Angel City FC pulled off a thrilling victory on Saturday, rallying to defeat SoCal rival and top-ranked San Diego, 2-1, on the road at Snapdragon Stadium.

It was a statement win for 11th-ranked Angel City. After a poor showing during the first half of the NWSL season, the club fired head coach Freya Coombe on Thursday. Assistant Becki Tweed is serving as interim head coach until a replacement is selected.

“I think we just fed off her energy,” Angel City defender M.A. Vignola said of Tweed’s leadership. “She wanted us to play to our potential. We know what we have on the field. As teammates we know what we can do. She really brought it out of us. This past week of training was the most competitive training session we have had in two or three months.”

Stars of the game

All three goals in Saturday’s match were scored by defenders. San Diego got on the board first, with Kristen McNabb finding the back of the net in the 57th minute.

Paige Nielsen recorded the equalizer in the 70th minute, capitalizing on a corner kick, and Vignola scored the game-winner in the 89th minute to secure Angel City’s first win since April 2.

Did @MAVignola just win this for @weareangelcity?! 😱 pic.twitter.com/isL5vVN5pu

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 17, 2023

“We needed that one,” said Nielsen. “We knew that with the momentum, it would take the entire team to grind a game out. That is what we did today.”

“This being San Diego and being our first win in a while, it means a lot,” echoed Vignola. “A road win is always big. It being San Diego makes it so much better.”

Home away from home

Nielsen shouted out the Angel City fans who stuck with the team during their rough patch and traveled to San Diego for Saturday’s game.

“We have felt like people have given up on us. Seeing the fans in the stands was overwhelming,” she said.

The ACFC crowd is looooooving it! pic.twitter.com/nNPEQR2xLL

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 17, 2023

San Diego head coach Casey Stoney said her side knew Angel City could be buoyed by their recent head coaching change.

“We spoke about the circumstances and we were very clear that when teams lose their manager, they bounce and they get a win,” Stoney said. “So it wasn’t something we were not prepared for.”

What’s next

With the win, Angel City (3-6-3) moved up one spot to 10th place in the NWSL standings. San Diego (6-4-2) fell from the top of the table to third after the North Carolina Courage and OL Reign each picked up points on Saturday to surpass the Wave.

Angel City and San Diego meet again in two weeks on June 28 — this time at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles for a Challenge Cup game. With NWSL players released for World Cup duty on the 26th, both teams’ lineups will look different at that point. The USWNT roster is slated to be announced this week; from San Diego, Naomi Girma, Taylor Kornieck, Alex Morgan, and Jaedyn Shaw are in contention for roster spots, while Angel City’s top hopefuls include Julie Ertz and Alyssa Thompson. San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan has already been named to Canada’s World Cup roster.

The two sides meet again on Aug. 5 — the same day the Round of 16 gets underway at the World Cup — for their second regular-season game.

Despite a few shocking upsets in the early rounds of the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament, the ACC has retained its status as the conference to beat, with the powerhouse sending three teams to this season's College Cup semifinals on Friday.

With two tickets to Monday's national championship match on the line, four-time title-winners and No. 3-seed Florida State will take on College Cup debutants TCU in Friday's first semi, with the No. 2 Horned Frogs booking their semifinals spot by ousting fellow SEC standout No. 1 Vanderbilt 2-1 last Saturday.

The nightcap, on the other hand, will be an all-ACC affair, as No. 2 Duke continues their hunt for a first-ever national title against the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, Stanford.

The three-time NCAA champ Cardinal has been unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 21-5 across the tournament's first four rounds to set up a season-first matchup with the Blue Devils.

The 2025 College Cup will take place for the first time at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup semifinals

Friday's 2025 College Cup semifinals will begin with No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State at 6 PM ET, with No. 1 Stanford's clash against No. 2 Duke kicking off at 8:45 PM ET.

Both semifinals — plus Monday's 7PM ET championship match — will air live on ESPNU.

Playa Society is honoring the 25th anniversary of the classic sports film "Love & Basketball" this week, with the popular women's basketball outfitter dropping a capsule collection entitled "First Quarter: Ball Better Than You" — an homage to one of the film's iconic quotes.

"This is a love story, about our love for 'Love & Basketball,'" notes Playa Society about the collection. "Our love for [lead character] Monica, who served as the first representation of an unapologetic female athlete in film. Our love for [writer and director] Gina Prince-Bythewood for her persistence in delivering culture and truth. And our love for the energy of it all that inspired Playa Society to fill in the gaps for women in sports."

"I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream," Prince-Bythewood said of the project.

With New York Liberty teammates and girlfriends Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison serving as models, the "First Quarter" collection includes T-shirts, hoodies, and more.

This week's drop is just the first in the works between Prince-Bythewood and Playa Society founder Esther Wallace, with the LA Sentinel describing their collaboration as "blending nostalgia, culture, and women's sports in a way that honors the film while pushing the narrative forward."

How to purchase from Playa Society's "Love & Basketball" collection

All items from the "First Quarter" collection are now available in limited quantities at PlayaSociety.com.

The inaugural North American iteration of World Sevens Football (W7F) kicks off in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, when eight standout clubs will battle for three days for the the largest share of the 7v7 competition's $5 million prize pool.

All eight clubs boast championship backgrounds, including the reigning NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current, 2023 NWSL Shield-winners San Diego Wave, Liga MX Femenil Apertura winner Tigres UANL, current Northern Super League Shield-winner AFC Toronto, and more.

This weekend's edition is the second-ever W7F tournament, after the new venture launched with a Europe-centric competition in Portugal last May, crowning Bayern Munich as its debut champions.

In W7F, the 11v11 clubs instead field seven players per side on a pitch half the size of a regulation field, with matches comprised of two 15-minute halves along with smaller goals, no offside rule, and rolling substitutions throughout the games.

All eight clubs will compete in the group stage on Friday and Saturday, with the top four teams advancing to Sunday's knockout rounds.

How to watch this weekend's W7F tournament

The North American debut of W7F kicks off when the NWSL's Kansas City Current faces Brazilian powerhouse Clube de Regatas do Flamengo at 5 PM ET on Friday.

All games, including Sunday's 4:30 PM ET championship match, will air live on HBO Max as well we either TNT or truTV.

The SEC displayed its basketball dominance on Thursday's courts, as the conference won all four of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge Day 2 matchups to feature at least one Top-25 team.

No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64 while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame, respectively.

"I thought [our players] got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and building the five-point lead," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "It was a turning point for us, whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it."

No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, however, as the Tigers faced their season's first Power Four opponent to a 93-77 result over unranked Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit behind six double-digit LSU scorers — led by 18 points from star guard Flau'jae Johnson.

"We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem," said Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. "Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball."

Across the 16 total 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC took 13 victories, with only unranked Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and SMU earning ACC wins — over Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas, respectively — this week.

How to watch Top-25 NCAA basketball this weekend

This weekend's NCAA docket sees the nonconference schedule cool down, with No. 16 USC hosting No. 21 Washington in the only ranked battle.

The Trojans and Huskies will tip off in LA at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on the Big Ten Network.