The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup may have produced it’s fair share of goals, but for many, it was the outstanding play of the league’s coalition of goalkeepers that defined the bubble tournament. From national team regulars to third-string superstars, the keepers of the Cup made goals an absolute premium, so much so that the quarterfinals alone witnessed not one but three clean sheets.

Below, we celebrate the top 10 saves of the Cup.

 

10. SHERIDAN IS A WALL OF STEEL

Another big night from @bellageist in net. ????

Her full reach stop on ???? earns tonight's @Verizon Save of the Match!#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/BwFozDFZUE

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 6, 2020

OL Reign’s Jasmyne Spencer chases down her teammate’s flick and carries the ball straight to goal, drilling the ball from point-blank range. But the Canadian Kailen Sheridan makes an effortless save, pushing the ball to the side and preserving Sky Blue’s scoreless draw with OL Reign.

 

9. BARNES FLEXES HER FLAWLESS TIMING

Keeping the defense ???? through the full 9️⃣0️⃣.@OLReign's Lauren Barnes earns tonight's @budweiserusa Woman of the Match ????#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/Vyiu7gmfvy

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 1, 2020

It doesn’t matter how much time is remaining, you know Lauren Barnes will be putting in work. Late in the first half, Kawasumi of Sky Blue receives a cross inside the box and takes a touch, knocking the ball down. She blasts a line-drive shot from just a few yards out, but OL’s Barnes slides just in time to block the attempt. Barnes’ late tackle assisted OL Reign in maintaining a clean slate in a scoreless draw against Sky Blue. We’d say that shot probably bruised Barnes’ leg, but in reality it probably only bruised Sky Blue’s ego.

 

8. ROWLAND PUTS THE STOP SIGN OUT

We've got a potential @Verizon Save of the Match.@rowland_katelyn with a MASSIVE stop to keep the game tied ????

0-0 | #NCvCHI

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/xidOHNHNPK

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 5, 2020

The Chicago Red Stars’ Kealia Watt steals the ball from North Carolina’s center back and drives to goal on a counter-attack. Katelyn Rowland of North Carolina makes herself big, standing strong at the six-yard box to block Watt’s shot with just one hand. Rowland’s mind-boggling save assisted in North Carolina’s 1-0 victory over Chicago in the first round of the tournament.

 

7. BLEDSOE PUTS IN THE FULL 90

????‍♀️ @AubreyBledsoe denies Horan!

1-1 | #PORvWAS

Tune in now on @CBSAllAccess and @Twitch.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/cnbA3BTg3n

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 6, 2020

Late in the game, Lindsey Horan of the Portland Thorns collects a floated ball from out of the air, placing it on the ground before crushing it from just outside the 18. But Washington Spirit’s goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe denies Horan’s could-have-been goal, making a diving save to push the ball out of danger. Bledsoe then casually hops up, as if to say, just another day at the office.

 

6. ECKERSTROM COMES OUT FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

Britt EckerSTRONG! pic.twitter.com/F8SuNbF9DH

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) July 17, 2020

North Carolina’s Williams slips Deinha a pass at the top of the box. Debinha twirls to face the goal and cracks a shot with wicked spin. Britt Eckerstrom remarkably reads Debinha’s shot and sends the ball out of play. Eckerstrom’s impeccable performance against Carolina in the quarterfinals allowed Portland to upset the reigning league champs, and rightfully solidified her spot on the Challenge Cup’s Best XI.

 

5. SHERIDAN OUT HERE BREAKING FORWARDS’ HEARTS

???? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ????@Kailen_Sheridan's save on a header attempt is the @Verizon Save of the Match.#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/REzXh0klU4

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 18, 2020

Golden glove winner Kailen Sheridan just would not let anything into her net. Washington’s Tori Huster hits a dangerous ball into the box from the right flank, finding her teammate Ashley Sanchez back post. Sanchez heads the ball into the corner, but Sky Blue’s keeper Sheridan is there to deflect the ball out to a defender in the area. Sheridan’s phenomenal save helped her team push past Washington Spirit in the quarterfinals in a 0-0 tie that eventually led to penalties.

 

4. CAMPBELL THRIVES UNDER PRESSURE

It's @jane_campbell1 ????????????????ℕ.@HoustonDash are ???? to the semifinals!#HOUvUTA | #NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/HGnqrSfZ2P

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 18, 2020

Campbell blocked 3 out of 5 penalties in the quarterfinals… that’s just unheard of. Here, Campbell read Vero Boquete like a book, diving to deflect the penalty off of her gloves. Her save secured Houston a slot into the semifinals after a scoreless tie in regulation. Can anyone say, national team call-up?

 

3. THAT’S NAEHER’S NET

Whether it's in France or Utah, you can count on @AlyssaNaeher in big games.

The @USWNT and @chiredstarsPR 'keeper is the @budweiserusa Woman of the Match! ????#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/Rg3FG7tuSN

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 19, 2020

Jess Fishlock maneuvers her way past Chicago’s defense and takes a low-driven shot back post. World Cup champ Alyssa Naeher denies Fishlock, pushing the ball wide from the frame to keep a scoreless draw in the quarterfinals clash. Naeher later played a key role in penalties, boosting Chicago to the semis. It’s almost like she’s used to playing on the big stage.

 

2. BIXBY SAYS, NAH, NOT TODAY

Another big night from @bellageist in net. ????

Her full reach stop on ???? earns tonight's @Verizon Save of the Match!#NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/BwFozDFZUE

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 6, 2020

Ashley Sanchez of Washington Spirit plays an outside foot bender to teammate Ashley Hatch, who immediately takes a shot toward the upper V of the front post. But Portland Thorns’ goalkeeper Bella Bixby makes a backward diving effort to tip the ball safely out of play, effortlessly protecting a 1-1 draw in Portland’s third game of the preliminary rounds.

 

1. ECKERSTROM SHINES IN HER UNEXPECTED SPOTLIGHT

Absolutely majestic ???? @Breck28's top-shelf save on a free kick was voted as the @Verizon Save of the Tournament. #NWSLChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/jm699i5RHt

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) July 26, 2020

Carolina’s Debinha rips a free-kick from just outside the box, causing Eckerstrom to reach full extension in order to punch the ball over the crossbar. Eckerstrom’s exceptional save and match performance lifted Portland to a 1-0 win over Carolina, giving the Thorns a slot in the semifinals of the tournament.

Eckerstrom played in a total of two full games, but made the NWSL tournament Best XI team thanks to this save of the tournament and many more like it. Two games turned out to be all she needed to leave her mark on the Cup.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.