Huskies women's soccer wins Big Ten championship just days after Mia Hamant's passing

Goosebumps were felt by Washington Huskies players, fans, and coaches Sunday afternoon as UW's women's soccer team were in a tightly-contested Big Ten Tournament Championship match against the Michigan State Spartans.

It wasn't because of the grand stakes of the game, or because it was tied and scoreless since the 11th minute -- surviving two overtime periods to go into a decisive penalty shootout.

Instead, it was because the Huskies were playing their first game since the tragic passing of goalkeeper Mia Hamant, who lost her courageous battle with stage 4 kidney cancer just three days earlier. Hamant received the rare diagnosis, only 13 other people have been documented to have her form of cancer, in April of this year after having an outstanding 2024 season.

Hamant was not able to play this season, as she was undergoing treatment, but the Huskies again had a fantastic season -- going 13-2-6 en route to a No. 13 national ranking and a spot in the title game with No. 9 Michigan State. Both teams adorned orange ribbons in honor of Hamant.

As sports so often does when devastating events like this one happens, it spun tragedy into a moment of uncanny fate, as Washington's new goalkeeper Tanner Ijams rose to the occasion with the best match of her young career. Ijams made a career-high six saves in 110 minutes of play, then incredibly made two more saves in the penalty shootout to secure Washington's win.

After Julia Hüsch drilled the game-winning PK, the emotions flooded, as you can imagine.

The moment was bigger than sport itself, as a community who lost a teammate, friend, and family member came together in a way only shared grief and love can create. Just a week before her passing, Hamant was honored at Husky Stadium before Washington football took on Illinois, by following the tradition of sounding the siren before the players' entrance.

It was shocking to find out that she would be gone just days later, but her legacy as a fighter and a beam of positivity even during her final moments will last forever. Hamant was given tributes everywhere across the sports world, especially in women's sports and in soccer, where she had an outstanding 88% save percentage across 1,400 minutes and 18 games in her collegiate career.

Of course, Hamant will most be remembered by UW, where she made an impact beyond the soccer field. Huskies athletes have been wearing orange ribbons in her honor, and she was given a moment of silence before both the Big Ten Tournament Championship match and the football team's game against Wisconsin.

Huskies women's soccer will continue to play for Mia, as their win against Michigan State secured a spot in the NCAA beginning Nov. 14. In today's selection show, the Huskies were given the No. 4 seed in the bottom-right sector of the bracket -- playing host to Montana in round one. It will be another opportunity to play with the purpose inspired in all of them. Rest in peace, Mia Hamant.