Members of the Washington women's soccer team celebrate following the scoring of a goal during UW's match against Yale on August 31, 2023 at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle. UW took down Utah 3-1 on Thursday evening, earning its third straight point in conference play.
A little over two months ago, with empty classrooms a testament to the young soccer season, head coach Nicole Van Dyke preached patience for the Washington women’s soccer team.
After all, for a roster primarily composed of underclassmen, the natural progression of valleys and peaks was to be expected.
And that was never more evident than after it fell to Arizona State a few weeks ago on Oct. 5, marking the team’s fourth consecutive loss in conference play.
The valleys were undoubtedly apparent.
Now, the peaks are starting to emerge.
Beginning with a win over Arizona in four-goal fashion, it went on to force a draw against No. 2 Stanford, the first point scored by the Huskies against the Cardinal since 2004. And on Thursday night, in an offensive barrage over Utah, a 3-1 win may indicate that the patience Van Dyke preached is starting to pay its dividends.
“I think it’s every game, we’ve gotten better,” Van Dyke said. “I think early on, you’re still trying to figure out individually where you fit and how you fit in, but I think now we’re really starting to play collectively, and we’re playing for each other… We feel like we’re peaking at the right time and everyone is just hungry to get better and improve.”
There was no better evidence that the Huskies are playing well together than the goal in the 24th minute, when junior defender Jace Holmes served up a beautiful free kick right to the penalty spot, which senior forward Hailey Still, with her back to the net, miraculously headed in for the first score of the game.
The goal marks Holmes’ sixth assist on the last seven goals for the Huskies, with the junior making up all six assists from Washington defenders this season.
“Jace [Holmes] had a slower start as well, so now her being a little bit older, and having experience, it’s great to kind of see her impact on our attack.” Van Dyke said. “It’s been tremendous to see her growth in this second part of the season, especially in the Pac-12 [play].”
In the 39th minute, Van Dyke subbed in sophomore defender Riley Brown for freshman defender Jadyn Holdenried, providing a fresh set of legs to hold down the defensive half of the ball for the final stretch before the break.
Except, the sophomore defender opted to contribute on the offensive side instead, charging from Washington’s side of the pitch to the top of the penalty arc, where she promptly unleashed a strike that extended just beyond the reach of Utah’s junior goalkeeper Evelyn Vitali, finding the top right corner of the net to stretch the lead to two.
The score was Brown’s first this year, making her the 12th different player to record at least one goal for the Huskies this season.
“I think one of the great things, and it’s been awesome to see, is the ability for players to game change, to come off the bench and really contribute and make a huge impact,” Van Dyke said.
While Utah struggled to stop the Washington attack all night, containing sophomore midfielder Kelsey Branson was a struggle in and of itself. Perhaps the hottest player in the Pac-12 entering Thursday night, the junior has scored three goals in three straight matches for the Huskies, with her last one coming just six minutes into the match against Stanford.
Taking advantage of a set piece in the 56th minute, Branson broke to just the right spot to head in a well-placed ball from sophomore defender Kolo Suliafu, extending the lead – and her goal streak – once more.
Despite earning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors last week, Branson still looks to stray from individual recognition.
“I think it’s just the work ethic of this team,” Branson said. “We kind of had this switch once the Pac-12 [play] started that we can do better, we know where we want to go. So for me, what drives me is wanting to do it for this team, and to be as successful as we can be.”
Utah tacked on its first goal of the night in the 79th minute, but it struggled to do anything else thanks to a stoic defensive side of the ball that surrendered just six shots on goal all game — five of which came in the second half.
Now, Washington will look to continue its improved play in conference against a quality Colorado squad, one that’s earned a point in 12 of its last 15 matches. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22.
Reach Sports Editor Ty Gilstrap at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @ty_gilstrap
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