In the same game U.S. legend Carli Lloyd concluded her final NWSL regular season, young Racing Louisville FC attacker Cece Kizer put the finishing touches on a breakout year.

Both scored in Sunday’s 1-1 draw between Racing Louisville and NJ/NY Gotham FC. Lloyd buried a header to give Gotham the lead in the 53rd minute, only to be matched by Kizer’s penalty kick 16 minutes later for her seventh career goal in lavender.

Kizer, a 2019 second-round draft pick of the Houston Dash, joined Racing Louisville last year through the NWSL Expansion Draft. The 24-year-old has been a bright spot in the club’s first year, finishing the regular season tied for sixth on the NWSL scoring list with five goals.

“I look to Cece as a potential national team player and I’ve told her that, hands down, so I’m looking forward to her future,” said Louisville interim coach Mario Sanchez.

Kizer hears the praise and is channeling it into her play.

“I’ve heard it from a variety of the coaching staff, and it’s just a pleasure to know that they have that confidence in me and that they can see that for me in my career,” she said.

“Obviously it’s a goal to make the national team and be in the pool, in the talks and all that. I’m going to keep working, take a couple weeks off here and then get ready and get back at it in the offseason and get ready to come out here and keep my name in the loop next year.”

Kizer has been in the mix for the United States women’s national team. In August 2019, she was named to the U23 team for the Nordic Cup; prior to that, she attended a U23 training camp in 2017 and again in 2018.

She’s only helped her case by showcasing her versatility for Louisville this season. After playing as the high nine earlier in the year, she moved out wide and later shifted back to the center as an attacking midfielder. Taking on a variety of roles has helped the former Ole Miss star develop different sides of her game. Ultimately, she prefers her current central midfield position.

“I like to find those pockets and get assists, finding people through and also to keep working on finishing,” she said.

With her penalty-kick goal on Sunday, Kizer passed Ebony Salmon as Racing Louisville’s leading scorer through its first season.

“I wasn’t surprised as she stepped up and buried it,” Sanchez said of Sunday’s goal. “I mean, there’s no question you know that that ball is going in.”

.@cecekizer from the spot 🎯#NJNYvLOU | https://t.co/bONPZnnmCJ | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/OyMhvIbvVl

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 31, 2021

Even with Kizer’s success in front of net this season, the Louisville coaching staff thinks she can become a more polished finisher.

“It’s good to know that the coaching staff and Mario see potential in me,” Kizer said. “I’m just going to keep working and improve different areas of my game.”

Kizer has taken major steps in the last month, not only because she’s had the opportunity to settle into the central midfield but also because the expansion team has finally clicked. Louisville, despite missing the playoffs as the second-to-last team in the league, went unbeaten in their final three matches — a record streak for the new franchise.

If Kizer and the team can maintain that rate of improvement through the offseason, she will be one of the top attackers to watch in 2022.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.

The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.

Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.

"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.

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Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.

Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.

Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.

How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend

Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.

Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.

A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.

Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.

• No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.

Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.

The final NWSL weekend heading into the league's six-week summer break has arrived, giving teams one more chance to prove themselves before regular-season play pauses to make way for major international tournaments.

With a five-point gap separating No. 1 Kansas City from No. 2 Orlando in the NWSL standings, the Current will enter the break as the 2025 Shield frontrunners regardless of this weekend's results.

Despite Kansas City's grip atop the table, there's still plenty of room for movement both above and below the postseason cutoff line, as clubs across the NWSL look to wrap their midseason finales on a high note:

• No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 10 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Angel City has a shot at launching themselves above the cutoff line on Friday, but they'll have to snap the Current's five-game winning streak to make it happen.

• No. 8 Gotham FC vs. No. 9 Bay FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Gotham and Bay FC enter the weekend tied on points while staring at each other from on opposite sides of the playoff line — meaning a Saturday win for either club could set the tone for the rest of the 2025 season.

• No. 3 San Diego Wave FC vs. No. 4 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The weekend's only top-table clash could see San Diego sprint back into second place — unless Washington leapfrogs the upstart Wave to claim the third-place spot.

The LPGA Tour has turned its attention to Texas, with the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship — the third major of the pro golf season — teeing off in Frisco to a flurry of first-round action on Thursday.

All of the sport's Top 100 athletes are participating in this week's event, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, who sits in a 14th-place tie with an even-par first-round performance, and surging US dark horse No. 50 Lexi Thompson, who tied for 10th in her Thursday return from a brief retirement.

However, leading the pack heading into Friday's second round is Thailand's world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who finished the first day of competition atop the leaderboard with a score of 4-under-par.

Australia's No. 24 Minjee Lee also posted a strong start, capping Thursday at 3-under to sit in second place.

While the sport's best chase victory on the links, the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship is already making history off the green.

Not only is it the first-ever women's major to tee off at Frisco's Fields Ranch East, the tournament also increased its purse to $12 million on Tuesday — nearly tripling the $4.5 million prize pool from just four years ago and tying the US Women's Open for the LPGA Tour's highest payout in the process.

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The third LPGA Grand Slam of 2025 continues through Sunday.

Friday's second round will air live on the Golf Channel, while coverage of Saturday and Sunday's final rounds will air across NBC and Peacock.