The NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament kicked off Tuesday, setting up several second-round matchups before first-round play wraps up Wednesday.

Here are the top three games to watch for when the second round begins Friday.

No. 2 North Carolina vs. Denver: 3 p.m. ET

Two of the winningest programs in the country this season will meet in a second-round showdown Friday. Denver was dominant in its 3-1 win over Loyola Chicago, overcoming an early 1-0 deficit. The Pioneers are also coming off of their third-straight Summit League regular season title and fifth in school history.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Tar Heels are one of the top teams in the NCAA. UNC boasts the most national women’s soccer titles of all time, with its last coming in 2012, and it’ll be looking to avenge its loss to Stanford in the 2019 finals. Junior midfielder Brianna Pinto decided to stay with UNC despite going third overall in the NWSL Draft to Gotham FC, making her one of many threats to Denver’s chances of advancing to the Sweet 16.

No. 3 UCLA vs. Iowa: 3 p.m. ET 

UCLA might have its hands full with Iowa, who’s coming into this matchup fresh off its first-ever NCAA Tournament win against Campbell (1-0). The Hawkeyes have had an impressive postseason, coming out of nowhere to win their first-ever Big Ten championship.

They now face a huge test in No. 3 UCLA, who lost just one game en route to the Pac-12 regular season title. The Bruins also racked up Pac-12 end-of-season awards, with five players earning first-team honors.

UCLA also had 6️⃣ players earn All-@pac12 honors, including a conference-best 5️⃣ on the first team.

Congrats @miafishel10, @DelanieSheehan, @kaarrriiinnaa, @laurenbrzykcy11, @reilynturner, @marley_canales!
https://t.co/Wk1cgjDXMD pic.twitter.com/0dicNZMeWi

— UCLA Women's Soccer (@UCLAWSoccer) April 21, 2021

No. 4 TCU vs. New Mexico: 7 p.m. ET

Tied 1-1 after overtime Tuesday, New Mexico needed penalty kicks to defeat Navy in the first round. Senior midfielder Madi Hirschman was the hero, drilling her penalty kick to send the Lobos onto the second round in a thrilling finish.

.@madihirschman with the finisher! Lobos head to the next round and face @TCUSoccer on Friday.#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/SgjCf5QRa7

— Lobo Women's Soccer (@UNMLoboWSoccer) April 28, 2021

While New Mexico will be carrying the momentum from its win into Friday, the Lobos face a tough challenge in No. 4 TCU. As one of 16 programs to appear in the last five NCAA Tournaments, the Horned Frogs enter the postseason 11-1-1 and winners of the Big 12 regular season title. They’re also battle-tested, with their lone loss coming against a Texas A&M team that earned the No. 7 seed.

The best of the rest (all times ET)

• South Florida over Central Connecticut State, 3-0. Next up: No. 7 Texas A&M at 3 p.m.
• Ole Miss over Bowling Green, 4-3, on PKs. Next up: No. 8 USC at 6 p.m.
• Rutgers over Southern Louisiana, 1-0. Next up: No. 14 Clemson at 7 p.m.
• South Alabama over Colorado, 1-0. Next up: No. 10 Oklahoma State at 7 p.m.
• Washington over Liberty, 3-0. Next up: No. 15 St. Louis at 7 p.m.

The NWSL is expanding its footprint across ESPN, with the broadcaster signing on to carry 16 additional regular-season games in both the 2026 and 2027 seasons, upping the platform's total to 33 matches per year.

ESPN will also introduce a season-long "Match of the Week" centerpiece series, as well as live coverage of NWSL Decision Day, when eight concurrent matches will close out the season on the same day. 

"The NWSL showcases some of the best athletes in the world," ESPN EVP of programming and acquisitions Rosalyn Durant said in a press release. "We are proud to increase our commitment on ABC and ESPN, and to further elevate women's sports and the athlete stories."

This media rights extension builds on the league's ongoing blockbuster four-year, $240 million TV deal with ESPN, adding inventory for the final two seasons of the November 2023 agreement.

The deal expansion comes in light of the league's significant growth this season, with the NWSL seeing gains across both attendance and viewership, including a 72% year-over-year ratings rise on ESPN.

"This supplemental agreement underscores the growing demand for women's soccer and ensures our players and clubs receive the visibility they deserve on some of the most prominent sports platforms," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a statement.

The 2025 WNBA season is over for Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, but the 23-year-old star is still making headlines, with Reebok set to drop her signature Angel Reese 1 sneakers on Thursday.

The Angel Reese 1 is a cornerstone of Reebok's re-entry into the basketball market, with the sportswear giant engineering the signature shoe for on-court performance by including features like responsive cushioning and added upper support.

Inspired by the brand's classic Mobius line, the shoes will hit the shelves in three colorways — an iridescent white "Diamond Dust," a bold pink "Mebounds," and a black and white "Receipts Ready" — with Reese's personal logo incorporated into the design.

Reese first signed with Reebok as an NIL athlete at LSU in 2023, a little over six months after winning the NCAA championship with the Tigers.

This week's rollout follows the July sneak peek of the signature sneakers worn by Reese on the cover of NBA 2K26's WNBA Edition.

"This isn't just a shoe, it's my style, my story, and my stamp on the game," Reese said in Reebok's press release. "I wanted to design a basketball shoe that elevates performance, innovation, style, and creative expression, all at once."

"Reebok and I built something that's true to who I am, and I hope it pushes others to stand in their power too."

How to buy the Angel Reese 1 Reebok sneakers

All three colorways of the Angel Reese 1 sneakers will be available for a retail price of $120 beginning at 10 AM ET on Thursday at Reebok.com as well as in select stores.

No. 5 New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart isn't letting Sunday's left knee knock take her off the 2025 WNBA Playoffs court, with the forward planning to compete in Game 2 against the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.

An emotional Stewart finished Game 1 on the bench, going down with a knee injury in overtime of the Liberty's 76-69 upset win over the Mercury on Sunday.

"What I felt in that moment scared me more than anything," Stewart told reporters on Wednesday morning.

A Monday MRI revealed a sprained MCL, and though the two-time WNBA MVP did not practice on Tuesday, she participated in the team's Wednesday shootaround and said her pain had diminished to a three out of 10.

"[As long as] I don't wake up from my nap and feel like s—t," said Stewart, "I'm willing to take that [chance of re-injury] because I want to be out with my team, and they told me that structurally everything looks OK."

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Even when the game-day status for Stewart was still unknown, New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello promised that the defending champions would give their star "as much time as we can."

"We know what's at stake," Brondello told reporters on Tuesday. "We don't want to go back to Phoenix [for Game 3], but they're going to come in hungry."

Stewart echoed that sentiment on Wednesday morning, saying "We want to finish it here. Not having to go back to Phoenix is our main priority."

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury vs. New York Liberty in Game 2

No. 5 New York will look to oust No. 4 Phoenix from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with a first-round sweep on Wednesday night, when the Liberty host the Mercury for Game 2 at 8 PM ET.

The matchup will air live on ESPN.

Star sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is reaching new heights, setting a new US record for the 400-meter race in the event's Tuesday semifinals at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist finished the flat event in 48.29 seconds, shaving more than 0.40 seconds off the previous US record of 48.70 seconds set by track legend Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006.

Both her personal best and the fastest time in the world for that event this year, McLaughlin-Levrone's performance also makes her the seventh-fastest woman of all time in the 400-meter dash — elevating expectations that she could challenge the long-standing world record of 47.60 seconds, set by then-East German sprinter Marita Koch in 1985.

Known for her dominance in the 400-meter hurdles, the 26-year-old made the decision to focus on the flat 400-meter event ahead of this year's competition. 

"I definitely wasn't expecting that time," she said afterwards. "It just shows the fitness is there. I'm excited for the finals and grateful to have taken down a record by an amazing woman."

How to watch McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400-meter final

McLaughlin-Levrone will take aim at the 2025 World Athletics Championships' 400-meter podium — and, perhaps, another record time — during the event's final on Thursday.

The US star will race against 2024 Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser when the final begins at 9:24 AM ET.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.