One way to vault up the rankings: beat the top-ranked team.

That’s exactly what Valor Christian (Colo.) did Saturday, coming back from a halftime deficit to defeat Broomfield (Colo.) 2-1 and deal the Eagles their first loss in three years.

After Broomfield opened the scoring with a first-half tally, Valor Christian responded with two second-half goals. Oregon commit Ajanae Respass continued her hot start to the season with an equalizing goal and an assist on Peyton Parsons’ game-winning score.

Both Respass and Parsons have led the Eagles’ explosive offense, which is averaging over five goals per game. Respass has a team-high 11 goals in nine games plus five assists, while Parsons is second on the team with eight goals and leads the way with seven assists.

With their statement win over Broomfield, Valor Christian has climbed from fifth in last week’s JWS high school soccer rankings to No. 1 this week.

(Note that these rankings do not include teams from Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina, as those states are already in or close to their postseasons.)

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1. Valor Christian (Colo.), 10-0

Valor Christian went undefeated in the regular season last year before losing in the 5A semifinals. The Eagles hope to avoid that fate this spring.

2. Triad (Ill.), 15-0

The Knights just keep winning, extending their unbeaten streak to 41 games (40 wins, one draw) and their winning streak to 39 matches.

3. Naperville Central (Ill.), 11-0-1

The Redhawks’ defense continues to shut down opponents. The offense just couldn’t find the back of the net in a scoreless tie with Naperville North on Monday.

4. South County (Va.), 8-0-1

The Stallions have not lost since 2019 and appear primed for another deep postseason run.

5. Broomfield (Colo.), 11-1

The Eagles rebounded from their loss to Valor Christian, their first defeat since 2019, with a resounding 8-0 win Monday.

6. Bentonville (Ark.), 14-0-2

The Tigers tied defending 6A state champions Fayetteville 2-2 on Tuesday.

7. Legacy (Colo.), 12-1

A loss to Broomfield is the only blemish on the schedule for Legacy, which has reeled off three consecutive wins since that defeat.

8. Gretna (Neb.), 16-0

The Dragons capped an undefeated regular-season with another shutout win, their 14th of the season. Gretna hasn’t allowed a goal since March 29.

9. Colonial Forge (Va.), 9-0

The Eagles tied last year’s Class 6A runners-up Patriot in a preseason scrimmage. Since then, Colonial Forge has won nine straight and outscored opponents 51-3.

10. Valley (Iowa), 10-0

The Tigers are averaging 3.6 goals per game and squeaked out a 1-0 win Tuesday over Dowling Catholic.

11. Broken Arrow (Okla.), 11-1

Broken Arrow won a district championship with a 1-0 win Tuesday, handing Owasso, No. 24 in last week’s rankings, its first loss of the season.

12. Colgan (Va.) 10-1-1

The Sharks have won six consecutive games since a scoreless draw with South County on March 31.

13. St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.), 11-0

The Saints defeated Blue Valley Southwest 3-1 on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s Class 5A state championship game, which St. Thomas Aquinas also won.

Girls soccer final score against BVSW. @stasaints_GSCR pic.twitter.com/zL954yLXVP

— GoAquinasSaints (@GoAquinasSaints) April 27, 2022

14. O’Fallon (Ill.), 13-1

Since losing to Triad, O’Fallon has outscored its opponents 23-4 in five consecutive wins.

15. James Island (S.C.), 15-0-2

The Trojans, who have not lost in over a year, have four players who have scored 10 goals or more, led by senior Lilli Ray’s 17 goals.

16. Yorktown (Va.), 9-1

The Patriots have won their last two games by a combined score of 16-0.

17. Bloomfield Hills Marian (Mich.), 5-0

A 13-day break did not slow down the Mustangs, who recorded an 8-2 win Tuesday.

18. Chapin (S.C.), 18-1

Goalkeeper Peyton Henderson stopped a penalty kick to preserve the shutout, and the Eagles recorded a 2-0 win Friday to claim a region championship.

19. Lyons Township (Ill.), 12-0

Runners-up to O’Fallon in 3A last season, the Lions are gearing up for another postseason run.

20. Blue Valley West (Kan.), 7-1

It was an eventful week for the Jaguars, who won the Blue Springs South High School Tournament in Missouri but lost to sub-.500 Blue Valley Northwest on Tuesday.

21. Grandview (Colo.), 11-1-2

Grandview’s 1-0 loss to Valor Christian earlier in the season doesn’t look so bad anymore. Incredibly, that was just one of two goals the Eagles have given up this season.

22. St. Dominic (Mo.), 12-2

The Crusaders were shut out Tuesday in a 2-0 defeat to Liberty (Wentzville) but have outscored opponents 41-2 in their 12 wins.

23. Fort Zumwalt South (Mo.), 15-1

Since a 2-1 loss to Eureka, the Bulldogs have won four straight games by a combined margin of 18-3.

24. Pine Creek (Colo.), 12-0

The Eagles have outscored opponents 75-3 this season.

25. Wade Hampton (S.C.), 16-1

The Generals won their first region championship since 1989 last week and then followed that with two more shutout victories.

Phillip Suitts is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. He has worked at a variety of outlets, including The Palm Beach Post and Southeast Missourian, and done a little bit of everything from reporting to editing to running social media accounts. He was born in Atlanta but currently lives in wintry Philadelphia. Follow Phillip on Twitter @PhillipSuitts.

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

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Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

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Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

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Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.