December 16, 2025 — Cary, N.C – Following a battle that lasted beyond 90 minutes of regulation time, the University of Washington men’s soccer team defeated No. 15 North Carolina State 3-2 in overtime to win the program’s first College Cup.
Playing at First Horizon Field in Cary, North Carolina, the teams held each other scoreless until nearly halftime. That is until Washington struck in the match’s 44th minute to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead over the Wolfpack at the midway point.
As a kick downfield bumped off of the head of North Carolina State’s Nikola Markovic and trickled toward the penalty area, Wolfpack goalkeeper Logan Erb charged forward to corral the ball. Blocking a charging Husky by sliding, the ball knocked away from Erb, ultimately allowing Washington’s Zach Ramsey to sink the game’s first goal on a shot sent at a clear net.
Leading 1-0 coming out of the half, Joe Dale doubled the Huskies’ lead during the 62nd minute. Dribbling toward the boundary to the left of the goal, Richie Aman snuck a pass to Dale at the center of the net, allowing him to tap the ball in within mere steps of the net’s opening for Washington’s second goal.
The Wolfpack did not back down without a fight, though. Trailing 2-0, Donavan Phillip halved Washington’s lead in the 66th minute. Receiving a feed on a header from Markovic, Phillip bicycle-kicked the ball past Washington goalkeeper Jadon Bowton for North Carolina State’s first goal.
Down a goal entering the final minutes of regulation, Taig Healy served the equalizer in the match’s 87th minute. Receiving a pass sent by Calem Tommy from the right side of the net, Justin McLean tapped the ball over to Healy, who fired a strike past a diving Bowton into the net to tie the game.
Tied 2-2 as the 90th minute struck, the game went into overtime. With neither team having won a National Championship before, program history was on the line for each school involved — and it would not take long for the deciding goal to arrive within extra time.
Receiving a pass from the back-half of the field, Aman gained control of the ball within the penalty box on the net’s left side. Aman sent a pass to his right, landing the ball at the feet of Charlie Kosakoff, who deflected the ball behind him and to his right. Receiving Kosakoff’s thread was Egor Akulov, who passed the ball to Harrison Bertos in the direction of the net.
Positioned within the goalie box, Bertos skidded the ball past Erb for the Championship-winning goal. The officials reviewed the play for offsides, but it was decided that the goal was clean, securing the first College Cup victory for Washington and head coach Jamie Clark by a score of 3-2.
The victory capped off a 16-6-2 season for the Huskies that saw four road victories and a neutral-site win in the NCAA Tournament to reach the National Championship. Additionally, the team collected seven ranked victories throughout the year.
In the College Cup final, Washington had nine shots on goal compared to North Carolina State’s seven — although the Wolfpack outshot the Huskies 17-13. North Carolina State also took twice as many corner kicks as Washington, taking 10 in comparison to the Huskies’ five.
With their victory, Washington improves their College Cup record to 1-1. Their only other appearance came in 2021, which saw the Huskies fall 2-0 to the No. 8 Clemson Tigers.
Related
Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky!
*Cover photo by Sean Fan / The Daily UW
Come As You Are Sports 
Share your thoughts and connect with others :)