Lace up your cleats. Stretch out your hamstrings. High school spring soccer has begun in 16 states across the United States (some states play in the fall and the winter), from the Mid-Atlantic to the West Coast and in between.

JWS Next is going to provide in-depth coverage all season long, just like we have for basketball. You can expect comprehensive national rankings, Player of the Week awards and in-depth reporting that brings you beyond the pitch and into the minds of some of the best players in the nation.

We also won’t shy away from covering the more unsavory aspects of the sport. In fact, we’ve already started. Earlier this week, we reported on the messy fallout stemming from a racist incident at a winter soccer championship in Northern California.

One thing to remember: The spring sports’ schedule is a little funky, and in states like Georgia and Alabama, spring soccer started in January and February. So while we’ll being paying attention to those teams, we won’t be considering them for our rankings.

The NWSL is a league on the rise, and we want to help introduce fans to some of the future faces of the league. Who’ll be the next Megan Rapinoe? Alex Morgan? Rose Lavelle? JWS Next is here to help you find out.

Three teams to watch

South County – Lortan, Va. (2-0)

Coming off the best season in program history, in which the Stallions scored 60 goals, went undefeated and won the Class 6 state championship, South County appears primed for even more success in 2020. Led by forward Jadyn Curry, a Dartmouth signee, South County has already rolled to a 2-0 record.

Broomfield – Broomfield, Colo. (2-0)

The defending 5A state champions have kicked off their season in style, outscoring their two opponents by a combined score of 11-0. And they’ve done it with a diversity of weapons: Senior Maddie Brady was the hero in the first game, scoring two goals with an assist. Brady was held scoreless in the second game, but the Eagles received scoring from five players – including two goals from freshman Victoria Choren.

St. Dominic – O’Fallon, Mo. (5-0)

The Crusaders’ winning streak is now up to 36 games, dating back to May 14, 2019. Senior forward Grace Bindbeutel, an Oklahoma State signee, leads the way for the two-time defending state champions.

I am extremely blessed and excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my athletic and academic careers at Oklahoma State University! I am so thankful for all of the family, friends, coaches, and teammates that have helped me get to where I am today! #GoPokes @CowgirlFC pic.twitter.com/4CGMcEpiWV

— Gracie B (@gracebindbeutel) November 8, 2020

Three players to watch

F Daniela Mejia – Harvest Prep (Yuma, Az.), Freshman

Mejia has been a revelation as a first-year player in Arizona. Three games into her high school career, the forward has scored six goals and recorded an assist for 13 total points. And she’s already proven to be a winner: The Eagle are undefeated.

D Sydney Cheesman – Centaurus (Lafayette, Colo.), Senior

The UNC commit anchors the defense for a Warriors team that’s won its first three games to start the season. The 5–foot-5 Cheesman was also named to the U-20 U.S. Women’s Youth National Team training camp roster.

M Sarah Foley – Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.), Senior

The Maroons are off to a difficult 2-2-1 start, but Foley has been nothing short of brilliant: The 5-foot-7 senior has scored three goals and recorded four assists. Foley will continue her career next season at Illinois.

Josh Needelman is the High School Sports Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JoshNeedelman.

The 2025 College Cup locked in its finalists last Friday, with the NCAA soccer tournament's overall No. 1-seed Stanford and No. 3-seed Florida State advancing past the competition in the semifinals to book an all-ACC championship match for the third straight year.

Stanford kept to their winning ways by ousting No. 2-seed Duke 1-0 on Friday, with senior midfielder Jasmine Aikey burying a 10th-minute free kick to take down the Blue Devils with her 21st goal of the season.

Florida State similarly landed a single strike to end the championship run of No. 2-seed TCU in their semifinal, benefitting from a second-half breakthrough from sophomore forward Wrianna Hudson in the game's 73rd minute.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

A full half of the last 14 NCAA titles have gone to either the Seminoles or the Cardinal, with Florida State edging Stanford 4-3 in national trophies thus far.

On Monday, the Cardinal will hunt their first national title since their epic penalty shootout victory in 2019, when Stanford narrowly defeated NCAA women's soccer dynasty North Carolina 5-4 from the spot after a 0-0 draw.

Florida State, on the other hand, won the 2023 title with a 5-1 thrashing of the Cardinal.

Stanford arguably holds the advantage over their ACC rivals entering Monday's match, having handed FSU a 2-1 defeat on their own Tallahassee pitch less than two months ago.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup final

No. 1 Stanford will face No. 3 Florida State for the 2025 NCAA women's soccer championship at 7 PM ET on Monday, airing live on ESPNU.

The NWSL may be forcing Washington Spirit superstar Trinity Rodman to "look elsewhere" for her next contract, after the league vetoed a multi-million dollar offer from her current squad last week, Rodman's agent told CBS Mornings last Friday.

"We worked really hard to put together an agreement that we felt complied with the CBA and would keep Trinity in the league for the foreseeable future," said Rodman's rep Mike Senkowski.

"With no certain way to get her fair market value within the NWSL, naturally, that forces you and encourages you to look elsewhere," he continued.

While the fight to keep Rodman Stateside is not over, with the NWSLPA filing a grievance last week arguing that the league office's mandate to reject the Spirit's back-loaded contract — worth more than $1 million per year — is a free agency violation, the NWSL appears unwilling to budge.

In a weekend clarification to The Athletic, an NWSL source noted that commissioner Jessica Berman contests that the Spirit's offer to raise Rodman's compensation in the contract's later years would pull Washington out of salary cap compliance in 2028, with the league disagreeing with the club regarding the potential cap growth under a new broadcast deal.

The league source also noted that the offer has a built-in buyout clause, which the NWSL believes signals an admission of possible salary cap circumvention.

As the Washington Spirit and NWSL fans hope for a win from the union's grievance, the door to recruit Rodman elsewhere seems to be wide open for overseas clubs — particularly those with deep pockets.

The San Diego Wave are closing out 2025 with a title, defeating Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL 3-0 to lift the World Sevens Football (W7F) trophy on Sunday.

Wave attacker Makenzy Robbe opened the scoring in the 7v7 venture's championship match, before forward Adriana Leon tacked on a second-half brace to put the game out of reach — and secure the $2 million winner's share of the $5 million prize pool for the NWSL side.

"I think in sevens it's a lot more emphasis on the individual, and so I think players who maybe don't play [as much in NWSL matches]...get to show their creative side," noted Robbe. "It was definitely an element to this, which was really fun."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc)

In a showcase of club talent across the Americas, the San Diego Wave finished the second-ever W7F tournament undefeated, scoring 14 goals while only conceding three en route to becoming the champion of the competition's first-ever North American iteration.

"It was so fun, and honestly, I would love to be back again," said San Diego goalkeeper and the tournament's golden Glove winner DiDi Haračić. "And we got the bag."

Wave midfielder Gia Corley took home the Breakout Player award, and while Tigres fell just short of the trophy, forward María Sánchez earned the competition's Golden Ball and Golden Boot with her six goals and two assists.

Club América of Liga MX Femenil earned a third-place finish, winning $700,000 in prize money as the bronze medal winners.

Two years after her breakout NCAA tournament performance as a freshman, No. 10 Iowa State center Audi Crooks has become an unstoppable force for the Cyclones as they look to better their first-round exit from last year's postseason.

The junior is leading the nation in scoring with a career-high 27.3 points per game, all while smashing her own Iowa State single-game scoring record with a 47-point performance against Indiana on November 30th.

"These scoring records are really team records, especially for me as a post," Crooks told the Des Moines Register after the Cyclones' 106-95 win over the Hoosiers. "I don't bring the ball up. Somebody else does that and I don't pass the ball in the paint. Somebody else does that."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Crooks, who will turn 21 years old this Saturday, continued her scoring pace with a 30-point game against Northern Illinois on Sunday — registered in only 19 minutes of playing time during the 105-52 blowout win.

Her efficiency has been on full display in the young 2025/26 NCAA season, with Crooks currently sitting first in field goal percentage at 73.8% while averaging only 25.3 minutes of playing time per game.

"It's always fun to watch her cook. When you get the ball to her hands and it's going in, it's Audi-matic,"  said Iowa State guard Reagan Wilson following Sunday's victory.

How to watch Crooks and Iowa State in action this week

Crooks and the No. 10 Cyclones will take on their season's biggest test yet on Wednesday, when they'll host in-state rival No. 12 Iowa.

The two unbeaten programs will clash at 7 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.