou was called upon to don her nation's colors, earning a call up to the Greece National Team for a pair of qualifiers for the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championships. Paptheodorou earned a starting XI cap for Greece's 6-0 win over Andorra.
Papatheodorou isn't the only Husky with European experience at the national team level, with Enora Matté earning a handful of caps for the Belgium Under-19 National Team.
HOMECOMING
In addition to nine freshmen, Washington also adds a newcomer with proven experience at the college level in sophomore forward Sophie Runje. Runje, a product of nearby Issaquah High School in Issaquah, Washington, made the move back to King County after spending her freshman season across the state at Gonzaga. Runje scored five goals as a rookie, earning All-WCC Freshman Team plaudits.
KEEP AN EYE OUT
Prior to the season, the Big Ten Conference announced its Players to Watch List, with a trio of Husky juniors making the cut in midfielder's Kelsey Branson and Tatum Thomason and defender Kolo Suliafu.
Thomason led the Dawgs with six goals in 2023, scoring three times in the final three matches of the season. Thomason came up in the clutch all season long for the Huskies, bagging four of UW's nine match-winning goals for the season.
ย
Following up on a breakout freshman campaign, Branson doubled up with another phenomenal season in 2023, scoring four goals and chipping in three assists. The San Diego native earned her second career Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after leading UW to a historic road point at No. 2 Stanford.
With a combination of speed, toughness and defensive awareness, Suliafu has served as a backline anchor for the Huskies since stepping on campus in 2022. The Ontario, California, native has started 40 matches over her first two-plus seasons, leading the Huskies to 13 clean sheets. Also making an impact on offense, Suliafu has contributed four assists in her career.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
Nine of Washington's 32 players hail from the Evergreen State, with six products of King County (Alex Buck, Malie Chamberland, Maggie Dutra, Anna Menti, Shelby Runje, Samiah Shell), two natives of Pierce County (Sophie Blake, Ava Morton) and one product of Snohomish County (Deanna Montero).
ย
YOU CAN FIND ME IN DA CLUB
One of the more unique paths to the Husky roster comes from junior Avery Nguyen, who was offered a roster spot prior to the start of the 2023 season after a trial during preseason training. 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.
ย
Nguyen played a significant role for the Dawgs during the 2023 season, appearing in 11 matches and making a pair of starts.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
For the first time since 2018, Washington returns every member of its coaching staff, retaining assistant coaches Cole Schmit, Raphael Cox and Kary Whitney to Nicole Van Dyke's staff.
ย
SMART COOKIES
For the ninth straight season, Washington has received the United Soccer Coaches Academic Award after earning a 3.67 team GPA.
HUSKIES PICKED 14TH IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
The Big Ten Conference announced the 2024 Preseason Coaches' Poll prior to the season, with Washington predicted to finish 14th in its new league table as voted on by the conference's 18 head coaches.
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2023 BIG TEN PRESEASON COACHES' POLLย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
1. UCLA
2. Penn State
3. Michigan State
4. Nebraska
5. USC
6. Wisconsin
7. Rutgers
8. Iowa
9. Ohio State
10. Indiana
11. Michigan
12. Northwestern
13. Washington
14. Minnesota
15. Illinois
16. Purdue
17. Maryland
18. Oregon
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WATCH THE DAWGS
Aside from Washington's matchups with USC and Iowa, which will be featured on the Big Ten Network, all UW home matches and Big Ten road matches will be available for streaming through B1G+. The live streams require a subscription, priced at $89.99 for one year or $12.99 per month. The B1G+ subscription allows you access to all non-televised Big Ten events, in addition to all non-televised Washington events throughout the year.
ย
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.
ย
It will be the B1G Kickoff celebration on Montlake, with several giveaway items available for fans in attendance.
ย
Thursday's match will be featured on national television on the Big Ten Network, with live stats available at HuskyStats.com.
ย
SCOUTING USC
Jane Alukonis is in her third season as the head coach at USC, making the trip across town to South Central LA in 2022 after four seasons as an assistant coach at rival UCLA. Alukonis holds a 27-9-7 record with the Trojans, leading USC to an NCAA Tournament bid in her first two seasons, including a second round appearance in 2023.
ย
USC enters Thursday's match at 4-1-1 in 2024, all on the road. The Trojans suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to No. 1 Stanford 2-1 in Palo Alto.
ย
The Trojans were picked to finish fifth in their inaugural season in the Big Ten, placing three players on the Big Ten Players to Watch List in Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Maribel Flores, senior forward/defender Kayla Colbert and senior defender Brooklyn Courtnall.
ย
Senior forward Maile Hayes leads USC with three goals on the season, scoring in three of the Trojans' first four matches. Two other Trojans own multiple goals in Colbert and senior midfielder Maria Alagoa. Freshman forward Faith George paces USC with three assists.
ย
Penn graduate student transfer Laurence Gladu has played every minute in goal for USC in 2024. The Quebec native has allowed six goals for a 1.00 GAA, making 17 stops for a .739 save percentage. Gladu has posted two shutouts this season.
ย
SERIES HISTORY
Washington is 9-18-3 against longtime Pac-12 foe USC, including 6-5-2ย on home soil. The Trojans have won three of the last four matchups, while Washington last defeated USC in 2019, earning a 2-0 victory in Los Angeles. USC has won six of the last eight meetings between the two sides.
ย
LAST MEETING (10/1/23)
SEATTLE - After falling behind early, the Washington women's soccer team battled back hard Sunday afternoon at Husky Soccer Stadium but were unable to overcome the deficit, falling 3-0 to No. 10 USC.
ย
The Huskies found themselves behind less than six minutes in, with Izzy Kimberly beating UW keeper Megan Nail, starting in place of an injured Olivia Juarez, low to give USC the early lead.
ย
Washington built its way back into the game throughout the first half and in the second half, came out the more aggressive side.
ย
However, Florianne Jourde struck for a second Trojan goal against the run of play in the 74th minute, and Helena Sampaio finished off a swift linkup play with Kayla Duran and Kimberly finish things off at 3-0.
A B1G NEW ERA
Washington enters a new era in 2024 as a member of the prestigious Big Ten Conference. The move means not only new destinations but new challenges for the Huskies as well, with the Big Ten boasting nine teams that earned a bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament and seven schools ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
Washington, a founding member of what eventually became the Pac-12 Conference, began play in what was then known as the Pac-10 during the conference's first season supporting women's soccer in 1995. UW launched its women's soccer program in 1991.
ย
DOS A CERO
Washington has won three of its last four matches by a 2-0 scoreline, earning clean sheet victories over UC Irvine, New Mexico State and Long Beach State. The Huskies have shut out 4-of-6 opponents in 2024.
ย
HERE TO HELP
Seven of Washington's eight goals this season have been setup via at least one assist. The Huskies' eight assists in 2024 have been made by eight different players.
STARTING XI FIXTURE
Since making seven-straight starts to end her freshman campaign, junior Kelsey Branson has not failed to crack the Huskies' starting XI a single time, a streak spanning 32 consecutive matches. Branson is the only Husky to start all 19 matches in 2023 and start the first six fixtures of 2024.
INSTANT IMPACT
The Huskies have gotten immediate contributions from three true freshmen in Alex Buck, Kate Cheldelin and Andrea Leyva, with Cheldelin starting five-consecutive matches on the back line and Leyva and Buck each making three starts and recording one assist apiece.
EMPTYING THE TANK
Kolo Suliafu has not come off the pitch in any of the last 12 matches for Washington, playing 1,080 straight minutes for the Huskies. Suliafu played the full 90 minutes in 13 of 18 matches played in 2023.
TITLE FAVORITES
Washington played two teams during its non-conference schedule that were projected to claim their respective conference's regular season championship in Long Beach State and Santa Clara, the Big West and WCC favorites. Meanwhile, Seattle U and New Mexico State were picked to finish second in the WAC and C-USA, respectively.
GANG'S ALL BACK
Washington returns nearly the entirety of its roster from the 2023 roster, standing as the only team in the Big Ten to return its entire starting XI with 11 returners with 10 or more starts in 2023.
What's more, the bulk of the Huskies firepower is back, with Washington returning the vast majority of its goals (26/31, 83.9%), assists (31/33, 93.9%), points (83/95, 87.4%) shots (215/246, 87.4%), shots on goal (90/108, 83.3%) and game-winning goals (9/9, 100%) from a season ago.
ย
Additionally, with 3-of-4 goalkeepers back from the 2023 roster, the Dawgs return practically all of its goalkeeper minutes (1605:29/1710:00, 93.9%) and saves (62/64, 96.9%).
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Despite returning the vast majority of its 2023 roster, Washington nonetheless reloaded with a talented crop of nine freshmen newcomers.
ย
Among the group are three players who were selected to the prestigious High School All-American Game in Alex Buck, Maggie Dutra and Andrea Leyva.
EURO TRIP
This summer, Husky senior Ioanna Papatheodorou was called upon to don her nation's colors, earning a call up to the Greece National Team for a pair of qualifiers for the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championships. Paptheodorou earned a starting XI cap for Greece's 6-0 win over Andorra.
Papatheodorou isn't the only Husky with European experience at the national team level, with Enora Matté earning a handful of caps for the Belgium Under-19 National Team.
HOMECOMING
In addition to nine freshmen, Washington also adds a newcomer with proven experience at the college level in sophomore forward Sophie Runje. Runje, a product of nearby Issaquah High School in Issaquah, Washington, made the move back to King County after spending her freshman season across the state at Gonzaga. Runje scored five goals as a rookie, earning All-WCC Freshman Team plaudits.
KEEP AN EYE OUT
Prior to the season, the Big Ten Conference announced its Players to Watch List, with a trio of Husky juniors making the cut in midfielder's Kelsey Branson and Tatum Thomason and defender Kolo Suliafu.
Thomason led the Dawgs with six goals in 2023, scoring three times in the final three matches of the season. Thomason came up in the clutch all season long for the Huskies, bagging four of UW's nine match-winning goals for the season.
ย
Following up on a breakout freshman campaign, Branson doubled up with another phenomenal season in 2023, scoring four goals and chipping in three assists. The San Diego native earned her second career Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after leading UW to a historic road point at No. 2 Stanford.
With a combination of speed, toughness and defensive awareness, Suliafu has served as a backline anchor for the Huskies since stepping on campus in 2022. The Ontario, California, native has started 40 matches over her first two-plus seasons, leading the Huskies to 13 clean sheets. Also making an impact on offense, Suliafu has contributed four assists in her career.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
Nine of Washington's 32 players hail from the Evergreen State, with six products of King County (Alex Buck, Malie Chamberland, Maggie Dutra, Anna Menti, Shelby Runje, Samiah Shell), two natives of Pierce County (Sophie Blake, Ava Morton) and one product of Snohomish County (Deanna Montero).
ย
YOU CAN FIND ME IN DA CLUB
One of the more unique paths to the Husky roster comes from junior Avery Nguyen, who was offered a roster spot prior to the start of the 2023 season after a trial during preseason training. 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.
ย
Nguyen played a significant role for the Dawgs during the 2023 season, appearing in 11 matches and making a pair of starts.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
For the first time since 2018, Washington returns every member of its coaching staff, retaining assistant coaches Cole Schmit, Raphael Cox and Kary Whitney to Nicole Van Dyke's staff.
ย
SMART COOKIES
For the ninth straight season, Washington has received the United Soccer Coaches Academic Award after earning a 3.67 team GPA.
HUSKIES PICKED 14TH IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
The Big Ten Conference announced the 2024 Preseason Coaches' Poll prior to the season, with Washington predicted to finish 14th in its new league table as voted on by the conference's 18 head coaches.
ย
2023 BIG TEN PRESEASON COACHES' POLLย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
1. UCLA
2. Penn State
3. Michigan State
4. Nebraska
5. USC
6. Wisconsin
7. Rutgers
8. Iowa
9. Ohio State
10. Indiana
11. Michigan
12. Northwestern
13. Washington
14. Minnesota
15. Illinois
16. Purdue
17. Maryland
18. Oregon
ย
WATCH THE DAWGS
Aside from Washington's matchups with USC and Iowa, which will be featured on the Big Ten Network, all UW home matches and Big Ten road matches will be available for streaming through B1G+. The live streams require a subscription, priced at $89.99 for one year or $12.99 per month. The B1G+ subscription allows you access to all non-televised Big Ten events, in addition to all non-televised Washington events throughout the year.
ย
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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Second Goal from Avery Nguyen
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