The Challenge Cup final matchup has yet to be decided, and it’s coming down to the wire.

The Portland Thorns have had the West locked up for some time now, securing their spot in the championship game, which will air on CBS on May 8.

The East, however, hasn’t been so simple. Gotham FC currently sits atop the standings, but this weekend’s slate of games could shake that up.

North Carolina’s showdown against the Orlando Pride on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network) could ultimately decide who will face the Thorns for the Challenge Cup trophy.

But … Gotham can still control its own destiny with a win against Louisville on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+).

Here are the potential East Division outcomes to break your brain:
  • If Gotham wins on Sunday, it will advance to the final.
  • If Gotham draws or loses and North Carolina wins, the Courage will advance.
  • If Gotham ties and North Carolina loses, Gotham will go.
  • If North Carolina ties and Gotham doesn’t win, it will come down to goal differential, on which Gotham can win or draw.
  • Orlando can also advance if Gotham loses and the Pride gain 3 points in goal differential.

To make matters more complicated, there is also a chaos scenario in play:

Tune in this weekend to watch the madness unfold.

The second-round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament kicks off today, which includes the first group of seeded teams. You can find more information on today’s slate of games here, as well as how to watch them all here. 

Here are the three games to keep an eye on Saturday. 

 No. 9 Duke vs. Arizona State: 12 p.m. ET

Arizona State ended Siena College’s undefeated season on Friday in a decisive 4-0 victory. It was more goals than the Saints had allowed all season, with three of those goals coming in the final 29 minutes of the game, including this exclamation point by Cori Sullivan.

The Sun Devils advance to face a test in Duke, who are coming in at their highest seed in three years, finishing the fall season 7-4-2 and losing to eventual champion Florida State (and current No. 1 overall seed) in the ACC Tournament. This is their 17th tournament appearance in the past 18 seasons and their fifth top-16 national seed in the last six years. 

No. 16 Vanderbilt vs. Penn State: 3 p.m. ET

Penn State is looking strong heading into their second-round game against Vanderbilt. They were dominant in their first game against Alabama State, with four goals in the first half propelling them to a 5-0 win. 

While the Commodores played a fall season and had to supplement it with exhibition matches in the spring, Penn State has been facing tried and true opponents all spring. Additionally, Penn State’s record, 11-2-1, is better than Vanderbilt’s, 9-5-1. However, Vanderbilt had some statement wins during their season, including a 3-1 win against No. 6 Arkansas in the SEC Tournament that propelled them to the title.

No. 6 Arkansas vs. Utah Valley: 4 p.m. ET

Utah Valley took care of business in the 60th minute on Friday to propel them to a 1-0 win over Memphis. Sadie Brockbank scored the lone goal of the game to help her team to their first-ever NCAA tournament win in program history. (It was also the first NCAA tournament win for any sport in the school’s history.)

This is Utah Valley’s third all-time NCAA appearance as the Wolverines finished the season with a 10-2-2 record and as 2021 WAC Champions. They’re also riding a nine-match unbeaten streak heading into their matchup against Arkansas. 

The Razorbacks promise to be a formidable opponent, however. Arkansas enters the match-up with a record of 11-3-0, claiming the regular season SEC title for the second-straight year. They currently rank in the top 15 in total goals, assists and points nationally. 

The best of the rest (all times ET):

  • Milwaukee over Elon 1-0. Next up: No. 1 Florida State at 12 p.m.
  • Rice over Furman 3-1. Next up: No. 5 West Virginia at 12 p.m.
  • Virginia over SIU-Edwardsville 3-1. Next up: No. 12 BYU at 3 p.m.
  • South Carolina over Montana 1-0. Next up: No. 13 Georgetown at 6 p.m.
  • Ohio State over Stony Brook 5-1. Next up: No. 11 Santa Clara at 8 p.m.

No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka looked confident on clay in her 7-5, 6-2 first-round victory over Misaki Doi at the Madrid Open. Doi had a solid first set, but Osaka squashed any momentum she may have mustered with a stifling service game.

As the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, all eyes will be on Osaka in Madrid, and the tournament should provide Osaka with some vital time on clay, having missed last year’s clay-court season.

Simona Halep will also be one to watch, advancing to the second round after a commanding 6-0, 7-5 win over Sorribes Tormo.

Seeded third, Halep is favored on clay and has a track record to back it up. She was last year’s Madrid Open runner-up and won the tournament in both 2016 and 2017.

For her second-round match, Osaka will play 24-year-old Karolina Muchova on May 2 at 9 am ET.

Looking to reach another Madrid Open final, Halep will face-off against Saisai Zheng at the same time.

Twelve members of the UConn women’s rowing team have filed a federal Title IX lawsuit asking the university to reinstate their team. UConn plans to cut the program at the end of the season due to budget limitations.

The rowers argue that, in eliminating the team, UConn is failing to comply with Title IX under the first prong of a three-part test. That standard states that the number of female athletes to male athletes needs to be proportional to that of female to male undergraduates.

The lawsuit says that UConn’s athletic programs, without women’s rowing, would no longer represent the student population proportionally.

Additionally, the complaint states that UConn is out of compliance based on rosters and is manipulating numbers to satisfy Title IX requirements. Coach Jen Sanford says, according to the lawsuit, that she was directed to keep more rowers on her team than needed in order to satisfy Title IX requirements.

According to the school’s annual filing with the NCAA, the team has a roster of 38 rowers but had 62 participants in the program in 2020.

UConn said last June that it aimed to reduce its athletic deficit by about $10 million a year. The operating expenses for the women’s rowing team totaled $1,345,104 in the 2020 fiscal year.

On the same day that the rowers filed the lawsuit, UConn approved a $70 million plan for a new on-campus ice hockey rink.

The rowing team protested the university’s decision on campus last week after they received no response to formal Title IX complaints filed with the university on March 29 and April 12. In the letters, the team warned university officials that a lawsuit would be filed if the program were not reinstated.

Felice Duffy, a Title IX lawyer who successfully petitioned to establish a women’s soccer team at UConn in 1979, is representing the rowers. She’s joined by James Larew and Claire Diallo, who recently represented swimmers at the University of Iowa who had their program reinstated.

The UConn rowers are also seeking an injunction that would keep the team intact until the lawsuit can be heard. At present, the team is set to be eliminated at the end of its season. That could come as early as May 16 with the Colonial Athletic Association championship or as late as May 28-30 with the conclusion of the NCAA championships.

Many players shined in this year’s NCAA volleyball tournament. But these were the best of the best. 

Madison Lilley, Kentucky

It’s no surprise that Madison Lilley, Kentucky setter and AVCA National Player of the year, tops our NCAA tournament All-Tournament Team. She ran the offense that led Kentucky to their first-ever National Championship, tallying a personal-best 19 digs in the title game while keeping her team above a .300 clip for the entire tournament.

Alli Stumler, Kentucky

Alli Stumler, Kentucky outside hitter, led her team throughout the tournament. Her team made history by winning the SEC’s first volleyball title, and Stumler made personal history as well, with a career high 26 kills in the national championship match. Possibly the best six-rotation player in the tournament, she carried a huge load for the Wildcats on both offense and defense.

Logan Eggleston, Texas

The Big 12 Player of the Year, Logan Eggleston came into the NCAA tournament with lofty expectations as someone who is a threat from everywhere on the floor. When Texas was in trouble, Eggleston was there to clean up the mess. Her consistency in every aspect of the game led the Longhorns to the championship game.

Azhani Tealer, Kentucky

A jack of all trades, Azhani Tealer is a middle who can also run off two feet behind the setter. Her versatility is a huge reason Kentucky won a national championship, as she was able to find kills when needed all tournament long. She also earns a spot on this list for her blocking IQ. The tournament announcers repeatedly talked about her height — only 5’10 — but she closes to the pins and presses her hands over the net in a way where height doesn’t necessarily matter.

Dana Rettke, Wisconsin

Dana Rettke, middle hitter from Wisconsin, is one of a few middles who lead their programs in kills. She commands attention blocking, running the slide, and attacking in front of the setter. She opens up the court for her teammates and allows a lot of players to shine with her.

Chinaza Ndee, University of Pittsburgh

Chinaza Ndee, right side hitter for the University of Pittsburgh, helped take the volleyball program further than it had ever gone. Ndee played fearlessly against teams that were ranked higher and picked to win. Her swings sealed a ticket to the regional final in a big way — she had 19 kills to upset No. 3 Minnesota. 

Gabby Curry, Kentucky

Gabby Curry reads the game so well. Easy balls never fall on her watch, and she puts her setter (Madison Lilley) in a position to run her offense almost every time. The two-time SEC Libero of the Year brought energy, ball control, secondary setting and so many more crucial elements to the floor en route to helping Kentucky win their first-ever title.

Kristie Mewis has been crowned Budweiser NWSL Player of the Week after an explosive two-goal performance against Kansas City.

Having just returned from National Team duties, Mewis injected the Dash offense with the creative energy necessary to secure the team’s first win of the 2021 Challenge Cup.

It didn’t take long for Mewis to make her presence known against Kansas City. In the 25th minute, Mewis skillfully brought down a botched clearance at the top of the box before cutting to her preferred left foot to let off a lethal far post banger.

In the 71st minute, Mewis found the back of the net again. This time it was a well-placed cross from teammate Nichelle Prince and a covert run by Mewis that broke down the Kansas City defense. Mewis’ one-timer put Houston up 3-0.

This stellar outing could prove consequential for Mewis, as she is still in contention for a spot on the yet-to-be-announced 18-player Olympic roster.

USWNT Coach Vlatko Andonovski has made it clear that he will be watching NWSL games and that they will play a role in his roster decision-making.

This could bode well for Mewis, who has consistently received a call up to the National Team since the December I.D. camp in 2019, following a five-year absence from the team. Mewis’ last outing for her country, a pair of international friendlies against Sweden and France, didn’t yield much playing time, making her NWSL player of the week honors all the more significant.

The UEFA has announced it will be joining a social media boycott this weekend alongside the Women’s Super League, the Premier League and a host of other English soccer stakeholders.

The groups will go silent on social media in a show of solidarity in the fight against online abuse.

The boycott will last from Friday until Monday.

“There have been abuses both on the pitch and on social media,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement on Thursday. “Allowing a culture of hatred to grow with impunity is dangerous, very dangerous, not only for football, but for society as a whole.

“I urge everyone – players, clubs and national associations – to lodge formal complaints whenever players, coaches, referees or officials are victims of unacceptable tweets or messages. We’ve had enough of these cowards who hide behind their anonymity to spew out their noxious ideologies.”

Chelsea F.C. forward Sam Kerr tweeted her support for the boycott on Friday, calling on others to join the effort.

There are two Women’s Champions League semifinal games happening this weekend:

  • Barcelona vs. PSG, Sunday, 6 am ET (tied 1-1 on aggregate)
  • Chelsea vs. Bayern, Sunday, 7:30 am ET (Bayern up 2-1 on aggregate)

The one-time transfer rule is now official.

Ratified by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors this week, the rule will allow all athletes who have not yet transferred the ability to do so one time in their college career and be immediately eligible to play.

Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson, for one, has already taken full advantage of the new rule. The second-year head coach, whose team opted out of the 2020-21 season early, has signed seven transfers since Duke’s season ended: Nyah Green (Louisville), Celeste Taylor (Texas), Lexi Gordon (Texas Tech), Imani Lewis (Wisconsin), Amaya Finklea-Guity (Syracuse), Jordyn Oliver (Baylor) and Elizabeth Balogun (Louisville).

The proposed legislation, which was previously available to some athletes but not all, was adopted earlier this month and made official on Wednesday. NCAA athletes who have not yet transferred can benefit from the ruling starting with the 2021-22 academic year.

The exception to the rule will be athletes who decide to transfer after graduating.

Previously, graduate students were permitted to transfer and be immediately eligible. Now, if an athlete has already used their one-time exception as an undergraduate, they will have to seek out and be granted a waiver to become automatically eligible as a graduate transfer.

If you build it, they will come.

That’s what the theme seems to be surrounding women’s sports.

According to ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe, the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament title match drew 696,000 viewers on Saturday night, making it the most-viewed show on ESPN2 this month. It also marks a significant increase in viewership — 28 percent — over the 2019 women’s volleyball championship.

The 2017 and 2018 title matches drew more viewers than this year’s. However, sports television ratings have been down in general since the beginning of the pandemic and the number does not appear to include digital streams, so the fact that volleyball is reporting positive numbers is still a good sign.

For comparison, ESPN’s broadcast of New York Mets-Chicago Cubs last week drew 630,000 viewers. It was the most-watched weekday MLB game on ESPN since Opening Day, and yet it averaged roughly 66,000 fewer viewers than the volleyball national championship.

This comes amid a ratings surge for many other women’s sports that have received exposure from national networks and streaming services.

The NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship on April 17 drew the sport’s biggest television audience since 2011, according to Sports Media Watch. Broadcast on ABC for the first time, the event averaged 808,000 viewers, up 510 percent from 2019.

Over four million people tuned in to watch Stanford beat Arizona in the April 4 national championship game for women’s basketball, marking a 10.5 percent increase over 2019. The two semifinal games did even better, averaging 2.2 million viewers for a 22 percent increase over the ratings from 2019.

Viewership for the 2020 WNBA season was up 68 percent over 2019, and the NWSL shattered viewership records during the 2020 Challenge Cup, up 493 percent from the year before. Those increases can be attributed to more games being broadcast on major networks, with the WNBA airing on ESPN and ABC and the NWSL reaching a new deal with CBS.

Similar trends can be found on social media. A survey done during the men’s and women’s Elite Eight showed that eight of the 10 players with the biggest social media followings were women. Among them were UConn breakout star Paige Bueckers, who has over 800,000 Instagram followers following her team’s tournament run.

The NCAA DI Women’s Golf Championship selections are here.

A total of 72 teams qualified for the 2021 championship, with the SEC leading all conferences with 12 teams in the field. The ACC and Pac-12 both have eight teams apiece, while the Big 12 and Big Ten round out the Power 5 with seven teams apiece. In addition, 24 players have earned individual invites to each of the four regional sites. 

From each regional site, six teams and three players will advance to the championship finals. The national championships will be held May 21-26 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosted by Arizona State and The Thunderbirds. 

The No. 1 team in the Columbus regional site, Duke will have an opportunity to win back-to-back DI Women’s Golf Championships. The last time a team went back-to-back was also Duke, during the stroke play era, when they won three straight from 2005-2007. 

As of yet, no team has gone back-to-back during the stroke and match play era, which began in 2015. 

Also at the Columbus regional is 2017 champion Arizona State.

Last year’s runner-up, Wake Forest, headlines the Stanford Regional site, which also hosts Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma State and Pac-12 Conference champion Southern California. The 2018 champion Arizona Wildcats will also be competing amongst that field. 

Below are all of the sites, teams, and individuals competing at regionals. Conference champions and automatic qualifiers are indicated in parenthesis.

Baton Rouge Regional Site: the University Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hosted by LSU. 

Teams:

  1. LSU
  2. Ole Miss
  3. Baylor
  4. Oregon
  5. Maryland
  6. Alabama
  7. Oregon State
  8. Houston
  9. Miami (Florida)
  10. North Texas (Conference USA)
  11. Purdue
  12. Mississippi State
  13. Tulsa (American Athletic Conference)
  14. Sam Houston State (Southland Conference)
  15. Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun Conference)
  16. East Tennessee State (Southern Conference)
  17. Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley Conference)
  18. Quinnipiac (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)

Individuals:

  1. Teresa Toscano – South Dakota State (The Summit League)
  2. Courtney Dow – Texas A&M
  3. Justine Fournand – Florida Atlantic
  4. Julie Hovland – South Alabama
  5. Malak Bouraeda – Colorado
  6. Dorthea Forbrigd – East Carolina (American Athletic Conference)

Columbus Regional Site: The Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Ohio State. 

Teams:

  1. Duke (Atlantic Coast Conference)
  2. Arizona State
  3. Virginia
  4. Kent State (Mid-American Conference)
  5. Georgia
  6. Vanderbilt
  7. Michigan
  8. Clemson
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Kentucky
  11. Illinois
  12. New Mexico (Mountain West Conference)
  13. Nebraska
  14. Washington
  15. Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt Conference)
  16. Campbell (Big South Conference)
  17. Evansville (Missouri Valley Conference)
  18. Youngstown State (Horizon League)

Individuals:

  1. Leah Onosato – Old Dominion
  2. Monika Hartl – NC State
  3. Nicole Adam – North Carolina
  4. Samantha Vodry – High Point
  5. Rory Weinfurther – Richmond (Patriot League)
  6. Maria Loza – Hartford (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)

Louisville Regional Site: the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, hosted by Louisville. 

Teams:

  1. South Carolina
  2. Florida State
  3. Auburn (Southeastern Conference)
  4. Texas
  5. Arkansas
  6. Texas Tech
  7. UCLA
  8. Michigan State (Big Ten Conference)
  9. University of Central Florida
  10. Tennessee
  11. North Florida
  12. Louisville
  13. University of Texas at San Antonio
  14. Mercer
  15. College of Charleston
  16. Xavier (Big East Conference)
  17. James Madison (Colonial Athletic Association)
  18. Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast Conference)

Individuals:

  1. Anna Morgan – Furman
  2. Madison Moosa – Furman
  3. Jess Yuen – Missouri
  4. Cecilie Finne-Ipsen – Charlotte
  5. Sarah-Eve Rheaume – Furman (Southern Conference)
  6. Beem Pabsimma – University of South Carolina Upstate (Big South Conference)

Stanford Regional Site: the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California, hosted by Stanford. 

Teams:

  1. Wake Forest
  2. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Conference)
  3. Southern California (Pac-12 Conference)
  4. Virginia Tech
  5. Stanford
  6. Arizona
  7. Florida
  8. Northwestern
  9. Iowa State
  10. Denver (The Summit League)
  11. TCU
  12. San Diego State
  13. Pepperdine
  14. San Jose State
  15. New Mexico State (Western Athletic Conference)
  16. Cal Poly (Big West Conference)
  17. Sacramento State (Big Sky Conference)
  18. Navy (Patriot League)

Individuals:

  1. Samantha Fuller – UNLV
  2. Brigitte Thibault – Fresno State
  3. Allysha Mae Mateo – Brigham Young
  4. Brittany Shin – Cal State Fullerton
  5. Holland Shourds – Long Beach State (Big West Conference)
  6. Victoria Estrada – Utah Valley (Western Athletic Conference)