October is upon us, and as the leaves continue to turn, so too does the NWSL continue to dish out Fall Series highlights. Here are the top plays from the first weekend of the month.

 

5. MEWIS SLOTS IT HOME

KRISTIE MEWIS!!!! 3-0 #HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/IlCupR9JzY

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) October 5, 2020

Houston Dash forward Veronica Latsko wins the ball off a pass over the top, shielding the ball from a North Carolina defender before laying it back to teammate Kristie Mewis. Mewis wastes little time in dribbling to goal before snapping the ball into the side panel of the far post. Mewis finished the day with three assists to go along with her score in the Dash’s 4-1 win over the Courage. Hey Coach Andonovski, how about adding another Mewis to the roster?

 

4. ECKERSTROM IS LIGHTS OUT

????‍♀️ @Breck28 ????‍♀️

0-0 | #PORvRGN

Tune in now on @Twitch.#NWSLFallSeries | #VerizonCommunityShield pic.twitter.com/gcTq8v4lri

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) October 1, 2020

The Portland Thorns should have warned OL Reign they were shooting on a brick wall. Early on in the match, OL Reign midfielder Shirley Cruz launches a ball into the box, finding her teammate Bethany Balcer, who heads the ball toward the front post. Britt Eckerstrom leaps to attack the shot, lifting the ball over the crossbar. Eckerstrom went on to hold OL Reign to only a single goal, helping her team to a 4-1 victory.

 

3. SINCLAIR: NOTHING BUT CLASS

The Great Horan sets up the GOAT and it's perfect.#PORvRGN | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/2yd3OQxV7u

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) October 1, 2020

Lindsey Horan and Christine Sinclair… you can’t name a better duo. In textbook style, Horan receives a quick give-and-go on the flank before dribbling into the box, playing a diagonal ball back to Sinclair. The Canadian legend calmly lasers the ball into the back post corner, scoring one of her three goals on the day. Sinclair’s hat trick helped Portland roll to their 4-1 dub over OL Reign.

 

2. ROCKY THE ROCKET RODRIGUEZ

Her first Thorns goal, and it's a BEAUTY. Take a bow, @raque_rocky.#PORvRGN | #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/3uVDDnk5Vt

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) October 1, 2020

Try to say that three times fast. Woof. Rocky Rodriguez’s goal is a showstopper as she pockets her first goal as a Portland Thorn since joining the club earlier this year. Portland’s Simone Charley chips a beautiful cross into the box, setting up her teammate, who volleys a rocket near the upper V of the front post. Can we just say that we would have shanked this volley in 10 of 10 tries?

 

1. YOKOYAMA’S SCREAMER

A thing of beauty from @yoko10_official ????

0-1 | #NJvWAS

Tune in now on @Twitch. #NWSLFallSeries | #VerizonCommunityShield pic.twitter.com/XzrpNmZzRH

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) October 3, 2020

‘Tis spooky season, and Kumi Yokoyama is ripping screamers. In the 50th minute, a booming tackle sends the ball soaring in the air just outside the 18. Yokoyama tracks the ball down before slipping past her defender. She drives to the box, takes a touch to her right-foot, and then sends a curling shot that deflects off the post into the back of the net. Yokoyama’s spectacular goal helped the Washington Spirit sneak away with a 1-0 win over Sky Blue FC.

Despite a few shocking upsets in the early rounds of the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament, the ACC has retained its status as the conference to beat, with the powerhouse sending three teams to this season's College Cup semifinals on Friday.

With two tickets to Monday's national championship match on the line, four-time title-winners and No. 3-seed Florida State will take on College Cup debutants TCU in Friday's first semi, with the No. 2 Horned Frogs booking their semifinals spot by ousting fellow SEC standout No. 1 Vanderbilt 2-1 last Saturday.

The nightcap, on the other hand, will be an all-ACC affair, as No. 2 Duke continues their hunt for a first-ever national title against the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, Stanford.

The three-time NCAA champ Cardinal has been unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 21-5 across the tournament's first four rounds to set up a season-first matchup with the Blue Devils.

The 2025 College Cup will take place for the first time at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup semifinals

Friday's 2025 College Cup semifinals will begin with No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State at 6 PM ET, with No. 1 Stanford's clash against No. 2 Duke kicking off at 8:45 PM ET.

Both semifinals — plus Monday's 7PM ET championship match — will air live on ESPNU.

Playa Society is honoring the 25th anniversary of the classic sports film "Love & Basketball" this week, with the popular women's basketball outfitter dropping a capsule collection entitled "First Quarter: Ball Better Than You" — an homage to one of the film's iconic quotes.

"This is a love story, about our love for 'Love & Basketball,'" notes Playa Society about the collection. "Our love for [lead character] Monica, who served as the first representation of an unapologetic female athlete in film. Our love for [writer and director] Gina Prince-Bythewood for her persistence in delivering culture and truth. And our love for the energy of it all that inspired Playa Society to fill in the gaps for women in sports."

"I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream," Prince-Bythewood said of the project.

With New York Liberty teammates and girlfriends Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison serving as models, the "First Quarter" collection includes T-shirts, hoodies, and more.

This week's drop is just the first in the works between Prince-Bythewood and Playa Society founder Esther Wallace, with the LA Sentinel describing their collaboration as "blending nostalgia, culture, and women's sports in a way that honors the film while pushing the narrative forward."

How to purchase from Playa Society's "Love & Basketball" collection

All items from the "First Quarter" collection are now available in limited quantities at PlayaSociety.com.

The inaugural North American iteration of World Sevens Football (W7F) kicks off in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, when eight standout clubs will battle for three days for the the largest share of the 7v7 competition's $5 million prize pool.

All eight clubs boast championship backgrounds, including the reigning NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current, 2023 NWSL Shield-winners San Diego Wave, Liga MX Femenil Apertura winner Tigres UANL, current Northern Super League Shield-winner AFC Toronto, and more.

This weekend's edition is the second-ever W7F tournament, after the new venture launched with a Europe-centric competition in Portugal last May, crowning Bayern Munich as its debut champions.

In W7F, the 11v11 clubs instead field seven players per side on a pitch half the size of a regulation field, with matches comprised of two 15-minute halves along with smaller goals, no offside rule, and rolling substitutions throughout the games.

All eight clubs will compete in the group stage on Friday and Saturday, with the top four teams advancing to Sunday's knockout rounds.

How to watch this weekend's W7F tournament

The North American debut of W7F kicks off when the NWSL's Kansas City Current faces Brazilian powerhouse Clube de Regatas do Flamengo at 5 PM ET on Friday.

All games, including Sunday's 4:30 PM ET championship match, will air live on HBO Max as well we either TNT or truTV.

The SEC displayed its basketball dominance on Thursday's courts, as the conference won all four of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge Day 2 matchups to feature at least one Top-25 team.

No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64 while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame, respectively.

"I thought [our players] got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and building the five-point lead," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "It was a turning point for us, whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it."

No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, however, as the Tigers faced their season's first Power Four opponent to a 93-77 result over unranked Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit behind six double-digit LSU scorers — led by 18 points from star guard Flau'jae Johnson.

"We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem," said Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. "Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball."

Across the 16 total 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC took 13 victories, with only unranked Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and SMU earning ACC wins — over Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas, respectively — this week.

How to watch Top-25 NCAA basketball this weekend

This weekend's NCAA docket sees the nonconference schedule cool down, with No. 16 USC hosting No. 21 Washington in the only ranked battle.

The Trojans and Huskies will tip off in LA at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on the Big Ten Network.