Thursday, September 19
College Park, MD
4:00 PM
University of Washington
at
Maryland
Huskies Kick Off East Coast Swing Thursday At Maryland
September 18, 2024 | Women's Soccer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. βΒ Kicking off its first Big Ten road trip, Washington ventures to the east coast for two matches, beginning with a Thursday showdown with Maryland at 4 p.m. PT.
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The match will be streamed live on B1G+, with live stats available at HuskyStats.com.
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SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland is in its third season under the direction of head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer, who joined the Terrapins before the 2022 season after a long stint as an assistant coach at Rutgers. Nemzer owns a 10-21-13 record in College Park, including 3-17-1 in Big Ten play.
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The Terrapins enter Thursday's matchup at .500 with a 3-3-3 record, falling 5-0 to No. 5 Michigan State last Thursday. Maryland was picked 17th in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll.
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Sophomore defender Kennedy Bell paces the Terps with three goals on the season, including a brace vs. VCU. Three other players have scored mutliple goals this season for Maryland. Meanwhile, freshman midfielder Emily Lenhard leads the way with three assists, also chipping in a goal.
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Senior goalkeeper Liz Beardsley, a three-yard starter, returns in goal for the Terrapins. Beardsley has started all nine matches, playing the full 90 in all, and owns a 1.56 GAA with a .714 save percentage on 35 stops.
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SERIES HISTORY
Washington and Maryland have met up just twice previously before meeting this season as new conference foes. The Terrapins made back-to-back visits to Seattle, dropping a 2-1 overtime non-conference tilt to the Huskies in 2003 and falling 1-0 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
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LAST MEETING (11/20/04)
SEATTLE - Senior forward Tina Frimpong put back a teammate's shot that caromed off the Maryland goalkeeper, scoring the lone goal in the 19th minute of Washington's 1-0 victory in the third-round of the NCAA women's soccer tournament at Husky Soccer Field, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time.
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Freshman Colby Branham created the scoring situation with a 20-yard blast from the left side that deflected off goalkeeper Nikki Resnick. Frimpong collected the rebound and deposited it into the net from five yards out at 18:48 for her 15th goal of the season.
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Branham's shot was one of the few balls that Terrapin goalkeeper Nikki Resnick did not hold on to. She had eight saves, most of them with brilliant stops of point-blank Husky shots.
Β
Saturday's outing was a makeup game of sorts for Washington and Maryland who were scheduled to meet Sept. 17 in College Park, Maryland. That regular-season game was canceled due to thunderstorms and a tornado warning.
Β
Husky goalkeeper Kelsey Rasmussen notched her school-record 10th shutout of the season. She was called upon to make just one save as the UW defense was suffocating. The final statistics show that Maryland was outshot by a 17-10 margin, but only one Terrapin attempt was on frame while nine UW shots were directly on goal.
TERP TURNED HUSKY
Thursday's match will be a reunion of sorts for Washington program coordinator Mary (Johnston) Walstad, who played two seasons at Maryland before returning to her home state for her final four collegiate seasons at Washington. Walstad made 22 appearances for the Terrapins before transferring to UW, where she made 42 appearances and 38 starts, helping guide the Huskies to the 2021 NCAA Sweet 16.
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 33 consecutive matches. Branson is the only Husky to start all 19 matches in 2023 and start the first seven 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 six-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 13 matches for Washington, playing 1,170 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.
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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%).
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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.
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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
Β
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 13TH IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
The Big Ten Conference announced the 2024 Preseason Coaches' Poll prior to the season, with Washington predicted to finish 13th in its new league table as voted on by the conference's 18 head coaches.
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2023 BIG TEN PRESEASON COACHES' POLLΒ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
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.
Β
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.
Β
The match will be streamed live on B1G+, with live stats available at HuskyStats.com.
Β
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland is in its third season under the direction of head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer, who joined the Terrapins before the 2022 season after a long stint as an assistant coach at Rutgers. Nemzer owns a 10-21-13 record in College Park, including 3-17-1 in Big Ten play.
Β
The Terrapins enter Thursday's matchup at .500 with a 3-3-3 record, falling 5-0 to No. 5 Michigan State last Thursday. Maryland was picked 17th in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll.
Β
Sophomore defender Kennedy Bell paces the Terps with three goals on the season, including a brace vs. VCU. Three other players have scored mutliple goals this season for Maryland. Meanwhile, freshman midfielder Emily Lenhard leads the way with three assists, also chipping in a goal.
Β
Senior goalkeeper Liz Beardsley, a three-yard starter, returns in goal for the Terrapins. Beardsley has started all nine matches, playing the full 90 in all, and owns a 1.56 GAA with a .714 save percentage on 35 stops.
Β
SERIES HISTORY
Washington and Maryland have met up just twice previously before meeting this season as new conference foes. The Terrapins made back-to-back visits to Seattle, dropping a 2-1 overtime non-conference tilt to the Huskies in 2003 and falling 1-0 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
Β
LAST MEETING (11/20/04)
SEATTLE - Senior forward Tina Frimpong put back a teammate's shot that caromed off the Maryland goalkeeper, scoring the lone goal in the 19th minute of Washington's 1-0 victory in the third-round of the NCAA women's soccer tournament at Husky Soccer Field, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time.
Β
Freshman Colby Branham created the scoring situation with a 20-yard blast from the left side that deflected off goalkeeper Nikki Resnick. Frimpong collected the rebound and deposited it into the net from five yards out at 18:48 for her 15th goal of the season.
Β
Branham's shot was one of the few balls that Terrapin goalkeeper Nikki Resnick did not hold on to. She had eight saves, most of them with brilliant stops of point-blank Husky shots.
Β
Saturday's outing was a makeup game of sorts for Washington and Maryland who were scheduled to meet Sept. 17 in College Park, Maryland. That regular-season game was canceled due to thunderstorms and a tornado warning.
Β
Husky goalkeeper Kelsey Rasmussen notched her school-record 10th shutout of the season. She was called upon to make just one save as the UW defense was suffocating. The final statistics show that Maryland was outshot by a 17-10 margin, but only one Terrapin attempt was on frame while nine UW shots were directly on goal.
TERP TURNED HUSKY
Thursday's match will be a reunion of sorts for Washington program coordinator Mary (Johnston) Walstad, who played two seasons at Maryland before returning to her home state for her final four collegiate seasons at Washington. Walstad made 22 appearances for the Terrapins before transferring to UW, where she made 42 appearances and 38 starts, helping guide the Huskies to the 2021 NCAA Sweet 16.
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 33 consecutive matches. Branson is the only Husky to start all 19 matches in 2023 and start the first seven 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 six-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 13 matches for Washington, playing 1,170 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.
Β
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%).
Β
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.
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.
Β
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.
Β
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).
Β
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.
Β
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.
Β
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 13TH IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
The Big Ten Conference announced the 2024 Preseason Coaches' Poll prior to the season, with Washington predicted to finish 13th in its new league table as voted on by the conference's 18 head coaches.
Β
2023 BIG TEN PRESEASON COACHES' POLLΒ Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β
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
Β
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.
Β
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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/ Women's SoccerGood things happen when you feed the box!
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