On an exciting day for the future of UW women’s soccer, head coach Lesle Gallimore and the Huskies announced commitments from six players as part of national signing day.

“I am really excited for this freshman class,” Gallimore said. “They have big shoes to fill with the loss of a great group of seniors, but these incoming freshman are full of potential. We have a bright future and I look for these six to contribute right away.”

The class breaks down by position into three midfielders, two defenders and a forward. Three of the six are from the greater Seattle area, and the Huskies got one player each from California, Idaho and Utah.

Pascale Dumesnil
Midfielder; San Diego, Calif.

Pascale Dumesnil comes to UW from San Diego, where she starred at Bonita Vista High School. The 5’8” forward played her club soccer for Carlsbad Elite and was part of the CalSouth Pro Olympic Development Program in 2012 and 2013.

“Pascale is a strong, athletic and skillful midfielder who I believe will be able to have an immediate impact for us,” Gallimore said. “She sees the game well, distributes out of the midfield and is a scoring threat.”

Dumesnil has scored five goals and recorded eight assists in her first nine games during her senior season, and has a running total of 35 career goals. She was named the team’s best offensive player as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and was named first-team all-league in 2014. She is her team’s captain as a senior.

Dumesnil helped her club teams to back-to-back third place finishes at the USYSA National Championships in 2013 and 2014.

In the classroom, Dumesnil has a number of accomplishments. She was named an AP Scholar in 2014 and has been on the honor roll every semester at Bonita Vista, where her GPA puts her in the top five percent. The Union Tribune named her to San Diego’s All-Academic team in 2014 and she is a California Scholarship Federation Honor Society lifetime member. She plans to pursue a degree in business at UW.

The daughter of Michelle and Maxime, Dumesnil enjoys music, skiing and ice skating. She also speaks fluent French.

“I came to Washington because of the wonderful coaching staff and world class education,” Dumesnil said. “I love the Seattle climate and culture, and I look forward to a great undergraduate experience full of opportunities.”

Kelcie Hedge
Midfielder; Post Falls, Idaho

Kelcie Hedge prepped at Post Falls High School in Post Falls, Idaho, where she was named the 2013 Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year. She played her club soccer for Washington Premier FC and was ranked No. 13 of all incoming freshman by the TopDrawer Soccer IMG Top 150 National Rankings.

“We are thrilled that Kelcie will be joining us this spring after completing high school a semester early,” Gallimore said. “She is a crafty attacking player who can play out of the midfield or as a flank forward. She is great at connecting passes and creating and scoring chances. She’s a very fun player to watch.”

The 5’7” Hedge is involved with the U.S. Youth National Teams and most recently participated with the U-20 WNT at a camp in San Diego last fall. She has been involved in the U-18 and U-17 WNTs and looks to be part of the U.S. Soccer program going forward. 

The daughter of Todd and Lori, Kelcie has a brother, Keegan, and a sister, Krisha. She also played basketball in high school and enjoys volunteering as a mentor, boating and camping. She has a dog named Nike.

“Growing up, Seattle has been a second home to me,” Hedge said. “I love the UW campus and the amazing academics. Whenever I have visited UW, it has always felt like home, the place where I belong.” 

Amanda Johnston
Forward; Skyline, Wash.

The Huskies secured another local product in Amanda Johntson, coming to the Huskies from Sammamish, Wash. The 5’5” Skyline High School alum played her club soccer with Eastside FC.

“Amanda is an extremely quick forward who has worked very hard in the last year to become a cleaner and more dangerous player technically,” Gallimore said. “She is good on the dribble and could be a top-notch finisher in college as she becomes more and more refined.”

Johnston was a three-year scholar athlete at Skyline and was twice named the WIAA 4A Athlete of the Week in her career. As a senior, she recorded seven goals and 10 assists to help lead the Spartans to a third-place finish in the state playoffs.

As a track athlete, Johnston took second as part of a 4x200 meter relay team at the 2014 State Championship meet.

Johnston is the daughter of Kim and Bill, and she has two brothers, Joey and Michael. She enjoys reading, walking her dog and snowboarding, and intends to pursue a pre-med undergrad degree.

“I chose Washington because I believe it is the perfect fit for me,” Johnston said. “My parents went to UW, so I grew up as a Husky. I really like the soccer program at UW, and I think it is the best place for me to further develop as a player. I love everything about Seattle and UW, and I am excited to spend my next four years there.”

Brittney Porter
Midfielder; Draper, Utah

Brittney Porter comes to UW after enjoying a successful career at Lone Peak High School in Draper, Utah. She played her club soccer for Celtic Storm.

“Brittany is feisty and skillful central midfielder who will vie for playing time as a holding midfielder as we look to replace the consistent performance of perennial starter Christina Archer,” Gallimore said.

The 5’4” midfielder led her team to a 19-1 record as a senior, taking Lone Peak to the Utah 5A State Tournament finals. She scored three goals and recorded one assist during her senior season. 

Outside of high school, she was part of the Olympic Developmental Program and helped Celtic Storm to a first place finish in 2013.

Porter is the daughter of Marc and Paige, and has four siblings: Kelsey, Braden, Ethan and Jackson. She enjoys art, reading, writing and music. Porter was the Senior Class Vice President and made the Honor Roll all four years of high school. She plans on majoring in design at UW.

“I absolutely love the rain, the green and the water,” Porter said. “It also seems to be the perfect balance of academic and athletic excellence, which is exactly what I was looking for. The campus is amazing and it just seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

Taylor Sekyra
Defender; Kirkland, Wash.

The second Northwest native in this year’s class, Taylor Sekyra is from Kirkland, Wash., and played high school soccer at Lake Washington High School. She played her club soccer for Crossfire and was ranked No. 135 by the TopDrawer Soccer IMG Top 150 National Rankings.

“Taylor is a savvy and intelligent player with a terrific feel for the game,” Gallimore said. “She is a smart organizing central defender who is technical enough to be a great attacking back and leader.”

At Lake Washington, the 5’8” Sekyra was named All-State First Team. As a defender, she scored six goals and had seven assists in her senior season and helped lead her team to an appearance in the state tournament.  As a member of Washington EPD, she was selected to represent Region IV at the ODP Interregional event in 2012.

Sekyra is the daughter of Chuck and Rhonda, and enjoys traveling and paddle boarding.  She is an Honor Society member and plans on majoring in nursing. Her father was previously the head coach of the Seattle Pacific women’s soccer team and spent three years as an assistant coach at UW under Gallimore from 2000 to 2003.

“I grew up around the Husky women’s soccer program when my dad was the assistant coach,” Sekyra said. “I have always wanted to play soccer at UW. I like the style of play and the way the team is like a family on and off the field. I love the program Lesle and Amy have created and I am excited to wear the purple and gold.”

Jessica Udovich
Defender; Puyallup, Wash.

Jessica Udovich joins the Huskies after finishing a stellar career at Puyallup High School, where she was named the SPSL 4A South District MVP in 2014. Udovich played her club soccer for Washington Premier. The TopDrawer Soccer IMG Top 150 National Rankings ranked Udovich the No. 47 prospect in this class.

“Jess is one of the best one-versus-one defenders I’ve seen in a long time,” Gallimore said. “She rarely gets beaten on the dribble and reads the game very well so is often seen intercepting passes from the opponent. She has very good pace and is a physically strong player and I think will adjust to college soccer very quickly.”

A highly decorated player, the 5’7” Udovich was named to the SPSL South first team in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and was an All-State selection her junior and senior seasons. This past fall, she was invited to play in the Girls High School All-American Game, representing the West squad. The game was made up of 42 of the best players selected from across the country.

Outside of high school, Udovich was part of many regional and national championship runs with Washington Premier. She was a member of WA ODP from 2009-2012, and was invited to ODP National Camp in 2012.

Udovich is the daughter of Joe and Tami, and has two sisters; Taylor and Meredith. She loves working out, hiking and was named Homecoming Queen her senior year. She intends to major in biomedical engineering.

“On my first visit to UW, I fell in love with the campus and knew I wanted to stay close to home,” Udovich said. “I felt a connection with the coaching staff and the players. I know Lesle, Amy and Brendan will push me to be the best player I can be. I have had an amazing coach (Seth Spidahl) for the last five years and he has prepared me for the college level. I'm ready to Play. Go Dawgs!”