UW women’s soccer team perseveres toward NCAA College Cup after death of teammate

The College of Washington Girls’s Soccer group is contemporary off the heels of its first-ever convention match title– all whereas, nonetheless dealing with the current dying of a teammate.

Mia Hament handed away final Thursday, following her battle with a uncommon type of kidney most cancers.

Commercial

Now, her group is simply six wins away from capping off an emotional marketing campaign with a nationwide championship.

It’s been a tough week for Huskies: The group obtained the information of Mia’s passing simply three days earlier than profitable the “Massive 10” match on Sunday.

On a penalty kick, no much less.

That’s one thing Mia, a goalkeeper, would’ve appreciated. And, it’s clear the complete locker room has been taking part in with an even bigger goal all season.

“Mia’s targets by no means modified regardless of her circumstance,” says Huskies’ Head Coach Nicole Van Dyke.

“She needed this group to complete what it began. She desires this group to go and pursue our targets, as a result of she was part of all that. These are her targets.”

Commercial

Alex Buck feels the identical approach.

“Dealing with some adversity for positive has actually helped propel us to be the place we’re at proper now,” notes the Huskies’ Ahead. “It introduced us a lot nearer collectively. And, being simply such a detailed knit group simply makes us need to work more durable for one another, on and off the sector.”

There are reminders of Mia throughout Husky Soccer Stadium. That features a memorial on the hill, fittingly simply behind one of many targets.

And, as they push previous their heartbreak, her teammates have been vocal about what their goalkeeper offered on the pitch.

“Mia had a lot love for the sport and introduced a lot positivity,” quips Washington Midfield Jadyn Holdenried.

Commercial

And, the group is paying it again. Displaying assist with orange armbands and hair-ties selling kidney most cancers consciousness. We even noticed orange beanies getting handed out earlier than Friday evening’s NCAA Event match in opposition to Montana.

“I feel in occasions like this it’s very easy to go down a rabbit gap of being destructive,” Holdenried admitted. “However, I don’t know…I simply need to carry pleasure and positivity once I’m on the market taking part in.”

“Not at all was it simple. It was exhausting. However, this group caught collectively,” Van Dyke provides.

In the meantime, College of Washington Medical Professor Scott Tykodi asserts Mia’s case was troublesome given the weird circumstances.

Commercial

The oncologist notes that restricted therapy possibility made the prognosis more difficult. One which was even exhausting for docs to digest.

“The common age of prognosis for kidney most cancers is within the mid-60’s,” in keeping with the knowledgeable. “So, most of our sufferers are older adults that we’re seeing day in and time out. It’s fairly uncommon to have someone of Mia’s age with this prognosis.”

And, sadly there’s at present no screening program for kidney most cancers. Nevertheless, Tykodi hopes Mia’s story will assist invoke change.

He maintains that “Mia being so out there, being on social media, and telling folks the prognosis she had, in making herself someone recognizable is definitely going to impress folks to be extra conscious of kidney most cancers.”

Commercial

As for the way the Huskies transfer ahead, if they will push previous the adversity, their storybook ending features a nationwide championship.

That is the primary time they’ve hosted an NCAA Event match since 2019. That season, they beat Seattle-U within the Opening Spherical, earlier than falling to South Florida.

This time round, they enter because the 4-seed. Their tourney begins with a troublesome check in opposition to a Montana group that hasn’t misplaced since September twenty sixth.

We additionally know the winner will face Arkansas, after the Razorbacks pulled out a (1-0) victory over Dartmouth Friday afternoon. That units up a 2nd-Spherical showdown with both the Huskies or Grizz subsequent Thursday.