Wednesday, August 12
Seattle, Wash.
7:00 p.m. PT
University of Washington
vs
Portland
Husky Women’s Soccer Kicks Off 2026 Wednesday Night, Hosts Portland
August 11, 2026 | Women's Soccer
SEATTLE – The Washington women's soccer team will begin its title defense on Wednesday night at Husky Soccer Stadium, renewing its longstanding rivalry with Portland for a 7:00 p.m. PT kickoff on Montlake.
The match will be available for streaming through B1G+. Links to tickets and live coverage are available on the women's soccer schedule page at GoHuskies.com.
SCOUTING PORTLAND
A former All-American defender for the Pilots, Michelle French is in her ninth season as head coach at her alma mater, owning a 70-44-27 record on The Bluff. French led Portland to an NCAA Tournament bid in 2022, the program's first since 2013.
Picked to finish tied for second in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll, Portland fell one point shy of the conference crown in 2025, finishing the season with a 10-3-6 overall record, 7-1-3 in WCC play.
The Pilots boast three players on the All-WCC Preseason Team, tied for the most in the league. Defender Violet Rademacher leads the way after earning First Team All-WCC honors a season ago, being joined by midfielder Aliyah Dockter and defender Hailey Bagby.
Portland returns its primary goalkeeper from the 2025 season in Sophia Hills. Hills posted a 0.59 goals against average with a .838 save percentage, making 57 saves and collecting 10 clean sheets.
SERIES HISTORY
A PNW rivalry dating back to the UW program's infancy in 1991, Wednesday's meeting will be the 36th all-time between Washington and Portland, the first since 2022. Winning 22 of the first 25 matchups, Portland boasts a 25-5-5 record in the series. In more recent years, UW has won three of the last seven, drawing the most recent match in 2022 in Portland.
LAST MEETING (SEPT. 11, 2022)
PORTLAND, Ore. - Trailing for the first time all-season, No. 24 Washington fought back in the second half to secure a 1-1 draw at Portland Sunday afternoon in the Rose City.
Despite falling behind, the Huskies were on the front foot for the majority of the affair, outshooting the Pilots 24-3, forcing Portland keepers into eight combined saves.
While the Huskies maintained a stranglehold on possession in the early moments, it was the Pilots that got on the scoreboard first as Nedya Sawan punched home a header from short range in the 25th minute.
From there, the match became muddled for the duration of the half, with the two sides combining for just a pair of shots for the final 20 minutes as Portland led 1-0 heading into the break.
The defining moment of the game came early in the second half as Pilot keeper Bre Norris was issued a straight red card in the 54th minute. With Karlee Stueckle set to race by, Norris struck the ball with her right arm outside the 18, denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Summer Yates' ensuing free kick was saved by replacement keeper Abby Pressnell. However, with the Pilots down a player, the Huskies began to hound the attacking third.
Hailey Still got the Huskies their equalizer in the 66th minute, pouncing on a bouncing ball in the box and finding the bottom corner to level the score at a goal apiece, the eventual final score.
HOMECOMING
Wednesday's season-opener will mark the return of one of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch at Husky Soccer Stadium in Tina Frimpong Ellertson. Washington's career-scoring leader, clear of the next closest player by 10 goals, Frimpong Ellertson racked up 99 points over the course of her illustrious career, leading her to the Husky and Pac-12 Halls of Fame. A two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, Frimpong Ellertson led UW to its first-ever NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2004 before competing for Team USA at the 2007 FIFA World Cup. Frimpong Ellertson returned to UW in 2020, joining Nicole Van Dyke's coaching staff for three seasons.
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 are also tabbed fourth in the TopDrawerSoccer Top-25.
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-fewest in the nation, tied for fourth among Power Five programs.
Most Shutouts Since 2024
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.
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.
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 15 appearances with one goal and one assist. Meanwhile, Anna is in her fourth season at UW, making 60 appearances with 47 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 news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UW_WSoccer on Instagram, X, Threads, Facebook and TikTok and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
The match will be available for streaming through B1G+. Links to tickets and live coverage are available on the women's soccer schedule page at GoHuskies.com.
SCOUTING PORTLAND
A former All-American defender for the Pilots, Michelle French is in her ninth season as head coach at her alma mater, owning a 70-44-27 record on The Bluff. French led Portland to an NCAA Tournament bid in 2022, the program's first since 2013.
Picked to finish tied for second in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll, Portland fell one point shy of the conference crown in 2025, finishing the season with a 10-3-6 overall record, 7-1-3 in WCC play.
The Pilots boast three players on the All-WCC Preseason Team, tied for the most in the league. Defender Violet Rademacher leads the way after earning First Team All-WCC honors a season ago, being joined by midfielder Aliyah Dockter and defender Hailey Bagby.
Portland returns its primary goalkeeper from the 2025 season in Sophia Hills. Hills posted a 0.59 goals against average with a .838 save percentage, making 57 saves and collecting 10 clean sheets.
SERIES HISTORY
A PNW rivalry dating back to the UW program's infancy in 1991, Wednesday's meeting will be the 36th all-time between Washington and Portland, the first since 2022. Winning 22 of the first 25 matchups, Portland boasts a 25-5-5 record in the series. In more recent years, UW has won three of the last seven, drawing the most recent match in 2022 in Portland.
LAST MEETING (SEPT. 11, 2022)
PORTLAND, Ore. - Trailing for the first time all-season, No. 24 Washington fought back in the second half to secure a 1-1 draw at Portland Sunday afternoon in the Rose City.
Despite falling behind, the Huskies were on the front foot for the majority of the affair, outshooting the Pilots 24-3, forcing Portland keepers into eight combined saves.
While the Huskies maintained a stranglehold on possession in the early moments, it was the Pilots that got on the scoreboard first as Nedya Sawan punched home a header from short range in the 25th minute.
From there, the match became muddled for the duration of the half, with the two sides combining for just a pair of shots for the final 20 minutes as Portland led 1-0 heading into the break.
The defining moment of the game came early in the second half as Pilot keeper Bre Norris was issued a straight red card in the 54th minute. With Karlee Stueckle set to race by, Norris struck the ball with her right arm outside the 18, denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Summer Yates' ensuing free kick was saved by replacement keeper Abby Pressnell. However, with the Pilots down a player, the Huskies began to hound the attacking third.
Hailey Still got the Huskies their equalizer in the 66th minute, pouncing on a bouncing ball in the box and finding the bottom corner to level the score at a goal apiece, the eventual final score.
HOMECOMING
Wednesday's season-opener will mark the return of one of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch at Husky Soccer Stadium in Tina Frimpong Ellertson. Washington's career-scoring leader, clear of the next closest player by 10 goals, Frimpong Ellertson racked up 99 points over the course of her illustrious career, leading her to the Husky and Pac-12 Halls of Fame. A two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year, Frimpong Ellertson led UW to its first-ever NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2004 before competing for Team USA at the 2007 FIFA World Cup. Frimpong Ellertson returned to UW in 2020, joining Nicole Van Dyke's coaching staff for three seasons.
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 are also tabbed fourth in the TopDrawerSoccer Top-25.
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-fewest in the nation, tied for fourth among Power Five programs.
Most Shutouts Since 2024
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.
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.
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 15 appearances with one goal and one assist. Meanwhile, Anna is in her fourth season at UW, making 60 appearances with 47 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 news, scores, highlights and more, download the Go Huskies app on your mobile device. Follow @UW_WSoccer on Instagram, X, Threads, Facebook and TikTok and subscribe to UW Athletics on YouTube for the latest on the Dawgs.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
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