Northwestern Jets West For Saturday Showdown With No. 14 Washington

EVANSTON, Ill. (October 9, 2026) – Northwestern concludes a two-game Big Ten Conference road swing on Saturday evening, as it heads west to take on reigning NCAA National Champion No. 14 Washington in a 9 p.m. CT kickoff at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle, Wash.

Head coach Russell Payne’s team will be in search of its second win over a ranked opponent this season after it blitzed No. 2 Maryland by a final count of 4-0 on September 11.

LAST TIME OUT
Host Rutgers jumped out to an early lead en route to dealing Northwestern a 4-0 defeat last Friday at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. Peter Riesz unleashed a team-high four shots to lead the Wildcats in the final third.

SCOUTING WASHINGTON
Currently sitting at No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, Washington (6-3-2, 3-1-1 B1G) rolls into Saturday’s matchup on a three-game unbeaten run. The Huskies dispatched No. 3 Ohio State, 4-0, and No. 22 Rutgers, 4-1, before settling for a scoreless stalemate with No. 19 Wisconsin. After a 2-1 setback to No. 18 San Diego on August 20 to begin its home slate, Washington has been a tough out at Husky Soccer Stadium, going unbeaten (4-0-2) across the following six contests.

Head coach Jamie Clark is in the midst of his 16th season leading the Huskies. Clark, who has piloted the program to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, took Washington to the pinnacle of college soccer last season, winning the program’s first national title following a 3-2 overtime win against NC State in the NCAA College Cup Final.

The Huskies boast the nation’s top offensive threat in Zach Ramsey. Named the Most Outstanding Player of last season’s College Cup, Ramsey has a Division I-best 14 goals to his name this season. The versatile midfielder has five games with two-plus goals, none more impressive than a hat trick against rival Gonzaga on August 23.

Stockton Short has backstopped Washington in all 11 games this season, posting a 1.36 goals against average for a Huskies' defensive unit that allows only seven shots per game.

SERIES STUFF
Northwestern and Washington will meet for only the third time on Saturday evening in the Emerald City. The Huskies hold a 2-0 lead in the all-time series, with both matchups coming following Washington’s move to the Big Ten Conference prior to the 2024-25 academic year.

When the two teams met last season at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, the Wildcats dominated on the stat sheet, finishing with edges in both shots, 19-8, and corner kicks, 11-3, but a Harrison Bertos goal in the 22nd minute proved to be the difference in a 1-0 setback.

UP NEXT
Northwestern opens a brief two-game homestand on Friday, October 16, when it hosts Penn State for Senior Night in a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.