With the end of July looming, three months of the NWSL regular season are already in the books and only two remain.

As the league dives further into the second half of the year, Just Women’s Sports is handing out midseason awards for the players and coach who have stood out so far. The San Diego Wave earn two nods, and five teams are represented in total across the six awards. Three NWSL newcomers also get a shoutout.

This list excludes our selection for midseason MVP, which we’ll name Friday from a list of frontrunners. Here we go.

Offensive Player of the Year

Mallory Pugh, Chicago Red Stars

After being named an NWSL MVP nominee last season, Mal Pugh’s impact on the Red Stars has only increased. She’s currently third in the Golden Boot race with six goals and has also contributed two assists. Of her 22 shots so far this season, 19 — or 86 percent — have been on target.

But it’s not just her scoring abilities that make her one of the best players in the league. Pugh has a dribble success rate of 76 percent, and defensively, she wins 67 percent of her tackles and has registered eight interceptions.

Defensive Player of the Year

Naomi Girma, San Diego Wave FC

Naomi Girma, 22, makes everything look easy. The rookie’s transition from college to the pros has been seamless. She looked to veteran and fellow center back Abby Dahlkemper for guidance when first joining the Wave in February, but when Dahlkemper was ruled out for a number of games due to COVID-19 and broken ribs, Girma had no trouble leading the backline line on her own. Playing every minute of the season so far, the 2022 No. 1 pick has displayed a level of composure on the ball well beyond her years and is completing her passes with 84 percent accuracy.

Goalkeeper of the Year

Phallon Tullis-Joyce, OL Reign

When she’s not debating with teammate Nikki Stanton about whether mermaids are real, Phallon Tullis-Joyce is between the posts making people’s jaws drop. Her name was hardly known coming into the 2022 season; she played just one minute as the backup goalkeeper her rookie year. Since she took over the starting spot, Tullis-Joyce’s calm demeanor and on-field leadership have quickly made an impact on the sixth-place Reign. In 12 games so far this season, the goalkeeper has recorded an impressive 83.3 save percentage, six clean sheets and 45 saves.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce Earns Third NWSL Save of the Week

Let’s GO, @phallon91 👏 🤩 😮‍💨

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/LZQMexwzaj#boldtogether pic.twitter.com/kTx44gL386

— OL Reign (@OLReign) April 22, 2022

Rookie of the Year

Savannah DeMelo, Racing Louisville FC

The 2022 rookie class is particularly strong. Savannah DeMelo has been one of the many first years turning heads since the very beginning of the season. The midfielder is confident on the dribble and quick to capitalize on opponents’ mistakes. The fourth overall pick has also proven to be the most lethal player in the NWSL when it comes to scoring off free kicks, having buried a league-high two already this year. To add to that, she’s registered another goal and an assist for Racing Louisville.

Most Improved

Taylor Smith, NJ/NY Gotham FC

From the Courage bench to the waiver wire to a valued member of Gotham FC, Taylor Smith has had a rollercoaster of a season. After playing no more than 45 minutes in four of five games with North Carolina, she parted ways with the club in June and signed with Gotham two days later. There, the 28-year-old has made an instant impact.

In three games in New Jersey, Smith has registered four shots on goal in 219 total minutes, compared to the zero she had with North Carolina. She scored the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville in just her second match with the club while also playing as the lone starting forward. Gotham coach Scott Parkinson has repeatedly expressed how happy he is to have her with the team.

TAYLOR SMITH. WHAT A FINISH. 💥

Her first in a Gotham shirt 👏 pic.twitter.com/BETgF3hyjL

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 9, 2022

Coach of the Year

Casey Stoney, San Diego Wave FC

To get a team to the top of the table is one thing. To keep them there is another. To do all of that with an expansion team is superhuman, and yet that’s exactly what Casey Stoney has achieved through the first 13 games of the season since coming to the NWSL from the FA Women’s Super League.

The coach’s on-field strategy has been executed to plan, her impeccable timing with substitutes has led to goals on multiple occasions, and she treats her players with the care they haven’t always received from coaching staffs elsewhere. Stoney is intentional about never blaming poor results on the effort of her players, creating a nurturing environment that allows for mistakes and generates success.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

The PWHL is racking up milestones, with the second-year pro women's hockey league officially passing the one-million-fan mark on Sunday.

The record-clinching game came during the league's penultimate 2025 Takeover Tour matchup, after 14,288 fans turned up to Detroit's Little Caesars Arena to see the New York Sirens take down the Minnesota Frost 4-1 on Sunday.

To honor the milestone, players tossed signed special "PWHL One Million Fans" pucks to fans during a commemorative timeout during the game's first period.

After averaging around 5,500 fans per game last season, the league has seen a 7,000 attendance average so far this season, resulting in the current all-time official tally of 1,001,648 fans.

Across its 70 completed second-season games, the PWHL has already racked up 518,118 attendees, surpassing the league's total attendance of 483,530 fans from all 85 games last season — inclusive of the PWHL's first-ever playoffs. 

"This is truly a 'pinch me' moment," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer. "The overwhelming support from fans, the energy in the arenas, and the league’s rapid growth all highlight how much people are connecting with the PWHL."

"Today is a moment we’ll always remember, and we’re grateful to the fans of Detroit for celebrating it with us in such a big way."

Detroit makes a case for PWHL expansion team

Sunday's special out-of-market matchup also set a new US attendance record for pro women's ice hockey, further boosting the city's case to claim a PWHL expansion team.

“It's another extremely big win for the sport globally,” Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield told reporters after Sunday’s game. "It’s important to tip our hockey helmet to Detroit."

Detroit's new US record comes one year to the day after the Michigan metropolis set the then-national attendance record at the league's first-ever Takeover Weekend, when 13,736 fans watched Boston defeat Ottawa 2-1 on March 16th, 2024.

With the PWHL eyeing expansion, announcing last November that it intends to increase from its current six-team roster to eight teams by the time the puck drops on the 2025/26 season, the enthusiasm of Detroit hockey fans could put the city at the top of the league's potential market list.

"To see the league grow so rapidly is a reflection of the dedication of our players, who demonstrate their world-class talent every day, as well as the countless individuals behind the scenes who work relentlessly to ensure the league's success," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.

"The passion and support from our fans has been incredible, and this is only the beginning." 

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist and basketball expert Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL great Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports. And in today's episode, the crew is taking the NCAA selection committee to task as they hash out this year's March Madness bracket and everything that went down on Selection Sunday.

"We had selection Sunday yesterday, that was very exciting," O'Hara said, introducing the topic to the group. "So the overall number one seed was UCLA, correct? Is anyone surprised about that?"

"Yes," Mathias answered immediately. "I just think it's interesting that USC drops to like the fourth number one seed when they gave UCLA both their losses. The math's not adding up."

"Did you see coach Dawn Staley's reaction?" asked Diaz. "She didn't agree. There were many coaches who didn't agree with their own standing."

"Honestly — and I've said this before," said BJ. "I don't understand how they do this. I looked into it too last night and I was like, This is still not making sense to me. Let's just play basketball.'"

The one thing they can agree on? UConn potentially meeting USC in the Elite Eight would be an electric matchup.

"I think USC-UConn in the Elite Eight is going to be absolutely electric," said O'Hara. "

"Oh yeah," agreed Mathias. "That's like a semifinal. That's like a Final Four moment."

"And UConn being a No. 2 seed, they're like, 'Yeah give it to us. Let's freaking go,'" O'Hara continued. "You know they're probably ready to absolutely demolish people along the way. And USC only beat UConn by two points earlier this season."

The co-hosts additionally tackle the NWSL's opening weekend, Natasha Cloud's trade to the Liberty, Just Women's Sports' NWSL x WNBA jersey mashups, Unrivaled's championship match, and so much more!

Texas star Madison Booker talks March Madness on 'Sports Are Fun!'

Who better to shed light on the upcoming NCAA tournament than Texas women's college basketball star Madison Booker? The Longhorns' leading scorer and SEC Player of the Year later joins the crew to talk all things March Madness, including how she's gearing up to enter the tournament as a No. 1 seed.

"We figured the best way to go over selection Sunday — because we have some people here who literally know nothing about it, um BJ, not to throw you under the bus — is having you, a No. 1 seed come on and talk to us about it," O'Hara said, introducing this week's Sports Are Fun! guest. "So how were you feeling yesterday going to selection Sunday? Were you confident you guys were getting that No. 1 seed?"

"Not that I didn't care, but you know, if we got the No. 1 seed, we got it. But you know, if we were a two seed, then hey, it's it's ball time," Booker responded nonchalantly. "I felt like we deserved a one seed — We protected home court, I think that's really what secured that one seed."

"And also our away season was was kind of hectic this year," she continued. "We went to some Big Time places and came out with a dub, so I feel like we deserved it."

"Is there anything that you do specific specifically to set yourself up going into a game, especially in a playoff situation?" asked Mathias.

"Not really, honestly," Booker said with a smile. "I really go cool, calm, and collected. Honestly, just going in thinking that we're gonna win the game, that's my mindset always. Having that mindset of we're going to win this game, we have the edge, and just go play basketball."

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

Full Court Press is back by popular demand, with ESPN announcing Monday that the women’s college basketball docuseries is officially returning for season two, which will focus on a new crop of young stars as they weather the 2024/25 NCAA season.

"The growing momentum behind women’s basketball is driven by its stars, and Full Court Press features three unforgettable, larger-than-life personalities," said Lindsay Rovegno, VP of production for ESPN Originals.

Debuting this May, the all-new four-episode season follows USC standout Kiki Iriafen, LSU champion Flau’jae Johnson, and Notre Dame sharpshooter Hannah Hidalgo along the path to this year’s NCAA tournament.

The first season of Full Court Press dropped in May 2024, documenting a watershed season for women's basketball by spotlighting then-seniors Caitlin Clark and Kamilla Cardoso of Iowa and South Carolina, respectively, as well as UCLA’s now-junior Kiki Rice.

Series offers direct access to NCAA stars

The production takes viewers into each player's life via one-on-one interviews, looks into their family relationships, and exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the athletes' teams.

"There is no better time to be a fan of women’s college basketball than right now," said NFL legend Peyton Manning, whose entertainment company Omaha Productions backs the series. "We’re thrilled to share the stories of these three talented women as they continue to push the game to new heights."

Iriafen, Johnson, and Hidalgo will also be stealing the spotlight in the NCAA tournament this weekend, as all three compete for top-seeded teams with legitimate shots at taking the 2024/25 title.

"Hannah, Flau’jae, and Kiki are more than great players — they’re great characters," said Rovegno. "Season two captures the drive and resilience that make them special."

How to watch Full Court Press on ESPN

The first two episodes of Full Court Press: Season 2 will premiere on ESPN on May 2nd, with the final two episodes airing on ESPN2 on May 11th.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball minted its first-ever champions on Monday, crowning Rose BC after the No. 2 seed defeated No. 4-seed Vinyl BC 62-54 behind star Chelsea Gray’s 18 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.

Gray’s dominance managed to tip the scales, helping Rose overcome the losses of both Kahleah Copper and Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese to injury.

Also stepping up for the Rose were Azurá Stevens, who posted a 19-point, 18-rebound double-double on Monday, and Brittney Sykes, whose 21 points included the championship-winning free throw.

Despite slightly trailing her two teammates' in scoring during Monday's final, Gray's astounding postseason stats, which include averages of 28.5 points, six assists, and three rebounds, secured the guard the league's inaugural Playoff MVP title.

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Ultimately, Rose rode their underdog status — earned with a talented, but primarily young roster — all the way to the championship.

"From day one they counted us out," said Rose head coach Nola Henry after Monday's game. "Kah went down, they counted us out. Azurá was out and they counted us out. Angel down, they counted us out. What they gonna say now?"

Unrivaled closes successful inaugural season

After the confetti fell on Monday's 3×3 championship court, players and coaches alike agreed that the new offseason league has been a great success — regardless of which team hoisted the trophy.

"A lot of fans came out and there’s a lot of energy behind it, but people are already excited about it for next season," Gray said of the upstart. "When you win, you have a different appreciation or joy about it, but it was a great first season."

While Rose BC’s athletes will likely carry that winning spirit — plus the $50,000-per-player bonus — into the WNBA’s May 16th season tip-off, Unrivaled’s impact will undoubtedly be felt far beyond its debut postseason.