There's a specific shade of orange that tells you everything about this University of Washington women's soccer season—bright and impossible to miss, wrapped around wrists and tied in tight bows in their hair. It's the color of kidney cancer awareness. It's the color of Mia Hamant.
When the Huskies take the field on Sunday, Nov. 23, against top-seeded Virginia in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 (streaming on ESPN+ at 11 a.m. PT), they'll carry their teammate with them the way they have through every match this fall.
Two days before they won the Big Ten Tournament championship in a penalty shootout, Hamant passed away from an ultrarare form of kidney cancer. She was 21.
The Associated Press
The team learned about her death just after defeating Wisconsin in the semifinals. There wasn't time to process the loss, not really. They began debating if they should even play in the championship. If they could go through with it. But they knew they had to do what Mia would have done. They showed up.
Against Michigan State, the game went to penalties after the two sides were still tied 1-1 through overtime. Sophomore goalkeeper Tanner Ijams, who'd learned so much from Hamant just a year prior, stepped up and stopped two of MSU's shots. One by one, Washington's players converted their penalties. Some lifted their jerseys to reveal "For Mia" written underneath. Another kissed their orange wristband after burying their shot. Others looked to the sky.
Hamant's presence was everywhere that day—in the orange flickers throughout the game, the hype music in the locker room, and the way they played with both heartbreak and purpose. UW head coach Nicole Van Dyke was emotional talking about the win for the players and their beloved teammate.
"Mia's been with us the whole time. She's a part of everything we do and she will always be," Van Dyke said with tears. "I can't put into words how appreciative we are of the support that everyone has given her, her family, this team, our program. I'm just so happy for these kids."
"It’s hard to perfectly describe her because Mia was Mia. If I didn’t start with her being an exceptional goalkeeper, she might be upset," Van Dyke told CNN in a later interview. "She was strong, resilient, an exceptional teammate. She was funny, she just regularly kept us laughing. She always brought people with her. She brought us so much joy."
That joy is what defined Hamant as much as her ability between the posts. Last season as a junior, she posted one of the lowest goals-against averages in program history at 0.66 and ranked third nationally with a save percentage above 88%. But if you only remember her for the saves she made, you're missing what mattered most about her.
The Huskies dedicated this season to Hamant before they knew how it would end. When she received her diagnosis in April—stage 4 SMARCB1-deficient renal medullary carcinoma, a cancer so rare it was only the 14th documented case of its kind—she stepped away from the team to begin chemotherapy. But she never really left. She was there at home games. She was there on FaceTime when they traveled. She remained the heart of the program even as she fought for her life.
The NCAA Tournament has become a continuation of that fight, carried forward by her teammates.
In the first round against Montana, a sold-out crowd at Husky Soccer Stadium wore bright orange hats. For Mia. Sophomore Alex Buck, a Bellevue native and Eastside FC product, scored twice—once in the 11th minute and again in the 90th—to seal a 2-0 victory.
In the second round against Arkansas, Buck came through again. The game remained scoreless through regulation despite Washington holding an advantage in shots. Then, in the 99th minute, Buck received a clearance from deep in her own half and carried the ball forward. Facing two defenders at the edge of the 18-yard box, she cut inside to her left, unbalancing the nearest defender, then quickly shifted back to her right foot and unleashed a quick shot into the left corner.
For Mia.
Now the Huskies face their toughest test yet. Virginia enters with a 14-3-4 record and a veteran head coach in Steve Swanson, who's in his 25th season with the Cavaliers and has guided them to three NCAA College Cups. The Cavaliers are led by senior Maggie Cagle and fifth-year midfielder Lia Godfrey, who each have 11 goals this season.
It won't be easy. Virginia's only lost three times all year. Their goalkeeper has posted a save percentage above 83%. The Cavaliers have home-field advantage at Klöckner Stadium.
But Washington has something Virginia doesn't: a season defined by playing for someone bigger than themselves.
The Huskies are the undisputed Big Ten champions, winning both the regular season and tournament titles. They've won five straight penalty shootouts dating back to 2010. They've scored 21 of their 34 goals in the first half this season, often taking control early and never letting go.
Most importantly, they've shown up for each other when it mattered most. Ijams made those saves against Michigan State. Buck has scored clutch goals in back-to-back tournament matches. Samiah Shell was named Big Ten Tournament MVP. This team has found ways to win even when their hearts were breaking.
Regardless of what happens against Virginia, this season already means everything. The Huskies have put together a campaign that Hamant would be proud of. They are playing with resilience, joy, and the kind of unshakable spirit she showed every single day.
They'll wear their orange wristbands. They'll tie orange ribbons in their hair. And they'll have a community of supporters with them as they remember the way Hamant kept them laughing, the way she lifted everyone around her, the way she competed and fought until the very end.
And then they'll play. For Mia.
