Crowned Champions: The 2025 Washington Men's Soccer Season In Review

SEATTLE – Egor Akulov figures he'll never forget what it felt like to win an NCAA national men's soccer championship. But just to make sure …

… he put it all down on paper.

"It still doesn't feel quite real," the stalwart University of Washington defender said some four weeks after he and his teammates reached the sport's pinnacle for the first time in school history. "I wrote in my journal the day afterward, and I looked at my entry today and re-read some of the emotions I was feeling.

"It still applies now," he added. "It feels like we won one more game (than everyone else). Our whole run was just to keep winning because we love spending time with the guys and we wanted to get another week with them. The last game (3-2 in overtime against North Carolina State on Dec 15 in Cary, North Carolina) felt like another win with a little bit of celebration at the end."

Akulov and the rest of the Huskies were honored earlier this week at the men's basketball showdown between Washington and No. 4-ranked Michigan at Alaska Airlines Arena inside Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

"The interesting part is you think the moment you win, it's incredibly special, and the celebrations are real," head coach Jamie Clark said. "But I actually think the weeks following have almost been more telling to me about how special this is in terms of the growing support and in terms of putting it into context of how hard this is to do and how seldom you get to win one of these."

"In the moment, you're just winning a game and fighting for your life to get a positive result," Clark added. "It has been pretty special to sit back and see our part in a pretty big community at Washington that cherishes the success of everyone."

ROAD WARRIORS
The Huskies got it done by winning all six of their NCAA Tournament games on the road. The first four of those were true road games on the home pitch of the opposing team. The title game at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary was just five miles from North Carolina State's campus, so it was essentially a home game for the Wolfpack.

"You wouldn't want it any other way," Akulov said. "You don't want easy roads to championships. You want to be tested. It makes it feel more real and we deserved it more. We proved ourselves against six very good teams."

Added sophomore midfielder Alex Hall, who scored the final goal of a 3-1 quarterfinal win against Maryland and assisted on the opening goal in the 3-1 semifinal victory against Furman, "It was a pretty crazy run. I think the way we did it, with all six on the road, it brought us closer. We have a very good bond; a lot of us are local guys (19 players from the state of Washington).

"Being in hotels for (what felt like) three months straight, playing against top teams, getting the wins – especially the way we got them – brought us closer," Hall said.

Some of the Huskies whose names were often in the headlines certainly came through when it mattered most.

Defender Harrison Bertos, who delayed the start of his pro career so he could play another season at UW, scored the championship winner just 1 minute, 54 seconds into sudden-death overtime against North Carolina State. He also had Washington's first goal in the NCAA opener at Oregon State.
Senior midfielder and Hermann Trophy finalist Richie Aman got the winning goal with just 1:35 left in OT against the Beavers. He also assisted on three tournament goals.
Junior forward Charlie Kosakoff scored three of his team-leading 11 goals in the NCAAs. That included the only goal in a 1-0 Sweet 16 victory at Stanford, the game-winner in a 3-1 quarterfinal victory at Maryland, and another eventual game-winner in a 3-1 College Cup semifinal victory against Furman.
Redshirt sophomore midfielder Connor Lofy tied it 2-2 at Oregon State with 5:43 left in regulation time, then knocked in the only goal of the game two days later in a second-round contest at Southern Methodist – the same team that bumped the Huskies out of the 2024 tournament.
Grad student goalkeeper Jadon Bowton backstopped two shutouts and allowed just one goal in two other games.

UNDER THE RADAR, BUT HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
Then there were the unsung hero types – guys such as Akulov, a stalwart on the back line who often played bigger than his 6-foot-2 frame. He had the primary assist on Bertos' title-winning goal. But just as important, he played every minute of every NCAA game – all 556 minutes – and was on the field for 2,124 of the 2,176 total minutes the Huskies played this past fall.

Individual awards such as All-Big Ten, All-Region, and All-American went to his teammates, But the only award that mattered to Akulov was the big trophy that the Huskies captured in Cary.

"In a championship, every guy contributed what they needed to," Akulov said. "Some guys got the goals, but it takes everyone to win."

Akulov said that title trophy wasn't just for the players who were in North Carolina that night.

"We did it for ourselves and the guys next to us and for all the alums who came before us and started this culture of winning," Akulov said. "I remember coming to UW games as a kid and they would win and were challenging for Pac-12 championships. The year before I came, they made the College Cup but lost.

"All those guys who were the stepping stones for the culture and the recruits and the program – our belief going into the tournament was we did it all for them."

Even if Akulov didn't receive any recognition from the folks who determine all of the individual awards, he got plenty of it from his coach.

"He's the player who has to watch everyone else get the accolades, but we know he's just a rock back there in defense," Clark said. "A lot of times, the least flashy guy gets overlooked. But day in and day out, you can count on him to be consistent and lead the group and give a backbone to our team and our defense."

Hall pointed out an intangible quality that most opponents simply couldn't counter.

"We had talents that a lot of other teams could scout," he said. "The real 'X' factor was how relentless and persistent we were. We showed that in a couple games, notably Oregon State and Stanford. In the final (against N.C. State), we conceded a goal in the 86th minute that tied it 2-2 (after the Huskies had been up 2-0). We could have bowed our heads or took our foot off the gas. But the mentality of all of these guys was the experience and that was enough to keep us going."

Clark knows that eventually, all of this will have to go into the rear view mirror as time continues is never-ending march toward next season.

But for now, he has no problem keeping it front-and-center for just a little while longer.

"You can't script things as a coach and you don't know how things will go," Clark said. "If you sat back and looked at the (NCAA) schedule as a whole and said, 'How are we going to win this tournament?', some might said, 'You're not.'

"But you don't win in one fell swoop. You just handle the game in front of you," he added. "Each game was difficult, but each game was manageable. With a lot of good fortune and brave performances, the boys got it done."

THEY'RE NO. 1 ON THE STAT SHEET, TOO
It wasn't just in the NCAA Tournament where the Huskies finished at the head of the pack.

Their 54 goals scored was most in the country, and so were their 164 total points (two for each goal plus 56 assists also led the way).

The assist total was No. 4 nationally.

Other top-10 team rankings were No. 8 in goal differential (plus-29), No. 8 in goals per game (2.25), No. 9 in points per game (6.83) and No. 9 in shots on goal per game (7.17).

FROM ALL-BIG TEN …
Richie Aman was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and was one of four Washington players on the All-Big Ten first team.

Joining him were Harrison Bertos, Alex Hall and Zach Ramsey. In addition, Jadon Bowton and Charlie Kosakoff were on the second team. Asher Hestad made the All-Freshman team.

TO ALL-REGION …
It didn't stop there. Aman and Bertos were both first-team All-West Region choices by the United Soccer Coaches. It is the second time both of those players have gotten an All-Region nod.

Bowton and Kosakoff were voted to the second team, and Alex Hall was a pick for the third team.

Collectively, that's the most All-Region players for the Huskies since 2022.

TO ALL-AMERICAN
Then there was award that topped them all. Aman was named a first-team All-American and Bertos was selected to the third team by the United Soccer Coaches.

It was the first All-American award for both players. It also is the fifth time that the Huskies have had more than one player on the elite list in a single season.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE
Aman and Bertos both were part of the Best XI first team as announced by Top Drawer Soccer. Aman was ranked No. 6 nationally and Bertos was No. 9.

Another trio of Huskies was included in those rankings, as well. Charlie Kosakoff was No. 78 nationally. Asher Hestad and Osato Enabulele both were counted among the elite freshmen, with Hestad at No. 34 and Enabulele at No. 38.

SMART … VERY SMART
Aman was named the National Scholar Player of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches. A psychology major, he is the third UW player to earn that award.

Bertos and Jadon Bowton were part of USC's Scholar All-America team, along with Aman. It is the second time in program history that the Huskies have had at least three players on that scholarly squad.

Aman also was named as an Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators. He also made the CSC Academic All-District list, along with Bertos, Kosakoff, Alex Hall, Connor Lofy, and Zach Ramsey. Getting onto the All-District team requires a minimum 3.50 grade-point average and playing time in at least 90 percent or more of the team's matches (or starting at least 66 percent).

Washington also had 22 players on the Big Ten Fall All-Academic team.

KUDOS FOR CLARK
It wasn't just UW players who were in the Top Drawer Soccer spotlight. Jamie Clark was named that organization's Coach of the Year.

It was the first such honor for Clark, who just completed his 15th season in charge of the Huskies.

POINTING TOWARD THE PROS
Washington had five players selected in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Dec. 18, highlighted by Aman being chosen No. 8 overall by D.C. United.

Also being tabbed in the first round was Zach Ramsey going to the MLS Cup runner-up Vancouver Whitecaps at No. 17.

Joe Dale won't have to go far to take his next steps, as he was selected by the Seattle Sounders in the second round at No. 51 overall. Asher Hestad also was a second-rounder, tabbed by the Colorado Rapids at No. 56. Vancouver was back in the picture when it chose Connor Lofy in the third round at No. 89 overall.

Being drafted doesn't necessarily they'll become pros right away. All except Aman have eligibility remaining if they choose to utilize it.

UW had more players drafted than any other school. The last time the Huskies had that many players selected was 2022 when the final count also was five.

BY THE NUMBERS
Washington's 54 total goals was the most ever for a single season during coach Jamie Clark's 15 years at the helm.
It was more than twice as many as the 25 that opponents managed to put on the board.
The offensive power was very well distributed. A total of 15 players scored at least one goal, and seven of those players had at least one game-winner. The only double-digit goal scorer was Charlie Kosakoff with 11. He had five game-winners, tied for No. 6 nationally.
The Huskies were eager to share the ball, too, as 14 players logged at least one assist. Leading the way was Richie Aman with 14, tied for No. 3 in the country.
UW had nine shutouts in 24 games, with Jadon Bowton responsible for six of those. Levi Bieber had two; Bieber and Jaeger Felton shared one.
Washington was 13-0-0 when scoring the first goal.
The Huskies were just the second team to reach the College Cup after winning their first four matches on the road. The only other time that happened was when Maryland-Baltimore County did it in 2014 before falling in the semifinals.
Of Washington's 16 victories overall, 10 of those were earned out of town: 9-3-1 in true road matches, 2-1-0 on neutral fields.
The six-game winning streak through the NCAA Tournament wasn't the only time the Huskies pulled that off. They also won six straight from Sept. 26 through Oct. 24. The first four of those were shutouts, as was the last one, as they outscored the opposition, 15-1.

Schedule

Crowned Champions: The 2025 Washington Men's Soccer Season In Review

Players Mentioned

Egor Akulov

Richie Aman

Harrison Bertos

Levi Bieber

Jadon Bowton

Joe Dale

Osato Enabulele

Jaeger Felton

Alex Hall

Asher Hestad

Charlie Kosakoff

Connor Lofy

Zach Ramsey

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