By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – In another non-conference matchup for the Washington Huskies, a familiar formula resulted in another victory. The Texas Tech Red Raiders failed to get much of anything past the Husky backline. A 68th minute goal by graduate student Vanessa Millsaps gave Washington a lead that they would never look back from, pushing their unbeaten streak to five games to begin their 2022 campaign.
Vanessa Millsaps celebrates with her teammates following her 68th minute goal
Millsaps nets goal to give Huskies a second half lead
While the Washington offense has been high powered to begin the season, this match was not quite the case. Outside of a handful of opportunities, the Huskies were really not able to get much against Texas Tech keeper Madison White. While star forward Summer Yates put the pressure on as much as she could all match, she failed to find the back of the net in this contest.
About midway through the second half, Washington drew a free kick. Defender Shae Holmes whipped the ball into the Texas Tech box, and the Red Raiders were unable to cleanly clear the ball. Midfielder Vanessa Millsaps found herself in the right spot at the right time, pounding the ball past Madison White in goal to give Washington a lead. Millsaps goal became the tenth Washington player to score on the year, and it came at a crucial time.
Defender Elena Palacios looks to move the ball
Defense remains firm for fourth shutout
The Husky defensive unit has been strong so far this season, with a mixture of freshman like Kolo Suliafu, and graduate students such as Shae Holmes. With that strong mixture of veteran knowledge and younger talent, the Huskies have made the jobs of Olivia Sekany and Olivia Juarez in goal easier.
The Red Raiders were only able to muster seven total shots on the day, and lesser so only two on target. Outside of a few breakaways that didn’t even result in shots on target, Texas Tech never really made starting keeper Olivia Sekany sweat. The mixture of youth and experience on the defensive end has paid dividends early on for the Huskies. If that group can remain consistent, they make Washington a tough team to beat.
Forward Summer Yates led Washington in total shots on the night
Match reflection
While this was the second match in their young season that Washington has scored less than three goals, it’s expected. The offensive explosion that the Huskies have displayed is likely not sustainable. Seeing the potential of what this program can produce on the offensive end is exciting, especially considering that Washington has allowed one goal through five matches.
Husky defender Helena Reischling scored the game winner the last time Washington took on Seattle University
What’s next?
Next up on their non-conference schedule, Washington will battle cross town rivals Seattle University. Washington took last year's contest thanks to a late winning goal by defender Helena Reischling in overtime. That win also gave Washington the WAC/101 Club Cup. This year's contest will be a home match at the Husky soccer field, on September 4th with a kickoff time of 3PM PST.
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