Liberty North (Mo.) didn’t make history when it won a district championship last week. But the reward for that achievement was historic: The Eagles will make their first state quarterfinal appearance on Saturday.

It’s been a magical season for the 20-0 Kansas City-area team. At the end of the regular season, the Eagles had won 17 games, a feat they hadn’t achieved in an entire season since 2017.

Juniors Megan Hinnenkamp, a Florida commit, and Ekaterina Theoharidis power the offense, and the defense has given up just 11 goals all season and hasn’t conceded since May 3.

Liberty North cruised through the district tournament, outscoring its opponents a combined 16-0. The Eagles now look to ride that momentum and achieve some more firsts in the state tournament.

Thanks to their postseason dominance, the Eagles have risen four spots to No. 3 in the latest JWS high school soccer rankings.

(Note that these rankings do not include teams from Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina.)

1. South County (Va.), 16-0-1

The Stallions have scored two or more goals in all but three of their games this season while posting seven shutouts.

2. Grandview (Colo.), 16-1-2

Naomi Clark capped a stellar postseason with a hat trick in the state final, propelling the Wolves past defending 5A champion Broomfield, 3-1. Days earlier, Clark scored the game-winning goal in overtime to knock off then-No. 1 Valor Christian in the state semifinals. The title is Grandview’s fifth since 2015.

3. Liberty North (Mo.), 20-0

With the second district title in program history, the Eagles advanced to the state quarterfinals.

4. Gretna (Neb.), 21-0

The Dragons are still celebrating last week’s Class A state title.

5. Valley (Iowa), 17-0

Anna Van Wyngarden had a goal and an assist as the Tigers opened the postseason with a 7-1 win, bringing her season totals to 17 goals and 15 assists.

6. Saint Thomas Aquinas (Kan.), 15-0-2

In three postseason matches, the Saints have outscored their opponents 26-0.

7. Wando (S.C.), 18-1

Wando won the state championship on May 14 in South Carolina’s highest classification, their first title since 2014 and 11th in program history.

8. Colonial Forge (Va.), 15-1

Three times proved one too many for Colonial Forge, which lost to Massaponax in the district final after winning the first two matchups between the teams. The Eagles’ season is not over, though.

9. Colgan (Va.), 16-1-1

The Patriots have yet to allow a goal in three postseason matches.

10. Fort Zumwalt South (Mo.), 23-1

The Bulldogs have over a week to prepare for their state quarterfinal matchup.

11. James Island (S.C.), 20-1-2

The future is bright for the back-to-back state champions. Sophomore Alexis Spivey scored two goals in James Island’s 5-0 state championship rout on May 14.

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12. Triad (Ill.), 21-1

The Knights haven’t allowed a goal since April 28.

13. O’Fallon (Ill.), 20-1

More than half of O’Fallon’s 102 goals have been scored by two players: Western Kentucky commit Avery Christopher (39 goals) and sophomore Becca Koenig (23 goals).

14. Hudsonville (Mich.), 15-0-2

Hudsonville has posted three consecutive shutout victories.

15. Lyons Township (Ill.), 20-1

In three playoff games, the Lions have outscored their opponents 14-0.

16. Valor Christian (Colo.), 16-1

The Eagles’ season ended with a 1-0 double-overtime loss to Grandview in the state semifinals.

17. Broomfield (Colo.), 16-3

The No. 1 team in the inaugural JWS rankings, Broomfield lost two of its final three regular-season games before rebounding to advance to the state championship game, falling just short in its quest for back-to-back 5A titles.

18. Northfield (Colo.), 19-0-1

Freshman goalkeeper Chloe Rhodes saved the decisive fifth penalty kick in a shootout as Class 4A Northfield won its first state championship, completing an undefeated season in the process.

19. Nerinx Hall (Mo.), 19-1-2

Consecutive 2-1 overtime victories catapulted the Markers to a district championship and a state quarterfinal appearance.

20. Metea Valley (Ill.), 18-2-1

The Mustangs won a second straight regional title Friday and followed that up with a 2-0 win Tuesday.

21. Oregon (Wis.), 17-0-1

The Panthers claimed a conference title with a 1-0 win Tuesday, their 15th shutout in 18 games.

22. Marshall (Mich.), 19-0

Marshall hasn’t lost since June 11, nearly a year ago.

23. Deer Creek (Okla.), 15-2

The Antlers are state champions for the seventh time in school history.

24. Bentonville West (Ark.), 18-6

After consecutive losses in mid-April dropped the Wolverines to 8-6, they reeled off 10 consecutive victories to win a state championship.

25. Kent Denver (Colo.), 18-1

With a goal differential of plus-107, the Sun Devils dominated en route to back-to-back Class 3A state championships. They did not allow a goal in five postseason matches, including a 3-0 victory in the state title game Tuesday.

Phillip Suitts is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. He has worked at a variety of outlets, including The Palm Beach Post and Southeast Missourian, and done a little bit of everything from reporting to editing to running social media accounts. He was born in Atlanta but currently lives in wintry Philadelphia. Follow Phillip on Twitter @PhillipSuitts.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.