SEATTLE — The University of Washington Women’s Soccer team is fresh off the heels of its first-ever conference tournament title-- all while, still coping with the recent death of a teammate.
Mia Hament passed away last Thursday, following her battle with a rare form of kidney cancer.
Now, her team is just six wins away from capping off an emotional campaign with a national championship.
It’s been a hard week for Huskies: The team got the news of Mia’s passing just three days before winning the “Big 10” tournament on Sunday.
On a penalty kick, no less.
That’s something Mia, a goalkeeper, would’ve appreciated. And, it’s clear the entire locker room has been playing with a bigger purpose all season.
“Mia’s goals never changed despite her circumstance,” says Huskies’ Head Coach Nicole Van Dyke.
“She wanted this team to finish what it started. She wants this team to go and pursue our goals, because she was a part of all that. Those are her goals.”
Alex Buck feels the same way.
“Facing some adversity for sure has really helped propel us to be where we’re at right now,” notes the Huskies’ Forward. “It brought us so much closer together. And, being just such a close knit team just makes us want to work harder for each other, on and off the field.”
There are reminders of Mia all around Husky Soccer Stadium. That includes a memorial on the hill, fittingly just behind one of the goals.
And, as they push past their heartbreak, her teammates have been vocal about what their goalkeeper provided on the pitch.
“Mia had so much love for the game and brought so much positivity,” quips Washington Midfield Jadyn Holdenried.
And, the team is paying it back. Showing support with orange armbands and hair-ties promoting kidney cancer awareness. We even saw orange beanies getting passed out before Friday night’s NCAA Tournament match against Montana.
“I think in times like this it’s really easy to go down a rabbit hole of being negative,” Holdenried admitted. “But, I don’t know…I just want to bring joy and positivity when I’m out there playing.”
“By no means was it easy. It was hard. But, this team stuck together,” Van Dyke adds.
Meanwhile, University of Washington Medical Professor Scott Tykodi asserts Mia’s case was difficult given the unusual circumstances.
The oncologist notes that limited treatment option made the diagnosis more challenging. One that was even hard for doctors to digest.
“The average age of diagnosis for kidney cancer is in the mid-60’s,” according to the expert. “So, most of our patients are older adults that we’re seeing day in and day out. It’s quite rare to have somebody of Mia’s age with this diagnosis.”
And, unfortunately there’s currently no screening program for kidney cancer. However, Tykodi hopes Mia’s story will help invoke change.
He maintains that “Mia being so available, being on social media, and telling people the diagnosis she had, in making herself somebody recognizable is certainly going to galvanize people to be more aware of kidney cancer.”
As for how the Huskies move forward, if they can push past the adversity, their storybook ending includes a national championship.
This is the first time they’ve hosted an NCAA Tournament match since 2019. That season, they beat Seattle-U in the Opening Round, before falling to South Florida.
This time around, they enter as the 4-seed. Their tourney starts with a tough test against a Montana team that hasn’t lost since September 26th.
We also know the winner will face Arkansas, after the Razorbacks pulled out a (1-0) victory over Dartmouth Friday afternoon. That sets up a 2nd-Round showdown with either the Huskies or Grizz next Thursday.
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