Oregon State Women's Soccer vs Washington: Game Preview

Oregon State Women's Soccer kicks off their season tomorrow. The Beavers will be in Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. We've been over the offseason the Beavers have had, but what have the Huskies gone through since the end of last season? Here's what you need to know about Washington.

Last season the Huskies finished sixth in the Big 10 and earned an at large berth in the NCAA Tournament. They took down Utah State in the first round before falling to Mississippi State in the second. Leading the team in scoring last season was Ioanna Papatheodorou, who has since graduated.

Papatheodorou's departure, along with several other Huskies, has caused the Huskies to slip a bit in the eyes of the Big 10 media. In the Big 10 preseason poll the Huskies finished ninth. Not a huge drop from last season, but notable.

That same poll put three Huskies on the Big 10's Players to Watch list; forward Samiah Shell, midfielder Laura Cetina and defender Kolo Suliafu. These three should form the backbone of this year's Huskies, so let's take a closer look.

Shell was the Huskies' second best scorer in 2024, picking up five goals and three assists. Shell lined up at forward and midfielder last season, but the Washington roster has her as only a midfielder for 2025, which might signal how the team plans on using her and how they're constructing their offense.

The midfield is where a lot of Washington's veteran talent is lining up. Kelsey Branson scored two goals and three assists for the Huskies last season, and Cetina, who joins the team after spending the last two seasons with UMass Lowell, where she was a full time starter.

The Huskies attack is going to come from that batch of midfielders, with a relatively inexperienced forward group used to stretch the defense and open up scoring lanes for the midfield. The Beavers are going to have to make sure that's where their defensive priority is.

Defense was a strength for Washington last year, with the Huskies putting together one of the stingiest defenses in the conference, allowing only 12 goals over the season. All Big 10 Second Team defender Suliafu is back, as is goalkeeper Mia Hamant. Hamant notched seven clean sheets in 15 starts last year.

While there's been some turnover in the off season, the Huskies' defense shouldn't lose much of a step. Maya Loudd was a full time starter last season, and Washington has brought in Julia Husch from UNC Asheville to add another veteran starter to the field.

It's going to be a difficult for anyone to score against the Huskies, but for a team with as large an offensive face lift as the Beavers have had its an especially large challenge. We'll see if they're up to the challenge tomorrow night, with kick off set for 7 PM PT.