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JWS Player of the Year: Amelia White, a game-changing soccer talent

Amelia White finished her senior season with 25 goals and 15 assists, leading Homestead to its first-ever state championship. (Photo provided)

There’s a moment from last fall that sticks with coach Rick Link the most when he reflects on Amelia White’s career at Homestead High School.

The Spartans were in the regional semifinals of Indiana’s Class 3A bracket, and their opponent was two-time defending state champion Noblesville, a program that hadn’t lost a match in over two and a half years. On top of that, Noblesville hadn’t allowed more than three goals in a game in over four years.

But with White on the pitch, this year was different.

In front of a jubilant home crowd, Homestead faced a 1-0 deficit before one touch to White changed everything.

“We touched the ball to her to kick it back off, and she dribbled straight to the goal past five of their defenders and scored within six seconds to tie it back up,” Link says. “She had a hat trick, plus she was tripped in the box. Another girl took the PK, and we won 4-2.

“I saw their coach later at the state voting that we do together down in Indianapolis. He said people were asking, ‘Well, why didn’t you do something different to stop her?’ And he goes, ‘There was nothing you could do to stop her.’ She’s flying by his best defenders, and that was the most dominating performance I’ve ever seen on the offensive end.”

White hasn’t slowed down since then.

Homestead went on to finish the season 22-0 and claim its first state championship in program history. White was named Miss Indiana by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association and the Gatorade Indiana Girls Soccer Player of the Year, and now she can add one more accolade to the list — Just Women’s Sports High School Soccer Player of the Year.

After racking up 25 goals and 15 assists in her senior season, she’s headed to the Division I ranks to compete for Penn State.

While the future is certainly bright for White, her beginnings warrant their own story. It all began when she and her twin sister discovered their passion for soccer a little more than a decade ago.

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Amelia White, left, competes in a match for Fort Wayne United FC. (Photo provided)

Growing up in Fort Wayne, Amelia and Sophia both began playing soccer when they were 6 years old. Inspired by their older brother, they discovered their own love of the game and played on a recreational team, but it didn’t last very long.

“I would just score goals,” Amelia says. “Me and my sister would only pass to each other, so they actually kicked us off the rec team because we wouldn’t pass to anyone and we’d just score goals.”

Shortly thereafter, they joined Fort Wayne United FC and the journey started to get more serious. Amelia was about 13 years old when she began training with the boys, and by the time she was 14, she was playing with FWUFC’s oldest age group for girls.

It was around that time that Link watched Amelia play for the first time.

“I was just amazed,” Link says. “The ball sticks to her foot. Her speed with the ball, I mean, I’ve never seen anyone that fast with the ball at her foot. She’s racing past people, dribbling past people, and they don’t have the ball. And they can’t keep up.

“You could watch her play for five minutes and realize she’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of player.”

The experience of getting to share the pitch with her sister throughout the years is one that Amelia cherishes, but she admits it wasn’t easy to navigate the comparisons that always seemed to surface between the two. While Amelia was busy attending national team camps, Sophia was settling into her role as a stalwart defender and wasn’t drawing the same level of hype. It was hard on Sophia, but as time passed, they learned to handle it better.

“I think now it’s really good that we recognize we’re on different sides of the field,” Amelia says. “We both have different jobs. She’s really good at what she does, and I’m good at what I do. We’re pretty competitive still, but I think that helps us a lot.”

As freshmen, they made an immediate impact on Link’s squad. The Spartans advanced to the state championship game but lost to perennial powerhouse Carmel in a 2-1 decision.

Sophia went on to start at center back all four years at Homestead, but Amelia’s eyes were fixed on competing internationally. In 2019, Amelia was invited to play for the U.S. U-17 women’s national team at a friendly tournament in Sweden, and the obligation forced her to miss a large chunk of her sophomore season at Homestead.

Then, a year later, Amelia was upfront with her coach early on that she had planned to compete for the U.S. at the U-17 World Cup and would have to miss the season due to training in the fall. The World Cup was eventually canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was pretty much the first time that I’d ever been away from home for a long amount of time at a pretty young age, but it was a really good experience and a really big learning experience, just going to other countries and learning about other cultures,” she says. “It was awesome. Trainings were super intense. It definitely helped me develop as a player, but it was mainly the stuff they would tell me and I took back home that really made a difference.”

From the moment it began, Amelia knew her senior season was going to be special. For one, it was an opportunity to get to take the field with her sister one more time. But beyond that, she had developed a unique bond with her entire team that made their cohesion as a unit that much stronger.

“Even though everyone was really close and best friends, we took the training pretty serious. I think that’s what made a difference. I love those girls,” Amelia says. “Once we did get to the tournament, we played at such a high level against older girls, so I think the seniors did a really good job of showing and leading how to deal with that.”

Link believes Amelia’s experience with the national team brought along an entirely new element to her game. She was much more focused on elevating the players around her, demonstrating a sense of maturity he’d yet to see from her.

“She set a lot of other girls up,” Link says. “She could’ve taken over every game we played. She took over at times if she needed to, but she really involved her teammates more her senior year and was just out there to have fun.”

Following the momentous win over Noblesville, Homestead went on to claim the region crown with a 2-0 victory over Harrison before Amelia was forced to miss the state semifinal match due to a training obligation with the national team. The Spartans escaped that game with a win over Saint Joseph, in which they tied 0-0 in regulation before advancing in penalty kicks.

A week later, Amelia was back on the pitch with her sister in the state final. She scored a goal and led the Spartans to a 2-1 win over Carmel, avenging their loss from three years prior and clinching the first state soccer title in school history.

“It didn’t even feel real,” Amelia says. “Coming off of hard games before, like the Noblesville game, we were already on a high, but we knew that was going to be a really tough game. Once the final whistle blew, it was just really surreal.”

Although she only played two full seasons at the high school level, Amelia finished her career at Homestead with 52 goals and 31 assists. She’s ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2022 by Top Drawer Soccer, which earned her attention from a handful of Division I schools.

In November, Amelia and Sophia sat next to each other in front of family, friends, coaches and media as they each signed national letters of intent to continue their careers at the college level — Sophia with IUPUI and Amelia with Penn State.

Amelia chose the Nittany Lions over the likes of Georgetown, USC and Notre Dame, impressed by the relationship she’d built with head coach Erica Dambach.

“It’s very family-oriented, which I really liked to see when I was on my visit,” says Amelia, who currently plans to major in political science but is still undeclared. “The campus is also just gorgeous, and it was the only place where I really felt at home and secure. I could just envision myself being here, and I think that was the really big difference that separated Penn State from the other schools because I just didn’t really feel that when talking to other coaches or visiting campuses.

“Penn State is just such a big school. There’s so many degrees and opportunities to explore here, so I really enjoyed that, too.”

As she heads to the college level, Amelia is bound to run into competition unlike anything she’s seen before, and Link is fascinated by how her game will translate at the next level.

“She’s always been the best player on her team by far, even when she’s playing up. Obviously when she came in as a freshman in high school, she was playing against seniors, but she was used to that because she was always playing up in club level, too,” he says. “I think she’ll need to continue to work really hard because I think it’ll be the first time where there might be some girls who will be able to match her skills and speed, and that typically has not been the case.”

Amelia is already training with her teammates at Penn State and is enrolled in summer classes. She has goals of getting back in the mix with the national team and wants to make an impact right away at Penn State, but she understands her role while learning behind players like Ally Schlegel, who led the Nittany Lions with 10 goals last season.

Amelia credits her coaches at FWUFC as some of her greatest mentors over the years — people like Bobby Poursanidis and Claire Ward.

For Amelia, it always seems to come back to Fort Wayne, a town that has produced soccer stars like Sarah Killion, DaMarcus Beasley and Akil Amen-Diop Watts.

Amelia wants to be the next name on that list, and if her senior season at Homestead is any indication, she’s well on her way.

“It was just one of those years where things came together, and we didn’t have any serious injuries,” Link says. “We won in PKs twice in the tournament, so there’s obviously luck involved there.

“It doesn’t hurt to have players like Amelia and Sophia as well.”

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

NWSL Stars Headline African National Teams at 2025 WAFCON

Zambia striker Barbra Banda celebrates a goal during a 2023 World Cup match.
Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda will lead Zambia at the 2025 WAFCON tournament in Morocco. (Hannah Peters - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) kicks off late next week, as NWSL stars depart their clubs to join their national teams in the fight for continental glory.

Running from July 5th through the 26th, 12 teams from across Africa will feature at this year's tournament in Morocco, with defending champions South Africa looking to repeat.

One of the teams hoping to upend the Banyana Banyana's back-to-back prospects are Zambia's Copper Queens, captained by Orlando Pride striker and perennial MVP candidate Barbra Banda. The current NWSL leader in both shots and shots on target has eight goals in her club season so far, good for a second-place tie in the league's Golden Boot race.

Joining Banda on a Zambia side rich with attacking talent are Bay FC striker Rachael Kundananji and a pair of Banda's Pride teammates, midfielders Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya.

Other NWSL standouts making the trip include Ghana forwards Stella Nyamekye (Gotham FC) and Princess Marfo (Bay FC), as well as Nigeria striker Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC) and defender Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash).

Notably, the nine-time WAFCON champs opted to omit Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday from the Super Falcons' roster — a particularly surprising move considering Nigeria chose Oshoala, who has yet to record a goal or assist in 2025 NWSL play, and uncapped UConn junior forward Chioma Okafor over Monday and her red-hot form.

Calling it "a tough pill to swallow," Monday wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday that she harbors "no grudges, no resentment."

"I remain fully committed to cheering my country from home," Monday said, adding "To the incredible women who made the squad, go out there and make history."

"You carry the hopes of millions — including mine."

Golden State Tops WNBA with $500 Million ‘Sportico’ Valuation

Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen dribbles the ball during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Golden State Valkyries top all WNBA teams with a $500 million valuation. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Golden State Valkyries made a splash on Tuesday, as the 2025 expansion side debuted on Sportico's annual WNBA valuation list at the very top, leading all 13 league teams at $500 million.

With facility ownership and arena management playing major roles, that current estimate of the Valkyries' worth is 10 times the amount that the Golden State ownership group paid in expansion fees back in 2023.

Even more, the figure arguably puts Golden State atop all other women's sport teams worldwide, surpassing even the record-breaking $450 valuation set by the New York Liberty just last month. On Sportico's current list, the Liberty clock in with a $420 million value just behind the Valkyries.

The Sportico report also places the overall average value of a WNBA team at $269 million, a 180% increase over last season's average — and a figure that dwarfs even the $140 million valuation held by 2024 list-leaders Las Vegas.

Of all teams, the Fever saw the biggest leap, rising from sixth to third on the list with a valuation of $355 million — more than 270% higher than Indiana's $90 million mark in 2024.

Valkyries poised to win the 2025 WNBA revenue race

The Fever also led the league in revenue last year with $33.8 million, though the Valkyries are projected to run away with this season's revenue title, as Sportico estimates that Golden State will bring in more than $70 million in 2025.

The Bay Area side already set a single-game WNBA record for revenue generated, making $3 million in their 2025 home opener.

Current calculations put WNBA valuations at an average of 12 times their revenue — the highest revenue multiple among all major pro sports leagues, including the NBA (11.9), MLS (9.4), NFL (9.3), NHL (7.7), NWSL (6.8), and MLB (6.6).

Plus, new media deals with broadcasters like ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime — among others — are on track to generate an average of $260 million in annual revenue for the league starting next season.

With Golden State proving that expansion can be immediately profitable, business — and valuations — continues to boom in the WNBA, as the league eyes even more value with the 2026 additions of Toronto and Portland.

Tuesday Upsets Shake Up the 2025 WNBA Standings

Washington's Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin celebrate a three-pointer during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Washington Mystics handed the league-leading Minnesota Lynx their second season loss on Tuesday. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

The WNBA proved that any team can win on any day on Tuesday night, when all four games ended in underdog upsets, rattling the league standings.

While No. 12 Dallas quieted No. 4 Atlanta 68-55, Chicago was swapping spots with now-No. 11 LA, as the Sky snapped a three-game skid with a 97-86 win over the Sparks to claim 10th place on the table.

At the same time, Washington inched up from No. 9 to No. 8 by handing the league-leading Lynx a 68-64 defeat — just the second loss suffered by Minnesota this season.

The Indiana Fever also claimed a one-spot rise to No. 7 after snapping a two-game losing streak with a 94-86 defeat of No. 5 Seattle.

Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston shoots in the paint during a 2025 WNBA season win over Seattle on Tuesday.
With 31 points, Indiana center Aliyah Boston led WNBA scoring on Tuesday night. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

Bigs lead the charge in Tuesday's WNBA upsets

The overall stars of Tuesday's show were the bigs, as Indiana center Aliyah Boston put up 31 points, Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso recorded 27 points, and Minnesota center Alanna Smith dropped 26 of her own.

Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell matched Boston's efforts with her own 26-point showing, as the pair helped Indiana overcome forward DeWanna Bonner's now-permanent absence from the team, as well as another off-night from Caitlin Clark.

Led by Arike Ogunbowale's 21 points, Dallas benefitted from an unexpectedly shaky Atlanta side that shot just 23.4% from the field — the Dream's lowest shooting performance in franchise history and the worst single-game showing league-wide since 2010.

After starting the 2025 WNBA season 1-11, the Wings have now won three of their last four games.

The Mystics also came to play, edging out the once-unbeatable Lynx in a defensive battle that saw center Shakira Austin lead Washington with 19 points while Minnesota mainstay Napheesa Collier rode the bench due to lower back stiffness.

Meanwhile, with 11 points with 11 rebounds on the night, Washington rookie Kiki Iriafen claimed her fifth career double-double — more than the rest of the WNBA's Class of 2025 combined.

How to watch Wednesday's WNBA action

Wednesday's late-night, two-game bill provides yet another chance to shake up the WNBA standings.

With both matchups tipping off at 10 PM ET, the ailing New York Liberty will visit the rising Golden State Valkyries, airing on WNBA League Pass, while the last-place Connecticut Sun take on the up-and-down Las Vegas Aces on NBA TV.

New York Sirens Take Colgate Grad Kaltounková No. 1 in PWHL Draft

Colgate's Kristýna Kaltounková celebrates a goal during the 2024 NCAA hockey tournament.
The New York Sirens selected Czech international and Colgate grad Kristýna Kaltounková as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 PWHL Draft. (Gil Talbot/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The 2025 PWHL Draft spotlighted the wealth of women's hockey talent currently rising through the ranks, as the league ushered in its third rookie class on Tuesday night.

With the first overall pick, the New York Sirens selected Colgate University alum Kristýna Kaltounková, after the 23-year-old Czech forward finished her college career as the team's all-time leading scorer.

"Coming from such a small town in the Czech Republic, it's a great honor," Kaltounková said after the announcement.

The PWHL's eight teams selected a total of 48 players across the Draft's six rounds, with 43 draftees coming out of the NCAA system.

Ohio State produced the most 2025 prospects with six selected players, after the Buckeyes won two of the last four national titles.

Of the five non-NCAA recruits, four made the leap from international pro leagues in Sweden and Russia, while one player joins the PWHL from the University of British Columbia.

With two of the eight first-round picks, New York played the Draft's most aggressive hand, trading defender Ella Shelton to Toronto in order to receive the Sceptres' third and 27th overall picks.

Due to that deal, the Sirens also snagged 2024/25 NCAA MVP Casey O'Brien, a three-time national champion and the Wisconsin Badgers' all-time leading scorer.

New York also traded top forward Abby Roque to Montréal before the 2025 PWHL Draft, receiving forward Kristin O'Neill and Tuesday's 28th overall pick in return.

With league expansion widening this year's PWHL talent pool, college programs have stepped up to fill the gaps as the professional game grows.

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