Portland Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby revealed after her team’s 2-0 semifinal loss to the Chicago Red Stars on Sunday that her father died by suicide this week.

“I don’t feel like I owe anyone an explanation, but I do feel like I’m ready to say it,” Bixby wrote on Twitter in the hour after the final whistle. “I’ve surprised myself by how strong I’ve been, but I couldn’t hold it anymore. My playing for this city meant so much to him.”

I don’t feel like I owe anyone an explanation, but I do feel like I’m ready to say it. My father died this week by suicide. And I’ve surprised myself by how strong I’ve been, but I couldn’t hold it anymore. My playing for this city meant so much to him.

— Bella Bixby (@bellageist) November 15, 2021

Bixby played all 90 minutes against the Red Stars. After the game, she broke down in tears and had to be carried off the field by her teammates.

“I think regardless of the outcome tonight, I would’ve broke down — you can only hold it in for so long,” she wrote.

Bixby thanked Portland fans for the “unconditional support” throughout the season. She also thanked the Thorns supporters’ group, the Rose City Riveters, for making her dad an honorary captain Sunday night.

The 25-year-old is a nominee for NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year after a standout season for the Thorns, who entered the playoffs as the top seed after earning the NWSL Shield for the best record during the regular season.

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— Bella Bixby (@bellageist) November 15, 2021

After Bixby’s tweet, support flooded in on Twitter, including from Thorns teammate Becky Sauerbrunn.

Love you, Bella. Love our team. Love this city. ❤️🖤 https://t.co/2F6jh3BvGi

— Becky Sauerbrunn (@beckysauerbrunn) November 15, 2021

Thorns captain Christine Sinclair thanked Rose City for their support and told Bixby in a tweet, “Your father would be so proud of you.”

❤️you Bella. Your father would be so proud of you. Not the result we wanted, but it is an honor to be on this team. Thank you Rose City for all the love and support this year. #BAONPDX https://t.co/6oIFeiDmQZ

— Christine Sinclair (@sincy12) November 15, 2021

Head coach Mark Parsons also spoke about Bixby after the game, saying he was “just so sad” for the family.

“Life is more important than sport. Knowing what she’s gone through, her husband and her family has gone through this week, and turning up, if you didn’t know what she was going through, you would have said she was the best Bella Bixby that she’s ever been. I don’t know how she did it,” said Parsons, who coached his last game for the Thorns on Sunday.

“I love who she is, I love the person she continues to grow and develop into. Yeah, we see an amazing player, but this is someone who makes everyone better around them. In the time of such a tragic event, she continued to make other people better around her.

“I’m sorry that this happened to such wonderful people,” he continued before calling her a “lifelong friend” because of how she’s treated and respected him. “We’ve all been there for her and we’ll continue to be there for her.”

The road to the College Cup begins this weekend, as the 2025 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament kicks off with a stacked first-round field on Friday.

The strength of the ACC again leads the charge with three of the 64-team bracket's four top seeds hailing from the conference.

Snagging the overall No. 1 seed is Stanford, with the Cardinal outlasting fellow NCAA top-seed Notre Dame in a penalty shootout to claim their first-ever ACC tournament title last weekend.

Joining the Cardinal and Fighting Irish in the remaining No. 1 spots are the ACC's Virginia Cavaliers and the SEC-leading Vanderbilt Commodores.

Meanwhile, the 2025 tournament's No. 2 seeds — Michigan State, TCU, Duke, and Georgetown — are gearing up to play spoiler, with other underdogs also lurking throughout the bracket.

Already eyeing future upsets are four-time national champions and No. 3-seed Florida State, No. 4-seed and Big Ten champion Washington, and undefeated mid-major dark horse Memphis, who enters the 2025 field as a No. 7 seed.

The ACC's on-pitch dominance also sees defending champion North Carolina in an unfamiliar position, entering the 2025 NCAA tournament unseeded after the 22-time title-winners finished seventh in the conference behind a 12-6 overall and 6-4 ACC season record.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament

The 2025 NCAA women's soccer tournament kicks off with 32 first-round matches across Friday and Saturday, all on ESPN+.

The action begins with unseeded Ohio State taking on No. 8-seed Georgia at 3 PM ET, live on ESPN+.

Two USWNT legends are seeing their legacies cemented, as the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that retired forwards Tobin Heath and Heather O'Reilly are first-ballot inductees as members of the Class of 2026.

Both Heath and O'Reilly retired as World Cup champions and Olympic medalists, winning their 2008 and 2012 Olympic golds as well as their 2015 World Cup title as teammates.

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The USWNT icons led all voting on the Hall of Fame's Player Ballot of 20 finalists, which only allots two to three athletes per annual class for induction.

O'Reilly snagged 47 of the 48-person selection committee's votes, with Heath earning 45 nods for inclusion.

Fellow former USWNT star Sam Mewis finished fifth on the ballot with 32 votes in her first year of eligibility, while longtime NWSL and USWNT player Amy Rodriguez came in seventh with 28 votes.

Longtime Seattle Reign defender Stephanie Cox — a 2008 Olympic gold medalist with the USWNT — also snagged votes, ranking 15th on the Class of 2026 Player Ballot.

Though they fell short of making the cut, a trio of former USWNT stars also earned votes on the 10-finalist Veteran Ballot, with longtime midfielder-turned-broadcaster Aly Wagner as well as legendary '99ers Tiffany Roberts and Lorrie Fair all snagging tallies.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame will induct Heath and O'Reilly as part of its six-person Class of 2026 in a ceremony at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on May 1st.

Orlando Pride captain and Brazil legend Marta is back in the spotlight, topping the 2025 shortlist for the second-annual FIFA Marta Award — the women's goal-of-the-year prize established in her honor in 2024.

The 39-year-old attacking midfielder took home the inaugural trophy at the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony last December, earning the title for a stellar long-range shot that helped lift Brazil over Jamaica 4-0 in a June 2024 friendly.

Marta's 2025 nomination, however, comes from an iconic goal in club play, with the FIFA Award spotlighting the Orlando game-winner against Kansas City in the 2024 NWSL semifinals — a goal that saw the Pride star force four Current players to the ground with her footwork.

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Marta has steep competition for this year's trophy, however, with 10 other goal nominees including a viral scorpion kick by former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle, Seattle Reign defender Jordyn Bugg's long-range missile against the North Carolina Courage, forward Ally Sentnor's first-ever USWNT goal at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, and more.

How to vote for the 2025 FIFA Marta Award

Holding 50% of the vote, fans can view and rank their top three goals of 2025 until voting closes on December 3rd.

Voting for the second-ever Marta Award winner is now open at FIFA.com.

South Carolina and USC are bringing fireworks to the 2025/26 NCAA basketball court this weekend, as the No. 2 Gamecocks take on the No. 8 Trojans in "The Real SC" showdown on Saturday.

Both standout programs enter the matchup undefeated in early-season play, with the Trojans touting a Top-10 win after narrowly edging out No. 10 NC State 69-68 last weekend.

"You don't know exactly what you have until you're put in these situations, which is why we schedule them," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about the upcoming clash. "And I think it's a chance for us to redefine our identity a little bit."

South Carolina's depth will likely test the new-look Trojans, as USC aims to solidify their identity with star JuJu Watkins sidelined with injury for the season.

That said, freshman Jazzy Davidson is giving the Trojans new life, with the No. 1 high school recruit co-leading the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game.

South Carolina, however, has seen early dividends from familiar faces, as sophomore Joyce Edwards leads the Gamecocks in scoring at 18.3 points per game, with high-profile transfer Ta'Niya Latson close behind with a 16.3 point average.

How to watch USC vs. South Carolina in the "The Real SC" NCAA game

No. 8 USC will welcome No. 2 South Carolina to LA's Crypto.com Arena for the inaugural "Real SC" game on Saturday.

The clash will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage airing on FOX.