SEATTLE – On Tuesday, the Big Ten Conference announced its Players to Watch list for the 2024 season. Three Husky juniors were selected among the league’s top talents.
As midfielders, they will be the trailblazers for Washington next season Kelsey Branson And Tatum Thomason and defender Kolo Suliafu.
Branson, who was named to the 2022 All-Pac-12 Freshman Team, is entering her first season in the Big Ten after being a key player for the Huskies in two consecutive seasons.
After making a name for herself as a rookie with five goals and four assists, the San Diego, California native followed up in 2023. Branson started all 19 games for the Dawgs in 2023 and was second on the team with four goals and three assists. The Cathedral Catholic product earned her second Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors as she helped lead UW to a monumental road game at No. 2 Stanford.
Thomason, who played frequently with Branson over the past two seasons, was also named one of the B1G’s greatest scorers after leading UW in scoring with six goals in 2023.
After a solid freshman season, the Arizona native became a star in her sophomore season, especially down the stretch. Half of Thomason’s six goals came in the final three games of 2023, when she scored a late winner at Oregon before scoring a brace in the Boeing Apple Cup win over Washington State.
While Branson and Thomason provided an effective one-two punch for the Dawgs, their junior colleague Suliafu secured the Dawgs’ defensive line at the other end of the field.
In two seasons in purple and gold, Suliafu started 37 of 38 games, missing one due to injury. The Ontario, California native’s speed and defensive prowess helped her keep a clean sheet in 11 of those 37 games. In addition to her defensive work, Suliafu also contributes on offense, adding four assists in her career.
Washington officially kicks off its first regular season in the Big Ten on Thursday, hosting Wyoming for kickoff at 7 p.m. PT at Husky Soccer Stadium. The game can be streamed via B1G+.
For more information about the UW women’s soccer team, follow @UW_WSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
