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Candace Parker, Sky show championship qualities in Finals Game 1 win

Chicago’s Candace Parker battles for a rebound with Phoenix’s Brittney Griner. (Mike Mattina/Getty Images)

PHOENIX — There were nerves for Candace Parker’s first WNBA Finals game with the Chicago Sky. Even in her 14th WNBA season and third Finals series, the 2016 champion felt some jitters as she took the court in Phoenix on Sunday for Game 1 against the Mercury.

The Sky had three full days of rest in between the semifinals and start of the Finals, giving them extra time to prepare and, perhaps, overthink the matchup. The Mercury, coming off of a thrilling semifinals Game 5 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Friday, rode that momentum straight through the opening tipoff Sunday, jumping out to a five-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

Whatever mental paralysis overcame Chicago in that first quarter, Parker made sure it didn’t last. The veteran forward led her team on a 26-6 run in the second quarter that ignited the entire lineup and propelled them to a 91-77 Game 1 victory on the road.

“I think once you realize you’re going to settle into the game eventually, it’s just who can settle in early. And then your mind gets lost in it and you start playing basketball like you played all your life,” Parker said. “There’s no reason to flip out. They’re a great team, they’re here for a reason, and we had to settle into the game and get back to what we do.”

The last time the Sky were in the Finals in 2014, only Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley were on the team. They remember the feeling of losing to Diana Taurasi and the Mercury 3-0 in that series, but so much has changed for this organization in the seven years since then.

“We were babies then, not really experienced in that situation,” Quigley said.

Even Sky head coach James Wade, who was an assistant with the Minnesota Lynx during their 2017 Finals run, said he leans on Parker in situations like the first quarter Sunday, when the players need an example to follow.

“She’s accepted that role, and now everybody has a sense of comfort when it comes to those moments,” Wade said. “We just have to keep on riding it until we get to our ultimate destination.”

As soon as Parker reentered the game with 7:46 left in the second quarter, Chicago’s offense switched into another gear. Every Sky player on the court got involved as they chipped away at Phoenix’s lead and went into halftime up 46-35.

Parker, who contributed seven of her 16 points in the quarter, was one of six Sky players to finish the game in double-digit scoring. After the game, the 35-year-old praised her teammates and especially Stefanie Dolson, who scored 14 points off the bench and was a big reason the Sky were able to hold the Mercury to just 32 points in the paint.

“I think that’s what’s special about our team,” Parker said. “I think everybody during this postseason has had a moment or had a game, where if we didn’t have them at that moment, then we wouldn’t win. I think it’s understanding that and being patient in that and knowing it, and that’s what Stef’s done.”

It’s that depth and resilience that most concerns Mercury coach Sandy Brondello in the series. Even when they key in on one player — as they have with Kahleah Copper, who still had a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds — another player steps up.

Parker feels the same way about Chicago’s veteran group. She’s picked up leadership qualities from many WNBA greats along the way, such as Lisa Leslie during their two seasons together with the Sparks, but she’s also learned something from each of her Sky teammates.

As Parker explains it, the Sky’s willingness to trust in each other, even on a team with multiple superstars, has helped take them from a 2-7 regular-season start to the doorstep of a WNBA championship. And against a team with its own superstar core of Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith, that bond is their most dangerous weapon.

“I don’t think I understood when I was younger that you have to be the calm for the storm and you have to be the storm when everyone’s calm,” Parker said. “But we have leadership internally across the board. It’s not just me. I think it’s been fun for me to learn.”

Hannah Withiam is the Managing Editor at Just Women’s Sports. She previously served as an editor at The Athletic and a reporter at the New York Post. Follow her on Twitter @HannahWithiam.

PWHL Announces Vancouver Expansion Franchise Ahead of 2025/26 Season

New York's Jade Downie-Landry and Ottawa's Shiann Darkangelo face-off during a 2025 PWHL game.
The seventh PWHL team will be in Vancouver. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)

The PWHL is officially expanding, with the second-year pro women's hockey league awarding Vancouver its seventh franchise on Wednesday.

The league's first-ever expansion squad faces a short run-up, joining the current six-team roster when the puck drops on the 2025/26 PWHL season.

"To be able to grow this fast is just a testament to the great sport, our great athletes, and how people feel about the work that we’re doing and what our players are putting out on the ice," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer.

Vancouver fanbase bolstered city's PWHL bid

Commenting on the eight-month expansion evaluation process, Scheer called Vancouver's bid "unbelievably robust," and noted that the city's "engaged, vibrant, fun" fanbase and its "remarkable commitment to growing the game of hockey" helped earn the Canadian community a team.

That commitment was on display at the PWHL's recent 2025 Takeover Tour, which drew major crowds as the league tested expansion prospects in non-market cities across North America.

Vancouver stood out, notching the the fourth-largest crowd in PWHL history when 19,038 fans showed up on January 8th — and claiming the highest social media engagement across all nine Tour stops.

That fan enthusiasm helped push Vancouver across the PWHL's expansion line, with the new team already making league history.

Besides marking the league's first-ever footprint on the the West Coast, Vancouver will become the first PWHL team to serve as the primary tenant in its home venue at the Pacific Coliseum.

The 17,713-seat arena and its adjacent PNE Agrodome — PWHL Vancouver's main training facility — will undergo extensive upgrades for the incoming franchise.

"The expansion brings greater visibility to the West Coast, expands out geographic footprint, and, most importantly, grows the game," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.

A young fan holds up a sign reading "Just finished my 1st hockey season, PWHL here I come!" at a PWHL 2025 Takeover Tour game in Detroit.
PWHL execs said expansion adds roster spots for current and future league stars. (Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

League eyes next steps for expansion team

While the PWHL still has over 20 proposals from markets requesting a team — and rumors swirling that Seattle could join Vancouver as a 2025/26 season expansion contingent — the league is currently making more concrete plans for its official seventh squad.

"With this team comes more opportunities for the best women's hockey players in the world to continue competing in one league," remarked Hefford. "The talent pool has never been deeper, and with a strong 2025 draft class ahead, we're pleased that even more women are going to be able to play at the professional level."

Details for an upcoming expansion draft to begin stocking Vancouver's roster will be announced shortly, and the team will also take part in the 2025 PWHL Draft on June 24th.

"The PWHL is setting a new standard for women's hockey. The game has never been faster, more physical, or more skilled," Hefford added. "We're so excited for this city to experience the parity and the competitiveness that our league has every single game."

Bay FC to Host Washington at SF Giants Ballpark, Eye NWSL Attendance Record

A wide view of San Francisco's Oracle Park set up for a 2022 soccer match.
Oracle Park’s 40,000-seat capacity could set a new NWSL attendance record. (Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The NWSL is heading back to the ballparkwith 2024 expansion side Bay FC announcing Tuesday that the club will take on the Washington Spirit inside Oracle Park, the home of MLB's San Francisco Giants.

Shifting the August 23rd match to the baseball diamond isn't just a spectacle — the move builds on Bay FC's continuous ambitions to claim the top NWSL attendance record by filling the Bay Area ballpark's 40,260 seats.

Though the 25-year-old Oracle Park has previously hosted men's contests, August's NWSL match will be the first professional women's soccer game in the venue's history.

Similarly, while this will be the first NWSL competition in San Francisco's baseball venue, it's not the first league match in an MLB stadium.

Last summer, the Chicago Stars hosted Bay FC at Wrigley Field, packing an NWSL-record 35,038 soccer fans into the MLB home of the Chicago Cubs.

That June 8th, 2024, attendance surpassed the previous league-record crowd of 34,130 that attended USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe's final Seattle home game in 2023.

How to attend Bay FC vs. Washington at Oracle Park

To be a part of the potentially record-breaking August 23rd crowd, tickets will be available for general purchase beginning at 12 PM ET on May 6th.

Fans interested in securing pre-sale tickets can add their names to the online list.

Portland Rookies Top Gotham in Midweek NWSL Action

Portland forward Deyna Castellanos celebrates scoring a goal with her teammates in a 2025 NWSL win over Gotham.
Three Portland Thorns rookies scored their first NWSL goals on Tuesday. (Soobum Im/NWSL via Getty Images)

In Tuesday night's NWSL action, Portland upset a rising Gotham side 4-1 behind three debut goals from the Thorns' promising rookie class.

The rare midweek match came courtesy of next month's Concacaf W Champions Cup. Both Gotham and Portland advanced to the international club event's semifinals last October, forcing them to pull double-duty and add this week's extra regular-season NWSL game to accommodate the tournament's schedule.

The tight turnaround certainly didn't rattle the Thorns.

Portland newcomers Marie-Yasmine "Mimi" Alidou, Caiya Hanks, and Jayden Perry all earned their first NWSL goals in the match, before offseason signee Deyna Castellanos reinforced the victory with an 80th-minute chip.

As for Gotham, 32-year-old star forward Esther provided a bright spot for the NJ/NY squad, notching her fifth goal of the young season to boost herself to the top of the league's early Golden Boot race.

Despite the loss, Friday's strong outing against Angel City has Gotham still holding steady at No. 4 in the standings. However, both No. 5 Portland and No. 6 ACFC are close on the Bats' heels, with all three teams currently tied at eight points apiece.

"What I told the team is that we lost the battle tonight, but this is a long war," said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros following the match. "We're there together on this."

How to watch Gotham, Portland this weekend

Gotham will take the pitch once again on Saturday, when they'll face East Coast rivals Washington at 1 PM ET. Live coverage will air on CBS.

Meanwhile, Portland will close out the NWSL's sixth matchday by hosting Racing Louisville at 4 PM ET on Sunday, streaming live on Paramount+.

TST Drops Expanded Women’s 7v7 Tournament Bracket

USWNT jerseys for Carli Lloyd and Ali Krieger hand in lockers before their 2019 World Cup quarterfinal.
Carli Lloyd and Ali Krieger will feature for the US Women’s 2025 TST 7v7 team. (Catherine Ivill - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

The Soccer Tournament (TST) presented by RBC Wealth Management revealed its 2025 women's bracket on Tuesday, with 16 7v7 teams gearing up to compete for the $1 million winner-take-all grand prize this June.

The US Women's Team is back to defend their 2024 title, fueled by World Cup-winning USWNT vets Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, and Ali Krieger, plus retired Scotland national and Bay FC defender Jen Beattie.

Additional teams participating in the competition include 7v7 offshoots of NWSL clubs Angel City, KC Current, and 2024 runners-up NC Courage, as well as former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo's Solo FC.

Returning to Cary, North Carolina, for its third year, TST doubled the size of its women's bracket after a successful eight-team debut in 2024.

"Our inaugural women's championship game viewership performed exceptionally well, as we grew our audience 452% from the beginning of the game until the moment the game-winning goal was scored," TST founder and CEO Jon Mugar told The Athletic.

"TST soccer is electrifying," Mugar added. "Our goal is to become the preeminent soccer festival in the world. Judging by the number of returning fans and teams, we are well on our way."

How to attend, watch the 2025 TST 7v7 contest

TST's 7v7 women's competition kicks off on June 5th and runs through the $1 million championship game on June 9th.

Tickets to attend are currently available online.

All matches will air live on either YouTube or ESPN platforms.

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