U Dub Women’s Soccer Hits The Road For Wednesday Night Matchup At San Diego State

Wednesday, August 19

San Diego, Calif.

7:00 p.m. PT

University of Washington

San Diego State

U Dub Women’s Soccer Hits The Road For Wednesday Night Matchup At San Diego State

August 18, 2026 | Women's Soccer

UW Notes San Diego State Notes Watch Live Stats

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Washington women's soccer team hits the road for the first time in 2026, taking on San Diego State Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. PT.

The match will be available for streaming through the Pac-12 YouTube channel. Links to live coverage are available on the women's soccer schedule page at GoHuskies.com.

SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE
Entering his 20th season as head coach at San Diego State, Mike Friesen has guided the Aztecs to 11 Mountain West Championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances. WIth SDSU now in their first season in the Pac-12, Friesen is the winningest coach in the history of the Mountain West.

Picked to finish fourth in the new Pac-12, San Diego State got off to a 1-0-0 start on opening night, topping UC San Diego in a road derby tilt in La Jolla. The Aztecs had three players named to the Pac-12 "Impact List" in midfielder Katie Senn, goalkeeper Kailey Carlen and defender Lily Boudet.

San Diego State returns 9-of-11 starters from last season's team, including leading point-getter Senn (12) as well of two of three players that tied for the team scoring lead with five goals in Alexis Leath and Victoria Miller. Miller and Kenny Moore combined for SDSU's two goals in its win over UCSD.

In goal, sophomore Kailey Carlen returns starting all 20 matches as a true freshman in 2025. Carlen posted a 1.19 GAA in 2025, earning a .745 save percentage on 70 stops.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's bout will be the 10th all-time between Washington and San Diego State, the first since 2014 and the first in San Diego since 1993. UW owns a 6-2-1 advantage in the series, winning five of the last seven meetings. The Huskies are a perfect 3-0-0 all-time when facing San Diego State on its home turf.

LAST MEETING (SEPT. 12, 2014)
PORTLAND, Ore. - The University of Washington women's soccer team lost its opener at the Nike Portland Invitational 2-1 to San Diego State University Friday afternoon at Merlo Field.

The Huskies jumped to a 1-0 lead when freshman Kimberly Keever scored just before halftime, her third goal of the season. Jaclyn Softli hit the post with a shot early as UW outshot SDSU 6-0 at one point in the first half, forcing four first-half saves from keeper Melanie Vaughn. Neither team could capitalize on other opportunities in the first half and UW took a one-goal advantage into the break.

The Aztecs didn't wait long to tie the game, as Aliyah Utush netted the equalizer in the 48th minute. It was her first goal of the season. Kelsey Booth was credited with the assist after the Huskies' defense turned the ball over deep in its own half.

SDSU controlled possession for much of the second half, putting up seven corners and seven shots as the Aztecs pressured the UW back line. They finally broke through with the game-winner in the 87th minute as Utush scored her second of the game, completing the comeback for the Aztecs. Ashley Hauke and Meggie Gulczynski were both given an assist.

DEFEND THE THRONE
Washington enters 2026 with a target on its back, winning the Big Ten double a season ago as the league's regular season and conference champions, UW's first conference championship since 2000. UW became the first league team to claim the Big Ten double since Minnesota in 2016 and the first school to win both championships undisputed since Nebraska in 2013.

POLL POSITION
Washington is ranked 12th in the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, the Huskies' highest preseason ranking since 2001 (7th) and the second-highest preseason ranking in program history. The Dawgs also climbed one spot to No. 3 in the TopDrawerSoccer Top-25, tied for the program's highest ranking since reaching No. 2 in 2000, also climbing to No. 3 in 2025.

CAL-I-FORNIA GIRLS
Washington boasts 10 players from the Golden State on its roster, including five who call Southern California home. Washington has faired well in SoCal as of late, picking up road wins in Long Beach and Los Angeles over the past two seasons.

Southern California Huskies
Tanner Ijams - Topanga
Payton Norman - Rolling Hills
Ava De Filippo - Ladera Ranch
MacKenzie Stearns - Ramona
Cecelia Egan - Cardiff

STACKING BRICKS
The Huskies have demonstrated one of the nation's stingiest defenses over the last two season, tying the program record for clean sheets with 11 in 2024 before breaking said record with 12 shutouts in 2025. UW's 23 clean sheets over the past two seasons are tied for the ninth-most in the nation, tied for fourth among Power Five programs. UW started 2026 with another clean sheet in last week's season-opener, holding Portland to two total shots on the night.

Most Combined Shutouts 2024 & 2025 Seasons
Georgetown – 27
UCLA – 26
Montana – 26
Lipscomb – 25
Saint Louis – 25
Utah State – 24
Mississippi State – 24
Duke – 24
Washington - 23
Six others - 23

TOP DRAWER TALENT
Washington has two players listed in TopDrawerSoccer's Top-100 player rankings, with third year forward Alex Buck slotting in at No. 26 and third year goalkeeper Tanner Ijams coming in at No. 65. Buck, who was also named TopDrawerSoccer Third Team Best XI, ranked third in the Big Ten in points in 2025, while Ijams' 0.67 GAA was the fourth-lowest in a season in Husky history, tying the program record for single season clean sheets with 11.

VET SCHOOL
Washington boasts a roster laden with experience, with 17 of 30 Huskies entering their third collegiate season or later. Of the eight returning starters for Washington, seven own at least two seasons of collegiate experience. Included in the group of veteran leaders for UW are fifth years Lucy Newlin and Avery Nguyen, who return for a final season after receiving waivers this offseason, as well as sixth-year South Dakota State transfer Taylor Thomas.

THREE TO WATCH
Washington boasts three players among the IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches MAC Hermann Trophy Positional Players to Watch. The Dawgs are represented up and down the field with defender Maya Loudd, midfielder Jadyn Holdenried and forward Alex Buck tabbed to their respective lists.

SAVING HER BEST
In her first two college seasons, Alex Buck has scored all 10 of her career goals after the start of conference play, including nine such goals in 2025, tied for the most in the Big Ten.

KIWI CALL UP
Grace Duncan will represent her home nation of New Zealand in September as part of the national team's squad for the U20 World Cup, scheduled for Sept. 5-27 in Poland. Duncan also competed for the Football Ferns during the 2025 U17 World Cup in Morocco.

WINNER'S MENTALITY
Of the seven goals scored by Jadyn Holdenried in 2025, five were match-winners, tied with Alex Buck for the team lead and ranking 24th in the nation. The fourth year, who entered last season with four total goals in her first two seasons, ranked tied for 13th in the conference in goals (7) and tied for ninth in total points (18). UW is 10-0-1 all-time when Holdenried scores.

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.

Nguyen has become one of UW's most dangerous weapons off the bench as a senior, scoring three times this season against Idaho, Minnesota and Oregon. Nguyen has made 35 career appearances for Washington.

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATION
Washington was picked to finish third in its title-defending season in the 2026 Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving the third-most votes behind predicted champion Michigan State and UCLA. UW was selected ninth in the 2025 iteration of the preseason poll, going on to win the regular season title with a match in hand.

2026 Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Michigan State
2. UCLA
3. Washington
4. Wisconsin
5. Ohio State
6. Penn State
7. USC
8. Northwestern
9. Illinois
10. Iowa
11. Michigan
12. Nebraska
13. Purdue
14. Minnesota
15. Rutgers
16. Indiana
17. Maryland
18. Oregon

THE NOTORIOUS NVD
Washington locked up reigning unanimous Big Ten Coach of the Year Nicole Van Dyke this offseason, inking the Husky gaffer to a contract extension through the 2030 season. The extension comes after Van Dyke led the Dawgs to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third time on program-history, the third NCAA Tournament bid during Van Dyke's UW tenure. In her six seasons on Montlake, Van Dyke has guided Washington to 60 wins and has developed 15 all-conference players, including All-Americans Summer Yates, Kolo Suliafu and Alex Buck.

HERE TO ASSIST
The Washington sideline will have a new look this season with three new assistant coaches manning the bench.

Whitney Pitalo joins the UW staff after serving as head coach at Cal State Bakersfield in 2025. Pitalo previously resided in the Evergreen State as an assistant coach at Gonzaga, earning United Soccer Coaches West Region Staff of the Year honors in 2023.

Paige Brandt will direct the development of the Husky goalkeepers, coaching All-WCC Honorable Mention keeper Mya Sanchez during her lone season in the same role at Oregon State.

After three seasons as UW's program coordinator, Husky alum Mary Walstad joins the coaching staff in 2026. Walstad appeared in 42 matches with 38 starts over four seasons at Washington from 2019-2022.

LEFT SIDE, BEST SIDE
Of the 30 members of Washington's 2026 roster, 22 hail from West Coast states, featuring 11 homegrown products of Washington, 10 natives of California and one player from the Portland suburbs in Oregon. However, Washington's squad spans the US and globe, with natives of Georgia, Kansas, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia as well as a pair of internationals from Belgium and New Zealand donning the Purple and Gold.

SMART COOKIES
For the 11th-straight season, Washington has received the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award after posting a 3.50 cumulative GPA team GPA.

At the individual level, fifth year Lucy Newlin received UW's Academic Excellence Award for 2026 for graduating with the highest cumulative GPA among graduating student-athletes at 3.98. Newlin also received the Big Ten's Wayne Duke Postgraduate Scholarship and was one of two UW student-athletes to receive the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2024-25.

NATTY TEAM CALLING
This summer, All-American forward Alex Buck has played all across the country and globe, representing the Stars and Stripes with the U20 United States Women's National Team. Earning her first national team caps, Buck has been rostered for friendlies against Brazil, England and Columbia stateside, while traveling across the pond to Spain to take on France.

MENTI BE
Anna and Sally Menti, who starred at Roosevelt High School, less than three miles from Husky Soccer Stadium, have shared different paths to playing in front of their home state fans. Sally was an All-American midfielder at Santa Clara before signing a short-term contract and later a two-year extension last season with the NWSL's Seattle Reign, making 31 appearances with three goals and two assists. Meanwhile, Anna is in her fourth season at UW, making 62 appearances with 48 starts and collecting two goals and three assists along the way.

TURN ON THE TUBE
Washington will be featured in front of a national audience on the Big Ten Network three times during the regular season, tied for the most of any conference member. The Huskies' home battles with Maryland and Rutgers will both air on the network, while October's road trip to Tinsel Town will get the big screen treatment as Washington takes on UCLA. All UW home matches not selected for the Big Ten Network will be available for streaming through B1G+.

For more information on Husky Women's Soccer, follow @UW_WSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.