Colleen Quigley is an Olympic middle-distance runner who placed 8th in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2016 Rio games. An NCAA All-American and national champion at Florida State, Quigley spoke with JWS about what she’s learned in quarantine and how she’s getting ready for next summer’s Olympics. 

What’s your current training routine and how has it been affected by the pandemic?

Luckily, I’m in a sport where the majority of my training is done outside, and running is one of the most safe things that you can do during the pandemic. So that’s pretty awesome that we don’t have to go to a gym. We’re not worried about coming in contact with other people. The majority of my training I can do outside, and so it hasn’t really changed. The gym part has to be tweaked a bit, in terms of weight training and strength training stuff. I can’t really do that in the way that we’re used to. So just like everyone else, I’ve pivoted to the living room workout and just making the home gym work. It actually hasn’t been too bad. It definitely gets a little bit old, but not too bad. I will say, too, I really am leaning more than ever on my at home recovery tools, like my Hyperice and my NormaTec, for when I can’t go in for treatment or get a massage.

Are you on schedule for Tokyo next summer?

With track, it’s kind of interesting. The track and field Olympic team trials are not until July, so we have some time to train, and then it’s a one week process of a prelim and then a final. It comes down to one race deciding your fate. It’s crazy, but that’s how they do it. Every four years, there’s an opportunity to show up as fit and ready as you can and try to earn your spot on the team. It seems like it’s far away right now, but I know it’s going to be here soon.

How do you handle the pressure of going into a race like that?

It’s a lot. Every race that I enter there’s always something on the line. There’s always a team to make or a medal to earn, or an opportunity to get a record, or earn a bonus, or whatever it is. I think the last couple of years, a big part of my preparedness has come from working with a mental coach or a sports psych, however you want to call it. That has been a huge help to me. I realized that I work so much on my body, that it would be a shame to get in the best shape of my life and then show up on race day and let the nerves overpower me so that I can’t even use all this work that I’ve put in. And it’s helped me get over some of the stereotypes, like, if you see a sports psych, that means that you’re weak, or that you have issues. I realized there were lots of gains I could be making, and I really want to end my career realizing that there’s no stone unturned.

I think that’s what really helped me get to the starting line feeling excited for the challenge ahead, instead of overcome with nerves and fear. I really recommend that to any athlete who feels like they’re struggling with the pressure. There’s people that can help you. And they really do a good job.

How will the next 6 months differ from your run up to the 2016 games? Are there fewer races and competitions?

I think you have to go with the flow as we’re going through the waves of this pandemic. And right now, we’re in an uptick and everyone’s kind of shutting down again because cases are rising, and hospitalization and deaths are rising. So everyone’s kind of going back into super careful mode, which probably is going to mean no races for a while. We don’t really know at all what the schedule looks like this time around. We’re going to have to be more flexible and open to not having a plan or knowing that we have a plan, but it’s probably going to change, and being okay with that.

If a race opportunity comes up, you gotta take it. And if that opportunity goes away, then you just keep training. Everyone’s in the same boat, everyone’s just trying to stay safe and stay healthy and get to the starting line. So there will definitely be a lot more unknowns this time around, but that could just give everyone a bigger sense of gratitude when they do get to race. We have to make it count.

What have been some habits that you’ve had that have helped keep you sane during quarantine?

I don’t know it’s anything revolutionary, but what works for me is just getting a good routine going. Feeling like you don’t wake up in the morning going, “Oh, what am I going to do?” Just being like, okay, I wake up, make coffee, walk the dog, and then come back, have a little light breakfast, do my pre-run routine, go for my run and come back, do my strength routine, Pilates, whatever. Maybe have a snack or maybe it’s just already lunchtime. And then I go into my afternoon stuff, maybe have interviews or just check emails, work on projects I’m doing, make a video, work on my Instagram. And then like, okay, 4:00, I’m going to hop on the bike. Maybe I have PT in the afternoon or whatever, and then make dinner and go to bed.

I feel like just getting a routine and feeling comfortable in that routine helps you feel less lost or like you’re being tossed in the wind. You just have to get a really good rhythm going that makes you feel less  scattered.

What are some other projects or hobbies you’ve been able to spend more time on?

I feel like I’m always behind on a million things that I owe people or things that I’d like to do. I have an idea and I write it down and then it may or may not get done three months later. I feel like there’s always so many cool opportunities and I definitely have a lot of interests. One thing I’ll shout out is a company I’ve gotten involved with called Voice in Sport, or VIS for short. Stefanie Strack, the founder, used to work at Nike, and she contacted me about their podcast. So I got in a podcast and we had an hour and a half conversation. Everything that she’s doing with VIS for young girls is so cool and unique. She’s taken the time to develop this really awesome platform and the backend stuff is really at a high level. I became a mentor with them and I just started this month, working with a group as well as some one-on-one meetings. I’m new to the community, but I’m really excited to be a part of it and to give these young girls the resources they need to feel supported.

You chose running over a modeling career, saying you just couldn’t quit the sport. Has quarantine strengthened or altered that conviction?

Oh gosh. It’s one of those things where I think that, it was definitely a big decision at the time. It was kind of a crossroads in my life when I was 18 years old. I graduated high school and was given these two, honestly, really good options for the next steps in my life. I could move to New York and sign with an agency that was really excited to represent me and make a bunch of money and maybe become famous. And that seemed great. I love New York city. Or, I could take the scholarship and go to school for free and be a D1 athlete and have a chance at winning a national title. And that was also a good option. I could have gone either way, but I knew within a few months of being on campus at Florida State that I had made the right decision. I haven’t looked back since, and I can’t imagine not going down the road that I did. It’s led me to meet so many incredible people and given me the chance to make an impact on young girls and on a lot of people I’ve never met in a way that I just don’t think modeling would have offered me

Anything else that you wanted to add? 

I’ve been slacking on a few Instagram accounts that I run, my dog’s, my own, and then an account called Fast Braid Friday, but that last one is all about braids and hair and how doing something as simple as putting a braid or two in your hair before you go out for a hard workout or a race or into an important business meeting can make you feel more confident. It can make you feel like you’ve got your shoulders back and your head up and you’re ready to take on that challenge, whatever that might be. And so every week I post about my fast braids, with the idea that braids make you feel fast, on my own social media using #FastBraidFriday. And then I try to keep up with the Fast Braid Friday Instagram account as well, but I need to get back on that. That’s one of those things that’s fallen on the to-do list. I’ll also repost other people’s photos and share their stories. It’s become a community built around hair and braids, which is really fun.

Happy New Year’s, squad. We don’t need to tell you that 2020 was the worst. But in a tough year for everyone, and a bumpy year for sports, the world’s best and brightest still found a way to break records, win trophies, lead movements, and inspire fans.

So while we’re all ready to wave 2020 goodbye, here are 20 things that happened in women’s sports that didn’t totally suck.


1. The WNBA signed a groundbreaking CBA

It’s hard to remember now, but the year got off to a sparkling start when the WNBA announced a historic new Collective Bargaining Agreement. With a significant salary bump, fully-paid maternity leave, improved travel arrangements, increased investments in marketing, and a future 50-50 revenue split, the new eight-year CBA was not just a momentous achievement for the league and its players, but a watershed moment in women’s sports.

2. And the Wubble rewrote the athlete-activist script

There will never be another “Wubble” (we hope). But what the players did this season inside their Florida bubble changed sports forever. From a season-opening moment of silence in honor of Breonna Taylor, to a nationally-aired roundtable on politics and race, the W made social justice an integral part of its season. Players wore jerseys honoring victims of racial violence, endorsed a US Senate candidate, and spearheaded voter registration campaigns, all while putting on a show on the hardwood, night in and night out.

3. They weren’t alone in answering the call

Athletes everywhere found their voices this summer. Sparked by the police killing of George Floyd, protests against racial injustice spread from the streets of Minneapolis to the tennis courts of New York, with female athletes everywhere leading the charge. Many, like Coco Gauff and Simone Manuel, spoke out at rallies and through social media. Others, like Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry, were vindicated after being punished for protesting earlier in their careers. Together, they reset the expectations of what athletes can do.

img
AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES
4. Naomi Osaka talked the talk, walked the walk

One of those athletes who rose to the moment was Naomi Osaka, the once-reticent superstar who in 2020 transformed herself into an outspoken activist. Osaka first led a player strike at the Western & Southern Open before winning the US Open while donning a series of seven masks, each one honoring a Black American killed by police or in an act of racial profiling. Osaka said ahead of time she needed to win every match to present every mask, and she did just that, claiming her third major title in three years while reaffirming her status as tennis’ best young player.

5. Women’s sports bucked the trend 

Sports viewership was down everywhere this year—everywhere, that is, except women’s sports. The NWSL became the first major team sports league to return to play, staging a Covid-free Challenge Cup en route to a 500% increase in television viewership on the year. WNBA regular season viewership was likewise up 68% for the regular season, while Athletes Unlimited brought softball to television, and NBC picked up FAWSL games from across the pond. In a year when sports viewership was down everywhere else, women’s sports showed up and showed out.

6. The Houston Dash won a trophy

The Challenge Cup was one small step for team sports, one giant leap for the Houston Dash. The oft-derided underdogs from H-Town played with a Texas-sized chip on their shoulders for most of the Cup, winning the club’s first-ever major trophy before double-fisting Budweisers in a celebration fit for Queens.

img
@NWSL
7. Kristie Mewis won the year

Her post-Challenge Cup shenanigans sent the internet into a tizzy (see above), while her remarkable return to the USWNT after more than six years away had many of us in tears. No athlete better encapsulated the meaning of perseverance in 2020 than Kristie Mewis, whose 2,722 days between USWNT goals was both a national team record and the epitome of grit.

8. Sabrina Ionescu cemented her status as triple-double queen

Her first WNBA season might have been cut short by injury, but let’s not forget all that Ionescu did in 2020. Already the NCAA’s all-time leader in triple doubles, she became the first college basketball player ever (men’s or women’s) to collect 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in a career—on the very same day she spoke at the memorial service for her mentor Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.

9. A’ja Wilson made the leap 

We all knew A’ja Wilson was going to be a WNBA superstar. We just didn’t know when. But in year three, the 24-year-old made the leap, winning league MVP en route to leading the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA Finals. Watching her and Breanna Stewart first duel for the MVP and then for the title, it’s safe to say the league is in very good hands.

10. Christine Sinclair scored goal No. 185

Canadian legend Christine Sinclair etched her name into the history books this January when she scored international goal No. 185 at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, passing Abby Wambach for the most all-time. At 37 years old, Sinclair is the most-capped international footballer playing today (with 296 national team appearances), and is still going strong heading into next summer’s Olympics.

11. Sarah Fuller kicked her way into history

The feel-good story of the year was none other than Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller. First, she led the Commodores soccer team to their first SEC Tournament title since 1994. A week later, she became the first woman to play in a Power Five conference football game when she kicked off for the Vanderbilt team. Two weeks later, she knocked home two PATs to become the first woman to score in a Power Five game, inspiring countless fans while expertly laying waste to the trolls of Twitter.

12. We started a podcast!

We’re going to throw ourselves a high-five for this one. The Just Women’s Sports podcast debuted at #1 in sports and #16 overall, and just 20 episodes in, we’re cruising past 750,000 downloads at last check. This wouldn’t be possible without all you faithful listeners. Thank you, thank you, thank you—and rest assured, more pods are coming in 2021.

13. Alex Morgan became a mom 

Our very first podcast guest was none other than Alex Morgan, USWNT superstar and, as of May, a first-time mom. Her daughter Charlie accompanied Morgan abroad as she suited up for Tottenham Hotspur this fall, where the two-time World Cup champ barely missed a beat in her return to play. Recording two goals in five appearances for the club, Morgan is on track to lead the USWNT in Tokyo next summer.

14. Sue Bird got two rings

In a year of surprises, Sue Bird reminded us that some things never change. At 40 years old, she’s still one of the best floor generals in the WNBA, leading the Seattle Storm to their fourth league title inside the WNBA bubble while also playing a pivotal role in the league’s social justice efforts. Adding to her jewelry collection, Sue Bird also got engaged to fellow superstar Megan Rapinoe. Name a more anticipated post-Covid wedding. Spoiler alert, you can’t.

15. Cat Osterman proved age is just a number 

Pitching legend Cat Osterman likewise spent 2020 proving that age is just a number. After coming out of retirement in 2018 in the hopes of earning a spot on Team USA, Osterman casually pitched her way to the first-ever Athletes Unlimited individual title, fanning a good number of players who grew up watching Osterman play. 37 years old and still the best in the world, Osterman is on a mission to win Olympic gold in Tokyo.

16. April Ross and Alix Klineman showed they’re Olympic-ready

In a condensed season, Ross and Klineman swept the three-tournament AVP Champions Cup, winning all 12 of their matches over three weekends of competition. After winning bronze with Kerri Walsh Jennings in 2016, Ross and her new partner now look poised to enter next summer’s Olympics as the favorites to take home gold.

17. The NWSL announced not one, but two expansions

Already the longest-running professional women’s soccer league ever in the U.S., the NWSL looks poised to achieve even greater heights as it expands its footprint with two additional clubs. Racing Louisville FC will begin play in 2021, while Angel City FC, led by a superstar ownership featuring Natalie Portman, Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, and many others, will kick off in 2022. High-profile investors signal a new era of growth for the NWSL, and you better believe we’re ready for take off.

18. The LPGA proved its future is already here

All four 2020 LPGA majors were won by first-time major winners. Sophia Popov’s British Open win may have been the most unique, as the 304th-ranked player had been caddying for a friend just a few weeks before, but in each of the year’s majors, the LPGA’s parity was on display. As the year concludes, eight of the top ten ranked players are 27 or younger, and the future of the tour has never looked brighter.

19. Vivianne Miedema put the football world on notice

Speaking of future superstars: at 24 years old, Vivianne Miedema has already scored more international goals (70) for the Netherlands than any other player before her, on either the women’s or men’s teams. And this year, she became the all-time leading goalscorer in FA Women’s Super League history, with 53 goals (and counting) in only 55 appearances for Arsenal. Look for the Dutch striker to be a star at next summer’s Olympics.

20. Tara VanDerveer won game No. 1099

With a 104-61 win over Pacific on December 15th, longtime Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer passed the Pat Summitt for the most victories in Division I history. It may have come in an empty gym, but nothing could diminish the importance of VanDerveer’s achievement. “I really hope Pat Summitt is looking down and saying, ‘Good job, Tara. Keep it going,'” said VanDerveer after the game. With Stanford 7-0 and ranked No. 1, VanDerveer looks ready to add to her tally as well as her trophy case in 2021.

2021: ONE BIG THING
img
PHILIP FONG/GETTY IMAGES

2020 is over. But as we look back on a year like no other, it seems only right to take a peek at what’s to come, and no sporting event in 2021 will be bigger than the Tokyo Olympics.

Next summer’s Olympics will provide the first opportunity for the world to come together since the pandemic began. No matter what happens, it’s bound to be historic, with so many pre-Olympics storylines already swirling. What will organizers do to keep everyone safe? How will athletes use the stage to drive social change, especially after the US said there will be no punishments for protesting?

And then there’s the question of who wins all the medals.

Needless to say, there will be drama, exultation, disappointment and relief, and Just Women’s Sports will be there to cover it all. Be sure to keep your eyes (and ears) peeled this winter and spring, as we’ll be rolling out special coverage starting in January. And trust us, you won’t want to miss what we’ve got cooking up.

Cassidy Gale is a two-time wakesurfing world champion. Just 20 years old, the Michigan native is currently in pursuit of her third world title. She spoke with JWS about her path to success and where she wants to go in the future. 

How did you first get into wakesurfing?

I started wakeboarding when I was seven. That was kind of around the time when wakesurfing was just starting. And I tried it, but I was too small. So then I waited a few years and I tried again when I was turning 10. I just did it for fun and I eventually started learning more tricks and stuff. I entered my first competition when I was 15, and from there, I realized that I really liked the competitive side of it. And so I started learning more tricks and setting more goals to learn more and more tricks.

Was anybody in your family like, hey, let’s go try this? 

My older brother and my dad would do it. That’s kind of why I wanted to start it, because I watched my older brother do it. I was like, Oh, I want to do that, too. I grew up on a lake in the summers, so we would do every water sport we could.

Did you have any other role models in your sport? 

Yeah, when I first started I really looked up to Ashley Kidd, who is still the number one. She was one that I would always watch her videos and try to learn everything that she’s learning. And now we’re competitors. It was definitely surreal when I first turned pro, when I went from watching all those people to being in the same division as them. But it was really cool when I was first starting out.

What does it mean to be a professional wakesurfer in terms of training, competition, and sponsorship?

For me, because I live in Michigan, I obviously can’t train all year round. I think a lot of other pros live in Texas, or Florida, or Georgia, places that they can surf at least nine months out of the year. I have to go down to Florida at the end of February through May so that I can practice for the season, because the season starts in April. It’s definitely a lot of practice. When I’m in Florida in the winter, I’ll try to ride about an hour, every day. And then the same within the summer. That’s harder with competing and traveling, but I try to ride like an hour every day.

My main sponsors are Malibu boats and Tommy’s boats, so that’s a boat dealer and a boat company. For most companies that want to sponsor you, they want you to be at a professional level, or just right below it. Sponsors will support you with products and some of them give you incentives. But most of them want you to be almost at a pro level if it’s a bigger company.

You were a freshman in college when you won your first World Championship. Since then, have you balanced school and competition? 

It’s definitely not easy. Starting my junior year of high school, I started going down to Florida in the winter. So in high school, I would do online, and then college I’ve pretty much only done part time. I’m now a sophomore, only studying part time, because I’m really just focusing on training. But it’s definitely a balance. I mean, I’m sure there’s some people that can do it, but it’s just a lot harder when you’re a full time student and you have to surf for an hour a day and work out and travel.

How has COVID impacted your sport and your training?

For training it hasn’t impacted it too much. For competing, almost all of our competitions were online this year. Which is completely different. Mentally, it’s completely different from competing in person. There have always been online competitions but this year it was forced. If you wanted to compete you had to do them online.

I found that super frustrating because how it works is you could film it as many times as you want but your video had to be 45 seconds from the time that you threw the rope. You can do as many tricks as you want, but I found that so frustrating because I could never get it perfect. When you go to a competition you only have one shot and it is what it is, but I found for online, submitting your own video, it took me 300 tries to just get something that I was okay with. But it was definitely a whole different experience this year.

Besides COVID, what is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome so far in your career?

I would say competing in general. I would get really nervous when I first started competing, to the point where I could barely even surf well. I’d surf really well in practice and then once I started competing, I would just get so nervous, and I would choke and I wouldn’t end up riding well. I think that that’s probably the biggest thing that I’ve had to overcome. Just learning over the years how to mentally handle competing and handle the nerves and be able to ride under the pressure.

What really helped me over the years to get over the nerves is just being more confident in my riding. So practicing my specific run, over and over and over, to the point where I was just like, Okay, well, I know I can do it. I’ve done it at home. I can do it here.

You’re already very accomplished, and you’re still really young. What are your goals for the future, both on the water and off?

I think for wakesurfing, it’s obviously to get another world title. That’s probably the biggest goal. Off the water, it still kind of has to do with wakesurfing. I definitely have goals to work with sponsorships with bigger companies. In the future, I want to build enough relationships where I can work at one of those companies or have it translate into another aspect of my life where I’m more working a job versus just being an athlete that is sponsored by them.

How do we get more young girls into wakesurfing?

I think getting them into the sport is so important because I know that wakeboarding is really common. It’s well known, but wakesurfing is fairly new. So I think just getting it more out there and having more people become aware of it, we’ll then get girls into it. I’ve always wanted to do a camp for girls, like a wakesurf camp for girls. It hasn’t happened yet, but that’s always been something that I’ve really wanted to do, whether it’s here in Michigan, or it’s in Florida, or I start up other little camps around the country. That’s definitely something that I think is really necessary to get girls into it.

Minna Stess is a member of USA Skateboarding and is on track to represent Team USA at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The 14-year-old prodigy talked to JWS about training in quarantine and what she’s looking forward to in 2021.

You started placing in skate competitions when you were eight years old. Now, a few years later at age 14, you’re the youngest skater on team USA. How did you develop so quickly, and how do you handle the pressure of skating with adults now?

I don’t know. When I was eight, I was just having a lot of fun. I was just skateboarding for the fun of it. I’m not really sure. I don’t remember much, to be honest. I remember having fun, but that’s all.

It’s kind of weird to think about it, but I don’t know. I’ve been friends with a lot of them and some of them are older too, so I’m just making friends with people that are a little bit older than me. It was not that weird, it’s not like I’m so young. I mean, it’s everyone just skating. So we all have something in common, especially to talk about. So it’s not really that weird.

That’s awesome. I can imagine you’re still in school, probably doing online stuff with the pandemic, but how do you balance that while competing at the highest level?

Where I live there’s an independent study school, which basically means I go in once a week to get my work. And then the next week I come back with that work and I do that all over again. So I can travel pretty easily, I don’t stay at school, I just go one day. Especially with online now, it’s just Zoom calls, while before it was just going on for like an hour. But yeah, it’s pretty easy travel and stuff.

Skateboarding is making its debut at this summer’s Olympics. What do you think that means for the growth of the sport?

I think it’s really cool. I mean, hopefully it stays in for a while. This is the first year they’re going to have it, but I think it’s really cool because I don’t think a lot of people see real skateboarding. They only see skateboarding as being for people who do drugs and stuff. I feel like there are those stereotypes, and I think it’s really cool to try to get rid of the stereotypes, and show what skating actually is. It’s just having fun and just competing.

You were on track to qualify for Tokyo 2020 before the games were all pushed back. What does that timeline look like now for 2021?

Right now, I think they’re talking about having a competition in March. But from what I’ve heard, a lot of it is based on vaccine progress from whatI know. That’s what they’re saying, but nothing’s really set. I would assume they’re trying to get contests but I don’t know. At this point I have no idea anymore.

I read that you have a skate park set up in your backyard, which is awesome. This must’ve been super helpful during the pandemic. 

Yeah, it’s very nice to have somewhere in my backyard where I can just go out there and skate. All my friends have been asking me like, “Oh, can I come over to your backyard and see you skateboard?” But all the stuff in my backyard is kind of small, so I can’t do everything. But I can at least do most of it.

And how about working with your coaches? Are you able to see them at all or do you do Zoom sessions? 

One of my coaches lives in Southern California. I saw him at the start of summer, but not really much anymore since the pandemic has been getting worse. But I do use some Zoom calls with the USA skateboarding personal trainer. And the training for that. And then in my town too, we have a trainer, his name’s Brandon, which I work with. But I had to stop for a little bit because I sprained my ankle so I couldn’t really do much.

How are you feeling now? Are you getting back from that injury?

Oh, yeah, I’m fine now. But it kind of stopped me for like a few weeks. I had a boot because it was a pretty bad sprain, it was doing something stupid too, so…

I feel like that’s the theme of 2020 though, you never know what’s going to happen. Do you feel a lot of pressure when competing at qualifier contests? 

Yeah, definitely, because I don’t really know how many contests we’ll do. Maybe one or two, which is not that much.

What is your mindset heading into those contests when they happen?

I don’t know. I just try to do the best I can. Right now, for me, it’s hard to have a mindset when I can’t really know when it’s going to happen, so it’s weird. But overall I am just going to have fun with it which is the most important thing anyways.

You obviously have a very bright future ahead of you at such a young age. What are your ultimate goals in the sport?

Right now, definitely just make the Olympics. And I don’t know. I keep saying this, but just the timing right now is just terrible. It feels like I’m stuck in like… I don’t know. It’s like I’m just stuck in a specific time. And everyone is, but I hate it so much. So right now I’m just thinking about getting out of this moment and competing at the Olympics.

Lauren Barnes is a defender for OL Reign of the NWSL. A two-time NWSL Best XI selection and the 2016 NWSL Defender of the Year, Lauren is also a proud sustainability activist. During the 2020 Challenge Cup, she led an effort to make the bubble experience plastic-free, and she will be continuing this work in the 2021 NWSL regular season with a player-led sustainability initiative.

Below, she walks us through the eco-friendly brands she’ll be shopping this holiday season.


JAS IT UP

One of my favorite people and OL Reign’s very own Jasmyne Spencer is behind this great company. Jas It Up is a sustainable lifestyle brand offering a range of clothes and accessories, all made from eco-friendly and recycled materials. The focus is on “designs that emphasize versatility and longevity for long-lasting clothes that never go out of style.”

Use code JWS15 for a holiday discount.


NORDIC OIL

I recently started working with this great company and am so excited to include them on this list. Nordic Oil has a great line of CBD products, and this winter they made the decision to invest a portion of their profits into cleaning our oceans. They’ve teamed up with the ReSea Project, a Danish organization committed to cleaning up the oceans and reducing the negative impact of human activity on the natural environment. For any of your friends or family who are fans of CBD, I highly recommend checking this company out 🙂

Learn more about Nordic Oil here.


NUZEST

As an athlete, my nutritional intake is always top of mind. With Nuzest, the nutritional value is clear and the company prioritizes sustainable methods. They are a plant-based nutritional supplement company that works exclusively with a supplier that uses no chemicals in the production process of their supplements. Plus, all waste from production is turned into biofuel and animal food, and all of their products are packaged in HDPE, one of the world’s most recyclable plastics. You even have the option to make your order 100% carbon neutral when purchasing through their website.

Hit this link for a sweet holiday discount.


JLAB

This company really sets the bar on ways that audio companies can be sustainable. They made a commitment to ditching plastic in their packaging and have done it through an eco-friendly case. Even the box the case arrives in is completely recyclable. They’ve also eliminated metal foil printing, switched to using durable paper pulp hang tag instead of plastic, and have even spearheaded a recycle program for recycling any electronics.

Use code ‘Lauren15’ for a holiday discount 🙂


CRAZYCAP

Clean water shouldn’t be a luxury. That’s CrazyCap’s mantra and they follow through on it. Their water bottles eliminate the need for plastic water bottles completely and includes a water purification system within the cap that sanitizes unclean water to make it safe to drink. If you ask me, everyone should be drinking water from these bottles.

Tap water is unsafe in 25 countries. Globally, 200 billion plastic bottles are discarded each year. Make the change to a bottle like this one. You won’t regret it.

Learn more about CrazyCap here.


ALBATROSS

Albatross is on a mission to eliminate plastic from shaving with their high-polished stainless steel razors. And they take it one step further than that. With their Take Back program, you can mail your used razor back so that it can be recycled and turned into another useful, environmentally-friendly product, such as a stainless steel utensil set. Their Take Back program helps reduce stainless steel production energy by up to 67% and CO2 emissions by roughly 70%.

Learn more about Albatross here.


DENTAL LACE

Yes, even floss contributes to the plastic pollution disaster we’re all living in. But thanks to companies like Dental Lace, you can floss plastic-free. Their floss is a 99% zero waste, refillable and eco-friendly. You can choose from silk or plant-based vegan floss (both are biodegradable!). And it comes with refills all packaged in an eco-friendly way 🙂

Use code ‘NWSL’ for a sweet 10% discount for the holidays.


LUNCHSKINS

I recently discovered this company and am so glad I did. For the past 12+ years, Lunchskins products have replaced 2.8 billion plastic bags with Lunchskins bags while helping to keep over 2.6 million plastic straws out of our landfills. They’re on a mission to eliminate single-used plastic and are making it easy and affordable for all of us to do it with them.

Learn more about Lunchskins here.

Erin McLeod is a goalkeeper for the Orlando Pride, who spent this fall playing on loan to Stjarnan, in Iceland. McLeod has recorded 118 caps in her career for the Canadian National Team, and at age 37, is still going strong as she competes for a shot at the Tokyo Olympics. JWS spoke with McLeod about her career persistence, the benefits of mindfulness, and the perspective she’s gained as a veteran player. 

I wanted to start with just chatting about your soccer career. You’ve obviously been around the game for a long time. Can you compare this past year soccer-wise to anything else in your career?

Oh gosh. I would have to say that, for obvious reasons, the pandemic has made this year more challenging and interesting and difficult in a lot of different ways. For me personally, I was really happy to be with Orlando, back on North American soil. And then obviously we weren’t able to go to the Challenge Cup with the team which was a bummer, so I just feel very fortunate that I was able to come to Iceland and to still play and to be healthy.

I think the other thing that has really come to the forefront this year with obviously Black Lives Matter and politics, is that it’s been really cool to stand up for things beyond just soccer. In some ways, it’s been really incredible, I think, as far as raising our self-awareness and understanding the topics around us.

You’ve played for a variety of teams in Europe over the last five years. What has kept you coming back?

Well, this year is kind of unique because of the pandemic. I’ve been wanting to be in the U.S. to be in a similar time zone to my family, but I really love the football in Europe, in the sense that it’s really helped me to evolve the tactical side of my game. And now you all these NWSL players here, and I think we all are becoming stronger tactically, stronger technically, stronger athletically. And the soccer culture in Europe is happy all the time, and everyone is crazy about it. I just love that. I think that it is also growing. That’s a huge draw for sure.

You signed with Orlando but, as you mentioned, the team couldn’t play in the Challenge Cup due to positive Covid tests. Can you talk about that situation and what that was like from your perspective?

It was hard just because we were so close to the tournament, and we had worked so hard, and we were feeling really connected as a group. It was such a hard thing to swallow, especially because we had been so careful and we were essentially in a training bubble.

Historically, Orlando hadn’t done well for years, and I was excited to be a newcomer to the team and realize how much it really means to them to play and get better. And then for that to happen, it was hard. And you see a lot of pride with people when things are really challenging. But I think the way that the team rallied and had a lot of new players coming into the mix, that really impressed me during the Fall Series.

How much longer do you hope to keep playing for?

That is a great question. I don’t know. The thing is right now, I feel really good and healthy and I love the game so much. I try not to put an end date on it when I would really love to plan out a year, you know, make it to the Olympics. I would love to be on that Olympics squad. And I know it’s a far stretch, but yes, in a dream world I would play another year and then, you know, hopefully be healthy and in a good place to evaluate whether to play another year or turn off. At my age, it’s kind of a day by day kind of thing, you know?

How do you think your motivation to keep playing has changed over the years? I could imagine it’s different now than say when you were like 25.

Oh, absolutely. I think when I was with Denver, I would say I was a lot more selfish, in the sense that what I was most concerned with was probably my own development, to be pretty honest. And I was obsessed with being the best and being number one, and I wanted to be the best in the world. It’s not that I don’t want those things now, it’s just the thing I get really excited about is now I’m playing on a team and I come back and some 16 year old is on my team and I see their parents pick them up who are my age, and I’m like, alright.

But I see these young, talented players, and I think you want to see them get the most out of themselves, and that for me is motivating. And playing on a team where I can play forever and give to the team — I really love that. And driving a standard and creating and focusing on the things I can control and also trying to have an impact in a positive way. It’s much more exciting now than it has been in the past.

You’ve lived a very active life off the field in terms of your art, your philanthropic works, and your clothing lines. Do you think having all these other passions has helped extend your soccer career by helping you keep perspective and have creative outlets? 

Oh yeah, absolutely. I think for me, there’ve been a few moments in my career where I was forced to step away from the game and I kind of lost my identity and who I was. And I think what’s important and what I really encourage young people to do is to find things that they love but to still find that balance. And it’s still something that I struggle with, because I want to do so many things.

I’ve really learned to make sure now I try to go for walks, meditation walks, just making time away from the field actually helps my game. So it’s important, not just for my game, but also for my mental health.

Can you give a quick intro on The Mindful Project and how mindfulness was introduced into your life?

So I met Dr. Rachel Lindvall, my partner, who has her doctorate in mindfulness, a number of years ago. Her and her husband worked in Europe to get inspiration for their university soccer in the US and long story short, they were in Jena in Germany when I was in the Bundesliga. And they said, Hey, we’re in town. You know, I didn’t speak a lick of German, and I was broke and they were like, do you want to go for dinner? And I was like, yes, please.

So we first started chatting about soccer and it naturally transitioned into mindfulness. And at that point I had already been using a lot of mindfulness for my soccer, but also off the field, so we started chatting. And then we also talked about mental habits and mindset and at what age we start developing these, how they can work against us, even at three and half, four years old.

That’s kind of where we started, discussing how can we just help young people develop positive habits and develop those mindsets. That’s how it started, and we created a sports program and an education program for kids eight to 12, 13 years old and we ended up getting into a lot of after-school programs.

And, and then we ended up trying the same program on a couple of Rachel’s classes and her university team, and the results were unbelievable. And it’s like the increase in quality of life was like 200%, and then the decrease in stress and anxiety was 194%, and we’re like, we can do something about this. Then we started talking about a way to create a high performance program and shipping it over.

For me personally, I had a moment in my career in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics where depression had become so much, that I remember actually wanting to get hurt, because I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. I was afraid of playing. I was afraid of making mistakes. Long story short, I tore my ACL, and I just re-evaluated everything, how I was working so hard just to be miserable. I had to change. And for me, that was kind the moment where I started evaluating my mindset and then a few years later, we had this wonderful trainer who gave me all these breathing tricks and focus tricks and awareness tricks which d opened my vision to see the whole field. And I didn’t realize at the time that they were mindfulness tricks, and then I started reading more and more about it and it helped me obviously become more consistent, more in the present moment, which is key for athletes. And I just started enjoying it more.

And ever since then, Rachel and I have been committed to creating The Mindful Project, to help others when you’re on your own. It’s like, if I’m doubting now, this is my attempt to learn and see.

You’ve mentioned elsewhere that mindfulness could have changed your career and ended up being really useful for you. Is that your pitch to other athletes who may be considering it or is it something different?

I think the trend with a lot of athletes is that we’re hard on ourselves. What I’ve learned from the research side, because of Rachel and her research, is being hard on yourself doesn’t help them learn any faster. It actually slows your learning and it makes it less enjoyable. So for me, it’s becoming aware of my self-talk, where my self compassion was at, how I viewed mistakes, and how I dealt with failure.

I think for me, if I could talk with athletes, it would first just be about enjoying it more, being in the present moment more. Because that moment where you just trust yourself and you let the ongoing monologue inside your head go for a second, it’s so liberating. And if you’ve got a great breathing thing and it keeps you focused when you’re stressed out, it’s also going to work when you’re off the field. And for me, it’s about the life tools that will help you become a better person.

That’s so well said. I wanted to end with talking about the upcoming 2021 Olympics. What is your status there? 

Well, we’re down to the wire, because obviously, you know, the pandemic made it really challenging. There was supposed to be a camp in October, which I was invited to. And you know, I think it’s been over a year since I’ve been with the national team. So I was obviously really excited about that, but it just wasn’t going to work with health and safety protocols. So I’m still in the mix, and there’s four keepers for Canada. And I can’t really say much more than that, but I’m in the mix and I think for me, that’s the first step. I think it’s important for me to stay healthy and to be playing games. You know, obviously I hope that will be possible. And with the pandemic and everything, we’ll see.

Leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nastia Liukin and her U.S. teammate Shawn Johnson (now Johnson East) were the top two gymnasts in the world. There was no question before the games that it would be a two-woman duel for Individual All Around gold, and every fan on the planet was speculating which of the two would show up when it counted most.

East had the compact, muscular build of the quintessential gymnast, whereas Liukin had inherited a more lanky, flexible physique from her rhythmic gymnast mother. The 18-year-old Liukin and 15-year-old East were close friends and Beijing roommates, and had been trading the one and two spots back and forth in pre-Olympic competitions.

img
KRISTIAN DOWLING/GETTY IMAGES

But once in Beijing, the more veteran Liukin was able to outperform her teammate for Olympic gold in the Individual All-Around, the ultimate individual achievement in gymnastics. Sharing that moment with her father and coach, Valeri Liukin, who had lost his one chance at all-around Olympic gold by one tenth of a point twenty years prior while competing for the Soviet Union, was both extremely special and emotional.

But almost straight away, Liukin felt a sense of sorrow saddle up next to her joy.

“Immediately I was like, ‘What now?’” she recalls to Kelley O’Hara on the Just Women’s Sports Podcast, “Waking up the next day… it was just this strange feeling of accomplishment mixed with almost sadness and glimpses of depression that it was over.”

While “post-Olympic depression” isn’t an official medical diagnosis, it accurately describes the emotional state many elite athletes experience after the games. It’s even the subject of Michael Phelps’ recent HBO documentary “Weight of Gold.” And the fact that the world’s most decorated Olympic athlete of all time has struggled to find self-worth outside of the global sporting spotlight speaks to the power of the feeling that set in for Liukin when she left Beijing in 2008.

Alongside this perplexing gloom was the fact that her friendship with East ended as soon as they left China. The battle for gold had played out and the medals had been given. One of them won, and the other had lost. As two young women whose identities were conjoined to their public personas, they couldn’t find a way to be friends when their management teams profited from constantly pitting them against each other and consumer demand seemed to revel in it.

Over the next couple years, Liukin hemmed and hawed about her gymnastics future but took advantage of many lucrative opportunities bestowed upon the reigning champion. Leading up to the 2012 London Olympics, not yet able to visualize who she was if not a gymnast, she decided to attempt the almost impossible, qualifying for a second straight Olympics at 22 years old in a sport where elite athletes have a torturously short shelf-life. She knew the chances were remote, but she also knew the regret of not trying would be worse than failing.

“I just knew that I didn’t want to be sitting in the stands [in London] thinking, ‘What if?’” she tells O’Hara.

At the 2012 Olympic trials, in what ended up being the final competitive performance of her career, Liukin began her famously challenging routine on the uneven bars, her signature event, with the poise of a seasoned veteran. But in the middle of her routine, coming around from a release she’d done countless times before, Liukin missed the bar and fell with a loud and violent smack, face down on the mat below.

“Immediately, I was embarrassed,” she confesses to O’Hara. She remembers thinking, “You are the best in the world, you are not supposed to fall on your face.”

Liukin knew in that moment that her life as an Olympic athlete was officially over. After taking a few seconds to get her bearings and ensure nothing but her ego had been damaged, she re-chalked and got back on the bars to finish her routine.

What happened next completely surprised her.

“All of a sudden I started seeing people stand on their feet,” she recalls to O’Hara, “I quickly realized these people were giving me a standing ovation. It was the first standing ovation of my entire career, for the worst routine of my entire career. That was the moment that I realized we are not defined by our success… These people are clapping and cheering just for me as a person.”

In that moment, Liukin was finally able to separate a permanent and persisting sense of self from her identity as a gymnast. She became someone who did gymnastics, instead of a gymnast with a capital G.

And her relationship with her once rival found space to grow again.

Once East and Liukin had grown into who they were beyond gymnastics, they realized how badly they missed their friendship. Reconnecting prior to East’s 2016 wedding, the two are now closer than ever, and Liukin is the godmother of East’s young son.

Looking back, Liukin now understands why the crowd stood and cheered after her abysmal mistake at the 2012 Olympic trials.

“It was the relatability,” she explains to O’Hara. “Not many people can relate to winning an Olympic gold medal. Every single person in this world can relate to falling on their face, literally or figuratively. It’s, how do I pick myself up? And how do I keep going? How do I not let that fall define me and who I am as a person?”

The unexpected sense of emptiness which followed her achieving her life’s dream in Beijing, along with the surprising standing ovation after her biggest failure four years later, bookended a valuable lesson Liukin is now sharing with the world: it’s how we navigate the journey of aiming, not the actual acquirement of the aim itself, that is the source of true meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.

As the FA Women’s Super League wrapped up their ninth gameweek of the season, Manchester United cemented their place atop the league standings, Chelsea added another big win over Brighton & Hove Albion, and Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema continued her reign as the league’s top scorer.

But beneath the biggest headlines, a small cohort of players likewise used the weekend to cement their status as among the most important footballers playing today. They may not win any end-of-year hardware, but that hasn’t stopped these four women from proving just how critical they are to their teams’ success.

 

CAROLINE WEIR, MANCHESTER CITY

Caroline Weir rightfully tops our list after having been a key player in Manchester City’s most recent wins over Everton and Arsenal. In eight appearances this season, Weir has booked three assists and a goal — her one score being the game-winner in Sunday’s contest against Arsenal, which she rocketed home in the final minutes of stoppage time. Though a quiet presence in her first few games with Manchester City, Weir has emerged as an asset in City’s midfield as of late, her excellent passing talent and ability to think quickly on the ball endearing the 25-year-old to both her teammates and the City faithful.

Following her standout performance, which lifted City to a needed victory over Arsenal, Weir said: “Our performances have grown as the season has gone on, and I think you can see how we want to play now. It takes a bit of time but the depth of quality in the squad means that we can rotate, and to go unbeaten for so long is obviously a positive thing, and that’s what we are going to need going forward,” she continued. “That was my first goal of the season, so I have been waiting a while for it. The team needed the three points and we’re delighted we came out on top in the end.”

After struggling with inconsistency as a team earlier on in the season, Weir’s presence in the midfield has helped steady the Blues, who are now firmly in position to compete for the title.

 

LEAH GALTON, MANCHESTER UNITED

Scoring her second goal in two games this weekend was Manchester United’s Leah Galton. Beating a defender up the left flank, the forward took a touch towards her left foot, burying a shot past Reading goalkeeper Grace Moloney. Galton’s goal would be a contributing factor in United’s 2-1 win over Reading FC, keeping her squad undefeated through nine matches with a 7-2-0 record.

The young player has appeared in all nine of United’s games this season, notching three goals and two assists.

The forward’s stellar performance in Sunday’s match earned her the honor of Barclays Player of the Match, with fans and fellow teammates alike having high praise for her consistency and quality of play. As for Galton’s thoughts on the match, she acknowledged the importance of every contest moving forward should Manchester United want to remain atop the table in a post-game interview, not losing sight of what matters most to Casey Stoney’s team.

United’s dominance has been the biggest surprise this season, in what is only their second FAWSL campaign. But if Galton can maintain both her on-field play and her big-picture attitude, the Red Devils could be on track for a historic finish.

ALEX MORGAN, TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

A major recent storyline in the FA Women’s Super League has been the resurgence of Tottenham Hotspur since the hiring of new manager Rehanne Skinner. Now sitting at eighth place in the table, a major contributor to the Spurs’ surprising win streak has been USWNT forward Alex Morgan. In the Spurs’ match against Aston Villa, Morgan logged her second goal in two games, driving home yet another penalty kick to draw first blood for her team in the 13th minute, as Tottenham went on to defeat Aston Villa in a comfortable fashion, 3-1.

Not only did Morgan get on the scoresheet this weekend, but she logged valuable minutes of playing time — starting the match and playing the entire game, something she has not done since returning to the pitch since the birth of her daughter. Her performance also earned her a spot in the Barclays FAWSL Team of the Week, selected by Siobhan Chamberlain.

It’s worth noting that Tottenham has not lost a single match that Morgan has played in — in case her importance to the Spurs wasn’t already obvious.

 

SAM MEWIS, MANCHESTER CITY

Joining Caroline Weir on the scoresheet for Manchester City this weekend was none other than the “Tower of Power” herself, Sam Mewis. Down by a goal early on thanks to Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema, City was in desperate need of an equalizer. After 28 minutes of play, City would get their opportunity, as Chloe Kelly lofted a corner kick into the Arsenal box. The ball met the head of Mewis, who redirected a header into the lower 90 to notch her third (!) goal of the season for the Blues.

After heading in another goal in Man City’s FA Cup Final win over Everton in November, Mewis is starting to cement her reputation as a player who quite literally rises to the occasion.

Like Alex Morgan, Mewis was also named to the Barclays FAWSL Team of the Week as City handed Arsenal another loss to move into fourth place in the table. Now edging even closer to a top-three finish on the season, City will rely on players like Mewis to maintain a strong midfield and continue on with their winning ways.

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE FA WSL

December 20th

Manchester United vs. Bristol City @ 7:00 a.m. EST

Arsenal vs. Everton @ 7:30 a.m. EST

Birmingham City vs. Manchester City @ 9:00 a.m. EST

Chelsea vs. Tottenham @ 9:00 a.m. EST

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Reading FC @ 9:30 a.m. EST

West Ham United vs. Aston Villa @ 10:00 a.m. EST

More FAWSL, more goals. Here are the top 5 we saw this weekend:

 

5. VIVIANNE MIEDEMA SAYS THANK YOU VERY MUCH

This past weekend was just another day at the office for the all-time top scorer in FAWSL history. In the first three minutes of the match, an errant pass from Manchester City landed the ball at Miedema’s feet in a dangerous area outside the box. The Arsenal striker took a touch inside and cracked a rolling shot to give her team the early lead. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as Man City stormed back to take the 2-1 win.

 

4. SAM KERR CAN’T BE STOPPED

One week after recording her first hat trick for Chelsea, Sam Kerr once again made her presence known early on against Brighton, hitting the back corner pocket with an exceptional header. Jonna Anderson started the play with a pass down the left flank to teammate Pernille Harder, who lofted it into the six. Kerr read the pass perfectly before flicking it safely passed the hands of the Brighton goalkeeper. This 21st-minute, clinical header was Chelsea’s only score of the match, resulting in a 1-0 win.

 

3. NADINE HANSSEN’S STROKE OF BRILLIANCE

Miscommunication between Tottenham teammates led to a flat ball being played to no one in their own defensive half. Seizing the opportunity, Aston Villa’s Nadine Hanssen jumped on the poor pass before catching Tottnham’s goalkeeper off of her line. Hanssen cleverly lobs the ball over the keeper, landing it safely in the back of the net. Regrettably, Hanssen’s goal was the only tally of the match for Aston Villa, as they fell to Tottenham in a 3-1 battle.

 

2. EMILY VAN EGMOND SLICES IT HOME

Emily Van Egmond may have opened the floodgates for West Ham United in their 4-0 defeat of Bristol City, but her goal would not have been possible if it weren’t for the relentless effort of her teammate, Martha Thomas. In slippery conditions, Thomas cut inside the Bristol defender to chase down the ball just before it would have passed out of bounds. She then drove inside and lifted a curling ball to her teammate Van Egmond, who sends the ball back post through the legs of her defender. Simply sublime.

 

1. CAROLINE WEIR PUTS AN END TO THE CHAOS

Manchester City and Arsenal found themselves tied at one apiece as stoppage time began in their nail-biting match. But in the 94th minute, City’s high-press led to a series of shots, none of which Arsenal could successfully clear. One Manchester City shot was rebounded off an Arsenal defender and collected by Georgia Stanway, who winded up a shot that was deflected by her teammate Ellen White. That shot then ricocheted back to Caroline Weir, who finally placed a line-drive shot back post. Weir’s goal was massive as it sealed a 2-1 victory over the now third-place Arsenal.

MATCH INFO:

Manchester City 2, Arsenal 1

Goals: Vivianne Miedema – 3’, Sam Mewis – 30’, Caroline Weir – 90+4’

The most anticipated matchup of the weekend saw Manchester City host Arsenal, two teams at the top of the FAWSL table battling it out to keep their title hopes alive.

In the media buildup to the match, Arsenal’s Jen Beattie spoke to the media for the first time about her breast cancer diagnosis.

The Arsenal defender was diagnosed back in October but has still been able to appear for the North London club and make her mark this season. She scored Arsenal’s third goal in their 0-5 win against Brighton Hove & Albion a few days after her diagnosis.

Beattie, who also played for Manchester City before becoming an Arsenal player, was celebrated by both teams during the match warm-up as all the players donned Beattie’s top.

Vivianne Miedema opened up the scoring early on, only for Sam Mewis to tie the game in the 30th minute. Heading into the 90th minute, it looked like the points would be shared at the Manchester City Academy Stadium, with the match still tied at 1-1. But after six minutes were added on, City managed to pull out a miraculous winner in the 94th minute.

City’s narrow victory revealed quite a bit about the state of both teams, as well as the trajectory of the FAWSL title race this season.

1. Arsenal needs to find a way to continue their press throughout a match, or they’ll continue dropping important games. 

From the first whistle, it was clear that Arsenal head coach Joe Montemurro had instructed his side to press a lot higher than they usually do. Manchester City are one of the best teams in the league when it comes to  high press, and it’s clear that Montemurro wanted his side to match their opponent. It’s also clear that Gareth Taylor did not expect Arsenal’s tactics to be as aggressive, as his side looked shell-shocked by Arsenal’s pressure, which led to Manchester City making silly errors and giving Vivianne Miedema a golden opportunity in just the third minute.

Despite Arsenal not having the best start to the season, Miedema is having a fantastic personal season, yet again. The top goalscorer in the league the past two seasons, Miedema’s goal against City was her 11th in the league this year, as she once again finds herself the top scorer in the WSL.

The hope was that the early goal would rejuvenate Arsenal and they’d continue with their pressing tactics to catch a stunned Manchester City off guard. Instead, their early lead made them more complacent, and the aggressiveness toned down after a mere ten minutes, allowing their opponents to grow into the game, with Manchester City racking up 18 shots (16 on target) compared to Arsenal’s two.

Post match, Montemurro admitted that his side faces a ‘mental block’ when playing big teams. Arsenal has yet to beat Manchester City, Chelsea, or Manchester United this season, in both league matches and the FA Cup.

The team has consistently started games with high intensity, only to drop off and allow the other team to then set the pace. It’s been disappointing to watch week after week, as the current roster is significantly better than their results would suggest.

It’ll be interesting to see how Arsenal fares against Everton next week. Everton may not be one of the traditional “big clubs,” but the team certainly looked like one earlier this season. Arsenal should be able to beat Everton, especially since they will be playing at home, but if they fall into the trap of dropping off early into the game, expect Everton to take advantage.

2. Caroline Weir (and her left foot) is crucial to Manchester City

Had this match ended in a 1-1 draw, Manchester City would have had 16 points, leaving them seven points behind league leaders Manchester United — a huge gap to make up. With the gap now at five, it makes things a bit easier on City. Simply put, Weir’s winning goal in the 94th minute has allowed Manchester City to stay within reach of the title race.

City has been excellent this season, both collectively and as individuals. Weir is someone who has been playing a crucial role at City since her arrival in 2018. The team is known for scoring in abundance, and while as a midfielder, it isn’t Weir’s job to actually score them, she continues to contribute by finding spaces to exploit, creating chances, and racking up assists.

City’s last league match, prior to hosting Arsenal, was away at Everton, which they won 3-0, with Weir assisting every one of their goals. Her fantastic performance in Liverpool is likely what got her the start against Arsenal, and she once again repaid her manager’s trust. Should she continue to start, Manchester City can go into matches with the confidence that they don’t even need their best goalscorers to find the back of the net in order to still score in abundance.

3. The top of the FAWSL table is as competitive as ever

With five points separating first and fourth place in the table, the teams at the top have continued to give fans a thrilling title race. The hope is that it continues right down to the wire, and we see the competitiveness remain until the final match weeks.

Four teams chasing a title is a treat, and the champions will likely be whoever can come out on top in the head to head matches, since the top four have consistently been able to beat the other eight teams. At this point, it is hard to gauge who that will be, which only makes it all the more exciting.