In the first game since the death of Mia Hamant, Washington women’s soccer has won it all. The Huskies rallied through grief and a deadlock with Michigan State on Sunday to win the Big Ten Tournament in penalty kicks.
It had only been three days since Hamant, a 21-year-old goalkeeper with the team, had died after a battle with kidney cancer. In April, Hamant had been diagnosed with stage 4 SMARCB1-deficient kidney cancer, a form so rare that she was only the 14th documented case on record. She sat out the entire 2025 season while undergoing treatment.
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Washington weathered through the loss to hold a 1-1 score line through two overtime periods, before winning 4-1 in penalty kicks. Sophomore keeper Tanner Ijams came up with two incredible saves to help ice the win, and junior defender Julia Hüsch hit the final PK to lead the Huskies to its first Big Ten Championship.
Washington advanced to the tournament final on Thursday, after defeating Wisconsin 2-1. But just five hours after the win, the school announced Hamant’s death.
Both teams wore orange ribbons in their hair and orange tape around their wrists in honor of Hamant during Sunday’s game. Orange is the color used for kidney cancer awareness.
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Emotions were high for Washington after the win, with several players embracing in tears.
“Mia’s been with us the whole time. She’s a part of everything we do, she always will be,” head coach Nicole Van Dyke said postgame.
This story will be updated.
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