The Washington Huskies lost a teammate and a friend to cancer. Inspired by her memory, they won a championship 3 days later

Washington players, wearing shirts in honor of teammate Mia Hamant, huddle together during the Big Ten Tournament. Courtesy Joe Puetz/University of Washington

The aftermath of a penalty shootout is always emotional.

One team will be joyfully exuberant, celebrating a victory wrought from the most nerve-wracking tension. That ecstasy will often be peppered with relief because things rarely go perfectly in a shootout. But for the other side, there is only dejection and heartbreak; it’s cruel to come so close to winning and lose.

On November 9 in the Big Ten tournament championship game, it would have been hard to guess the result just from looking at the University of Washington’s women’s soccer players. They hugged each other tight, and some were weeping on their knees as they proce