The UW women’s soccer team has started its season 7-1, its best start since the 2004 season when the Huskies started out 8-0. With a quality win over then No. 28 Purdue, Washington has shed the rebuilding mode they were in for the past three years and is looking to make the post-season tournament.

Coach Lesle Gallimore agreed.

“It looks to this point that we are at that juncture with our team,” she said. “It doesn’t mean it’s perfect, doesn’t mean it’s not still a work in progress in a lot of ways, but we do seem to have turned a corner, which is great.”

Much has been made about the youth of the team, which does return 17 players from last season, but also includes one of the best recruiting classes the program has ever seen.

Gallimore said the team is well-rounded and will work well together.

“We are young, but at the same time, I feel like we’re balanced,” she said. “We have a very good balance between the different classes of kids as far as the number of impact players we have that are seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshman. It’s probably the most balanced team we’ve had in a long time.”

Gallimore is employing a defensive philosophy for the team, citing the importance of time of possession, keeping games close and opening opportunities to attack.

“We want to be tenacious, we want to be aggressive, we want to be organized and we want to be a solid, solid team defensively,” Gallimore said. “If you can do that in soccer. It leads to the ability to attack great and have the ball more than you don’t have it and I think our team has taken that to heart.”

Many would argue that the most important position on a soccer team — defensive or otherwise — is the goalkeeper, and the Huskies have two vying for playing time. Thus far, it’s been the junior Alex Phillips who has taken on the bulk of the goalkeeping duties, but freshman Kara Davidson is putting significant pressure on Phillips for the starting job.

Gallimore didn’t want to take away from either player and stressed hard work on the field.

“Alex has really shown that she can play well in games, but like any field player, I don’t want any of our kids in our environment to feel overly comfortable that they’re gonna start and play every minute and not take in the idea that they have to fight every minute for their playing time,” she said.

According to Gallimore, the timeshare is not a knock on Phillips’ skills but is used as motivation for each player to better their game and improve the overall goalkeeping for the Huskies.

Despite this, the goalie competition will likely continue for the rest of the season.

“We are in an ideal situation with both of them,” Gallimore said. “They both have great attitudes, they pull for each other, they’re great team players, but they’re also competitors.”

Helping Phillips and Davidson defend is the defensive backfield of sophomores Kendyl Pele and Hannah Greig, junior Lindsey Kasser, and fifth-year senior Dana Stirn. The veteran defense is much improved from last season, when it gave up 1.85 points per game. Thus far, the Huskies have only allowed 0.75 points per game.

In the midfield, the Huskies have a slew of players vying for playing time, including last season’s second leading scoreer, senior Jenna Robison, converted defender junior Nikki Murray, junior Chelsea Bumbaugh, and heralded recruit Kate Deines.

The forwards are led by senior Melissa Beal and junior Veronica Perez. They are joined by sophomore McKenna Waitley, who Gallimore said was the best attacking player from spring.

“She (Waitley) is just now getting into form,” Gallimore said. “I think she is going to turn it on in the second half of the season.”

Reach reporter Honsen Lin at sports@dailyuw.com.