WSOC: 2018 PREVIEW

A Look at the Huskies' Midfielders // 8.6.18

By Washington Huskies

August 6^th, 2018

An abundance of talent populates the Husky midfield entering this year, with an infusion of five newcomers added to a group of five returners. Anissa Dadkhah and Jessika Cowart each scored from the midfield for Washington last year. Key reserves Ameera Hussen and Olivia van der Jagt are also back, joining Cowart as a trio of talented sophomores. Claudia Longo, Cassidy Lucht, Summer Yates, and Vanessa Millsaps will join the team for their freshman years in the midfield. Sam Kokoska and Trinity Paulsen are also both a part of Washington’s midfield but will enter the year injured.

ANISSA DADKHAH

Dadkhah scored her first goal as a Husky on her very first shot on goal, coming 28 minutes into Washington’s home-opener against SMU. She would start eight games for the Huskies in 2017, playing a facilitating role in the high midfield. Washington lost only once in those eight games, allowing three total goals in Dadkhah’s starts. Three times she played over 80 minutes in a single match, including playing all 110 minutes in Washington’s regular season finale against Washington State.

JESSIKA COWART

Cowart scored in her first collegiate appearance, adding to the lead in Washington’s 4-0 win over Michigan State. Cowart would go on to play in seven more games, recording a shot against New Mexico and playing a season-high 24 minutes against UCLA.

AMEERA HUSSEN

Assisting on Cowart’s goal was fellow freshman Hussen, who played 12 games in 2017. Hussen record multiple shots four times and earned a start, playing 43 minutes on the road against Arizona.

OLIVIA VAN DER JAGT

Van der Jagt is Washington’s final sophomore midfielder looking to grow after a successful 2017. The Kent, Washington native started the very first game of the season and would close the season with three more starts. She played all 90 minutes against Michigan in her collegiate debut. Van der Jagt also finished the year dangerous around goal, firing off shots in each of the season’s final three games.

CLAUDIA LONGO

Longo comes to the Huskies with two state championships under her belt. She competed in the High School All-American game and was named the KingCo Offensive Player of the Year while at Issaquah High School. Longo was ranked in the Pacific Northwest’s top 25 recruits.

CASSIDY LUCHT

An All-CIF Second Team honoree, Lucht won a regional championship with her club team and played in the Open Division CIF Finals with her high school team. She earned a 4.0 GPA all four years of her high school career.

VANESSA MILLSAPS

Millsaps was named the Sunset League Offensive Player of the Year last season en route to winning a league championship with Los Alamitos High School. She led Los Alamitos to a CIF quarterfinals berth in California.

SUMMER YATES

The nation’s fourth-ranked recruit and third-ranked midfielder, Yates was a two-time 4A All-State First Team selection at Chiawana High School. Yates has trained with the U.S. National Team, attending training camps with the U20, U19, and U18 squads. After scoring 24 goals as a senior, Yates finished her career with an even 100 career goals. She played with the U.S. U19 National Team in China earlier this year.