The NWSL kicked off the 2021 postseason on Sunday with celebration and tears. The first quarterfinal round in the league’s short history included two wins by the slightest of margins.

The No. 4 Chicago Red Stars ended Carli Lloyd’s professional career in a 1-0 defeat of No. 5 Gotham FC, thanks to a second-half strike from Mallory Pugh. The red-hot Washington Spirit then took down the 2019 NWSL champion North Carolina Courage on an Ashley Hatch game-winner in the second half of extra time.

In past years, only four teams advanced to the playoffs, with two semifinals played the weekend before the championship game. Postseason festivities were short-lived as four teams quickly became two and the NWSL crowned a winner only two weeks after the end of the regular season.

Preparing for league expansion, the NWSL debuted a new primary round of postseason games in 2021 and expanded the playoff pool to six teams. There was some concern that the extra slots would dilute the quality of play or that the process would become pulled in too many directions. But both quarterfinal games Sunday ended up being impressive — if different — showcases of the league’s parity.

Lloyd’s final professional minutes on a soccer pitch added to the historical significance of the first game, but one had to forgive the Red Stars for acting as if their victory were business as usual.

Chicago, whose regular season was as steady as it was occasionally monotonous, prepared itself for exactly the type of match it got against Gotham. The Red Stars successfully maintained their shape, never getting pulled out of position by Gotham’s dynamic frontline, in a display that even surprised former Red Stars assistant and current Gotham head coach Scott Parkinson.

“I thought it would be a little bit more end-to-end than it was,” Parkinson said after the match. “Especially in the first half, I thought they’d come out and give us a goal. But they didn’t.”

A track meet would have likely favored the visitors, so it wasn’t shocking that Chicago instructed its outside backs to stay home and create numerical advantages centrally in the defense. Still, executing a game plan that relies on excellence without the ball isn’t easy to pull off mentally, and the Red Stars showed their growth in maintaining focus for the whole match. The center-back duo of Sarah Gorden and Tierna Davidson held fast, and the team built off of that foundation.

A moment of clarity led to the Red Stars’ lone goal in the 61st minute, when Sarah Woldmoe pounced on a throw from Gotham keeper Kailen Sheridan to midfielder McCall Zerboni, with whom Woldmoe had been in a physical battle for much of the afternoon. She slotted the ball out to Pugh, who connected on a one-touch strike toward the far post. Chicago then defended comfortably, holding off the dynamic duo of Midge Purce and Ifeoma Onumonu to earn the win and a meeting with the top-seeded Thorns in Portland next weekend.

💥 CUE MAL PUGH 💥

First playoff game, first playoff goal 🤌#CHIvNJNY | https://t.co/bONPZnnmCJ | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/uyuHikPPz2

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 7, 2021

The way the Red Stars suffocated Gotham for the last 30 minutes of play had Lloyd literally watching the clock wind down on her career, which left her emotional after the match.

“I think as the clock was obviously winding down and we were pressing for a goal, I just kept looking at the time because essentially time was … running out,” she said, taking a moment to compose herself. “It’s really sunk in now. And it’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t have went on.”

The winners derived satisfaction from executing their game plan against a talented group up front.

“I love going against Ify, Midge, Carli, all of them,” Gorden said. “Just because they’re attackers who want the ball and they want to take you on. They’re competent, their skills are dynamic, they’re smart, they’re technical, all the things.”

The second game Sunday also featured dynamic, smart and technical attackers, though the final score in regulation didn’t necessarily reflect the quality on the field. The No. 3 Spirit and the No. 6 Courage played to a 0-0 draw through 90 minutes despite the game offering everything on attack that the first match had in defensive organization.

The Courage, true underdogs for the first time since they were known as the Western New York Flash, came in with their veterans ready to take the game to the favorites. Debinha, tenacious on the ball, found space behind Washington’s backline, while Jessica McDonald helped run point on the team’s defensive press from her place in the attack. The Courage created more dangerous chances in front of the Spirit’s goal than many people anticipated. Their center-back duo of Abby Erceg and Kaleigh Kurtz also held strong in transition, but they couldn’t quite break through to put the Spirit on their heels.

On the other side, Andi Sullivan had another excellent game setting up Washington’s offense from her role as the No. 6, and Trinity Rodman continued her reign of terror from the wing. The Spirit did a good job of moving the ball through each sector of the field — especially when they could feel momentum swinging in transition — but just couldn’t get the ball on frame.

The pace of both teams made the match feel wide open, and the only reason the game remained scoreless through regulation was the play of goalkeepers Aubrey Bledsoe and Casey Murphy. Both were exceptional, parrying shots from distance, grabbing crosses out of the air and creating sequences that led to high-quality shot selection.

Playoff Brick Wall @AubreyBledsoe is here 🧱#WASvNC | https://t.co/0LtSAUK1Jw | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/YAcQ0xyFN6

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 7, 2021

“I said it before the game, that the keepers were going to be the key piece in this whole thing,” North Carolina interim head coach Sean Nahas said afterward. “And they were. But Casey Murphy — I think you’re potentially looking at the two future goalkeepers of the United States women’s national team.”

The Spirit entered extra time with renewed energy, even after captain Tori Huster left the game with a non-contact injury. The period ultimately ended in heartbreak for Murphy, who coughed up her first rebound of the night on a low shot from Rodman that had some extra pace on it. Hatch, the NWSL’s Golden Boot winner, made the follow-up run and struck the ball home with fewer than ten minutes left in extra time, sending the Spirit on to Tacoma, Wash. to face No. 2 OL Reign next weekend.

“This is playoff soccer, it’s about just taking your chances,” Bledsoe said with a smile after the match. “We needed one moment. It took a while to get there, but we eventually came through.”

The Courage drove away from Audi Field mourning the end of their season. But as a group that has overcome so much off the field this year after the firing of coach Paul Riley amid abuse allegations, they left with renewed hope for the future.

“As we were walking off, all the Spirit fans were thanking us and cheering us on, and that to me summed it up,” Nahas said. “Everyone knows what we’ve gone through, and the fact that people saw us perform the way we did and put a smile on people’s faces, and our players being able to leave with their head high, to have opposition fans thanking us and cheering us, that to me sums it up.”

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

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Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."

Former Oklahoma slugger Jocelyn Alo has signed on with Athletes Unlimited and will compete in the AU Pro Softball AUX this June.

The NCAA record holder in career home runs (122), total bases (761), and slugging percentage (.987), Alo was originally drafted by the league in 2022 but opted instead to join the newly debuted Women’s Professional Fastpitch. 

Alo currently plays for independent pro softball team Oklahoma City Spark, with team owner Tina Floyd reportedly on board with her recent AUX signing. AUX games are scheduled for June 10-25, while the Spark's season will kick off June 19th. Alo will play for both. 

Among those joining Alo on the AUX roster are former James Madison ace pitcher Odicci Alexander and former Wichita State standout middle infielder Sydney McKinney.

According to Alo, the decision to play in the Athletes Unlimited league was fueled by her desire to propel women's sports forward as well as provide more exposure to a sport that's given her "so many opportunities."

"Not only to challenge myself more, but just for the growth of the game," Alo said, explaining her reasoning to The Oklahoman. "I genuinely believe that professional softball can be a career for girls."

Joining AUX is also one more step in her plan toward representing Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I’m constantly thinking about how can I do these little things right in these four years to prepare me for the biggest stage of softball," she told The Oklahoman. "I definitely want to play in the Olympics, for sure."

Alo further expressed enthusiasm in the hope that the rise of other women’s sports, like women’s basketball and the NWSL, will push softball’s professional viability even higher.

"We’re seeing the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) get their stuff going, I see the WNBA starting to get hot," she continued. "I feel like the softball community is like, 'All right, it’s our turn and it’s our turn to just demand more.'"