The unseeded University of Washington men’s soccer team eliminated no. 16 seed Furman on Friday, winning 3-1 to advance to the program’s second ever College Cup Final at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC.
The Huskies got out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a late first-half pair of goals in quick succession from Zach Ramsey and Charlie Kosakoff in the 32’ and 40’, followed by an 86’ goal from Asher Hestad before Furman pulled one back through an absolute banger by Luke Hutzell in the 87’.
Despite entering the tournament as an unseeded team, the Huskies continued rolling as they dominated Furman. UW took 24 shots to Furman’s 6, forcing Furman goalkeeper Ivan Horvat to make 9 saves while Jadon Bowton only made a single save for the Huskies.
UW were pounding on the door, creating tons of chances before Alex Hall took advantage of space in the midfield with a smart dribble before finding a dangerous run from Zach Ramsey with a great pass. Ramsey provided a cool finish to open the scoring in the 32’. Just a 8 minutes later Charlie Kosakoff made it 2-0, running down a ball over the top and putting pressure on the backline, then picking off a poorly hit back pass from one of the Furman CBs before rounding the GK and firing home.
Furman had a great chance to get an answer a few minutes later, but Bowton came up with a big stop on the doorstep to keep the opponents off the board going into halftime.
The Huskies had a great chance to add to their tally in the 77’, but a series of shots were blocked or cleared inside the box. That proved to be just fine, as they found their third goal about 9 minutes later. Alex Hall once again pitched in with a nice little dribble and pass to Kosakoff, who then found Hestad for the insurance goal from the top of the box.
Furman’s goal in the closing minutes may have only been a consolation, but it was an absolute golazo. After a deep cross was headed out of the air, Luke Hutzell took the ball on the full volley with a leaping shot that slammed into the back of the net.
The win was covered in Seattle Sounders influence, as Hall and Hestad both spent time in the Sounders Academy. Gabe Fernandez, the starting left back for UW, also came through the Academy, and GK Jadon Bowton played with Spokane Sounders before heading to Montlake.
UW now face no. 15 NC State in the College Cup Final on Monday, December 15 at 4 pm PT. The Huskies will have their hands full against the Wolfpack if they’re going to win their first-ever national championship, as NC State frontman Donavan Phillip currently sits tied atop the scoring chart with 18 goals.
In 5 tournament games, UW have outscored opponents 11-4 and only given up multiple goals once – in their opening 3-2 double-overtime win against Oregon State. The final will be available on ESPNU.
