The USA women's hockey team came out on top over the weekend, kicking off the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada by dominating their northern neighbors, outscoring them by an impressive 10-2 margin across the pair's first two games.
US forward Abbey Murphy emerged as a series star, scoring a natural hat trick in the team's 4-1 win in Cleveland on Thursday — the first three-goal turn by a USA player against Canada since team captain Hilary Knight did so at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship.
"I told [Murphy], 'You set the bar pretty high,'" said Knight, who added her own hat trick to the mix in Saturday's 6-1 victory in Buffalo.
"I love how we showed up," the 36-year-old continued. "We've been working like dogs since August and to get rewarded for our work, and see situations that we need to work on."
Notably, while the USA brought their entire 2025 world championship-winning roster to the first two Rivalry Series games, Canada chose to evaluate some fresh faces while resting a number of standout veterans, including their No. 1 goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens — a fact that should temper the sting of adding two big losses to their now four-game skid against the US.
With women's hockey taking over Milan at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, the last two 2025 Rivalry Series matchups will more likely see both sides testing their final rosters for Italy.
How to watch the final games in the 2025 Rivalry Series
Canada will welcome the USA for the last two matchups in the 2025 Rivalry Series, with the puck dropping in Edmonton, Alberta, at 9 PM ET for both the December 10th and 13th clashes.
Both games will air live on the NHL Network.
The LPGA is bringing star power to Florida this week, as a wealth of women's golf talent — and one basketball superstar — tee off at the 2025 edition of The ANNIKA.
Kicking off the event on Wednesday was the annual Pro-Am, with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headlining the field for the second straight year.
World No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda once again joined Clark through her first nine holes, as Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull served as guest caddies.
The four-day professional tournament will then tee off on Thursday, though current world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will not be in attendance for the second year in a row.
Korda, however, will lead the charge to both defend her 2024 title and secure her first win of the 2025 LPGA season — as well as add to her full trio of trophies collected at The ANNIKA.
Four other Top-10 players will look to upend Korda's back-to-back bid, including No. 3 Miyu Yamashita, No. 6 Charley Hull, No. 9 Mao Saigo, and No. 10 Lottie Woad.
With the 2025 CMA Group Tour Championship capping the LPGA season later this month, The ANNIKA will also see golfers on the bubble — like US stars Rose Zhang and 2023 champion Lilia Vu — try to snag enough points to make the end-of-year tournament's final 60-player cut.
How to watch The ANNIKA 2025 LPGA tournament
Coverage of the fifth edition of The ANNIKA continues through Sunday, airing live on the Golf Channel.
The No. 3 UCLA Bruins rose to the occasion on Monday, looking like 2025/26 NCAA basketball championship contenders as they took down the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 73-59 in Sacramento.
Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens made the difference for the Bruins, leading all scorers with 20 points while opposing defenses limited both UCLA center Lauren Betts and Oklahoma big Raegan Beers to single digits.
Bruins forward Angela Dugalić also put up a standout performance, coming off the bench to score 16 points and snag 15 rebounds on Monday.
"There are so many weapons that I feel like it's hard for the defense to choose what to take away," Kneepkens said ahead of Monday's matchup. "What makes this team special is that any night could be someone's night."
Monday's clash with UCLA also served as the national broadcast debut of Oklahoma freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez, with the No. 1 high school basketball recruit seeing her first Top 10 NCAA matchup as a Sooner.
Chavez had a slow start against the experienced Bruins, registering 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds across her 32 minutes on the court.
How to watch UCLA basketball this week
The heat continues for No. 3 UCLA on Thursday, when the Bruins will host the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.
Newly formed offseason league Project B is stocking up, with Phoenix Mercury star forward Alyssa Thomas becoming the second big-name WNBA player to sign with the overseas venture ahead of its anticipated November 2026 debut.
Thomas follows Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike in joining Project B, a traveling tournament-style competition reportedly offering players significant pay raises into the seven- and even eight-figure echelon — as well as equity stakes in the league.
Thomas will still feature in the 2026 season of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball this January, with the launch of Project B expected to conflict with Unrivaled's third season in 2027.
With salaries reportedly topping both Unrivaled and the WNBA, Project B's funding sources came into question after Ogwumike's announcement last week.
In February, The Financial Times named Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund as a league investor, though Project B co-founder Grady Burnett denied those claims to Front Office Sports last week.
However, the league is working with event partner Sela, a known subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, though Burnett was quick to qualify that "Sela is one event partner that we pay money to. We do not have any dollars coming from them."
With the first season of Project B set to field 66 players, expect more high-profile signings to continue as the new venture adds to the increasingly crowded WNBA offseason space.
The PWHL is hitting the road once again, with the newly expanded third-year league adding seven new markets to the 2025/26 season's neutral-site Takeover Tour.
Across 16 regular-season matchups running from December 17th through April 7th, the pro hockey upstart will visit Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Halifax, Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Washington, DC, for the first time, with Denver, Detroit, Edmonton, and Québec City returning to this season's lineup.
"The passion and support from fans, and the enthusiasm from cities eager to engage with our league, have fueled our ambition to grow the Tour for Season Three," PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer said in Monday's league statement.
The inaugural 2024/25 PWHL Takeover Tour drew 123,601 fans across nine games, setting a new US pro women's hockey single-game attendance record when a crowd of 14,288 packed Detroit's Little Caesars Arena in March.
The success underlines the sport's booming popularity, with PWHL expansion teams Seattle Torrent and the Vancouver Goldeneyes joining the league's founding six clubs later this month after serving as Takeover Tour stops last season — setting a precedent for potential future markets.
"We're going to expand at least two to four teams next year," Scheer recently told members at an Ottawa City Council meeting. "We are in growth mode, and this league is exploding."
How to attend the 2025/26 PWHL Takeover Tour
The 2025/26 Takeover Tour ticket pre-sale kicks off on Thursday, with host markets opening general sales to all tour dates via thepwhl.com at 10 AM local time on Friday.
The NWSL dropped its end-of-year award shortlists on Monday, as the league gives standout players and coaches props for a quality 2025 regular season.
Back-to-back Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga is up for her second straight NWSL MVP award, with the Current star joined by San Diego Wave forward Delphine Cascarino, Gotham striker Esther González, North Carolina Courage attacker Manaka Matsukubo, and fellow Kansas City forward Bia Zaneratto as international front line stars swept the 2025 MVP shortlist.
Matsukubo is also up for 2025 NWSL Midfielder of the Year alongside Kenza Dali (San Diego), Debinha (Kansas City), Claire Hutton (Kansas City), and Olivia Moultrie (Portland).
Following a record-breaking 2025 NWSL Shield win, the Current received a league-leading eight nominations, with the aforementioned Chawinga, Zaneratto, Debinha, and Hutton joined by Goalkeeper of the Year nominee Lorena, Coach of the Year candidate Vlatko Andonovski, and Defender of the Year shortlisters Kayla Sharples and Izzy Rodriguez.
Notably, the defending champion Orlando Pride is the only club in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs to field zero end-of-season nods, while only Matsukubo, Rookie of the Year nominee Riley Tiernan (Angel City), and Defender of the Year candidate Avery Patterson (Houston Dash) represent teams finishing below the postseason cutoff line.
How to vote for the 2025 NWSL Awards
A weighted scale of players (40%), coaches and leadership (25%), media (25%), and fans (10%) will determine the 2025 NWSL award winners as well as the league's Best XI First and Second Teams, all of which will be revealed in a live ESPN2 broadcast at 5:30 PM ET on Wednesday, November 19th.
Fan voting for the 2025 NWSL Awards is open until 8 PM ET on Wednesday, November 12th.
The 2025 NWSL Award Shortlists
- Most Valuable Player: Delphine Cascarino (San Diego Wave), Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current), Esther González (Gotham FC), Manaka Matsukubo (North Carolina Courage), Bia Zaneratto (Kansas City Current)
- Midfielder of the Year: Kenza Dali (San Diego Wave), Debinha (Kansas City Current), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Manaka Matsukubo (North Carolina Courage), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns)
- Defender of the Year: Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current), Kayla Sharples (Kansas City Current)
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Lorena (Kansas City Current)
- Rookie of the Year: Maddie Dahlien (Seattle Reign), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Riley Tiernan (Angel City)
- Coach of the Year: Vlatko Andonovski (Kansas City Current), Adrián González (Washington Spirit), Beverly Yanez (Racing Louisville)
The University of Washington women's soccer team completed the 2025 Big Ten double on Sunday, when the No. 13 Huskies defeated the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans in a championship match penalty shootout to lift the conference tournament trophy — just one week after winning the regular-season title.
The weekend victory proved an emotional one for the Huskies, coming just days after the team lost 21-year-old senior goalkeeper Mia Hamant to Stage 4 kidney cancer on Thursday.
"Obviously, it's been a hard week but it just shows how much this team loves each other, how much they care about each other, and how much we love Mia," said University of Washington head coach Nicole Van Dyke.
"Mia's been with us the whole time," Van Dyke continued. "She's a part of everything we do and she will always be. I can't put into words how appreciative we are of the support that everyone that has given her, her family, this team, our program. I'm just so happy for these kids."
How to watch Washington in the 2025 NCAA tournament Selection Show
The Washington Huskies will now join the weekend's 29 other conference champions in finding out their 2025 NCAA College Cup paths on Monday, when the national committee reveals its 64-team Division I tournament bracket at 4 PM ET.
The 2025 NCAA soccer tournament Selection Show will stream live on NCAA.com.
World No. 5 Elena Rybakina lifted her first-ever WTA Finals trophy on Saturday, when the 2022 Wimbledon champ upset No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(0) to close out the 2025 tennis calendar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 26-year-old Kazakhstan star — who notably was the final player in the eight-athlete field to secure her tournament spot — capped her run on a winning tear, taking down No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula en route to the 2025 title.
"It's been an incredible week. I honestly didn't expect any result, and to go so far is just incredible," Rybakina said following her championship-winning match.
Handing Sabalenka just her second-ever defeat in the final match of the WTA Finals — and doing so with just the third dropped tie-break in Sabalenka's 2025 season — Rybakina emerged from the end-of-year round-robin tournament without a single loss — earning her a women's tennis-record $5.23 million winner's check.
"She played incredible," Sabalenka said of her opponent, after Rybakina scored an impressive eight aces against the world No. 1 in the clash. "I feel like I did my best today. It didn't work, but I think so many things I have to be proud of. And yeah, I'm leaving this tournament without any disappointment."
No. 2-seed Washington have booked their second straight NWSL semifinals berth, after a short-staffed Spirit bested a resilient No. 7 Racing Louisville side in penalty kicks following Saturday's 1-1 quarterfinal draw.
Washington forward Gift Monday first broke the 0-0 stalemate in the 73rd minute after VAR called back an early Spirit goal, while Racing forward Kayla Fischer managed to keep Louisville's hopes alive with a second-half stoppage time equalizer.
Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury then played penalty shootout hero for a second straight year, blocking two sharply hit strikes to allow the Spirit to advance 3-1.
"At the end of the day, there was no chance that we could lose this game," said Spirit head coach Adrián González postgame. "It was a matter of just keep insisting — that's the mentality we have."
The Spirit had more than Racing's tenacity to contend with this weekend, however, as an MCL strain continues to sideline star forward Trinity Rodman.
Washington defenders Gabby Carle and Tara McKeown both exited Saturday's match with injuries, as well, as players pile up on the Spirit's availability report.
How to watch the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL semifinals
No. 2 Washington will next face No. 3 Portland in the 2025 NWSL semis, with the Thorns punching their record-10th semifinal ticket by downing the No. 6 San Diego Wave 1-0 in their own extra-time showdown on Sunday.
The Spirit take on the Thorns for a shot at competing for the 2025 NWSL title at 12 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on CBS.
Reigning NWSL champs Orlando kicked off their repeat title bid in style, with the No. 4-seed Pride topping a tough No. 5 Seattle Reign 2-0 to punch their ticket to the 2025 semifinals on Friday.
Orlando midfielder Haley McCutcheon opened scoring in the 21st minute, giving the Pride a slim lead well into the second half before captain Marta broke out into a 100-yard solo dash through Seattle's backline, earning the second-half stoppage-time penalty kick that ultimately put the match out of the Reign's reach.
"We have talked so much about this season and compared it to last season," Marta said postgame. "Of course, we don't do the same things we did last year, but we have the same players and the same mentality. We still work so hard and still believe."
After Marta put on the burners to earn that kick from the spot, the Brazil legend chose to cede the spotlight to a beloved teammate.
Marta gave the ball to fellow Pride and Brazil star Luana, a midfielder who recently returned to the pitch after successfully battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma — with Luana going on to sink the penalty to mark her first goal in an Orlando jersey.
"Handing the ball over to Luana optimizes Marta as an individual," said Orlando manager Seb Hines. "She never puts herself above the team and gave the ball to Luana to have her moment."
How to watch the Orlando Pride in the 2025 NWSL semifinals
The No. 4 Orlando Pride will next host No. 8 Gotham FC in the 2025 NWSL semifinals.
The pair will kick off their clash at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on ABC.