MATCH INFO:

Chelsea 3, West Ham 2

Goals: Sam Kerr – 15’, Rachel Daly – 47’, Sam Kerr – 55’, Sam Kerr – 68’, Magdalena Eriksson (OG) – 88’

After a long, two-week international break, the FAWSL returned with a thriller between Chelsea and West Ham at Kingsmeadow. It wasn’t an easy London Derby for Chelsea, the defending league champs, but they were able to finish the job and take away the three points.

The match was also memorable for being the first since March in which a limited number of fans (up to 700) were allowed in the stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions.

So good to see you, Blues fans! ????????#CFCW pic.twitter.com/W0ZCUSoYwU

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) December 6, 2020

Here’s how the action unfolded: 

Early on, both sides had a chance, but Bethany England’s attempted header went wide, and Martha Thomas’ shot was blocked.

The first real chance of the game came in the 9th minute, when Cecilie Redisch Kvamme was able to get into the middle of Chelsea’s box and find enough space to shoot; the shot was on target, but Ann-Katrin Berger managed a save.

West Ham would come to regret that chance, and the couple they had after, as five minutes later, Chelsea scored their first.

The goal started with Ji So-yun pressing West Ham in their own half. Ji, who was celebrating her 100th appearance in the FAWSL (and is the first international player to achieve that feat), managed to rid West Ham’s Cho So-hyun of her possession, allowing Pernille Harder to pick up the loose ball.

The first non-British player to reach 100 #BarclaysFAWSL appearances ⭐️@jsy0341 ???? pic.twitter.com/9PW9qPubHZ

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Harder then passed it to Fran Kirby, who was playing in her first game back from injury. Kirby then crossed it into the box and found Sam Kerr, who knocked it in from close range.

The Kirby ➡️ Kerr combo is back! ????@samkerr1 scores her fourth #BarclaysFAWSL goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/o1uUgG0G5R

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

West Ham reacted almost immediately, with Rachel Daly able to win the ball off of Magdalena Eriksson around the half-way line. Daly then sprinted the whole half the pitch, but was unable to get the ball around Berger in a crucial one-on-one.

The Hammers nearly draw straight back level! ⚒

What a save by @berger_ann to deny @RachelDaly3 ????#BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/13WBf6YF6r

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

The rest of the half was end to end, but Chelsea was unable to up the score, and West Ham was unable to equalize. Going into half-time, Chelsea remained up by a goal.

The speech delivered by interim West Ham managers Billy Stewart and Paul McHugh must have worked, because West Ham equalized minutes after the whistle. Adriana Leon received the ball near the halfway line and was able to sprint to the final third without being challenged. A short pass from Leon across the box to Daly followed, and this time, Daly didn’t waste her chance, scoring the equalizer.

It's a goal for the birthday girl! ????@RachelDaly3 scores for @westhamwomen at Kingsmeadow! #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/nkMXUy28lC

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

West Ham would have to cut its celebrations short, however, as a relentless Chelsea attack followed. The Blues won multiple freekicks and had several opportune chances before a breakthrough came in the 55th minute. West Ham keeper Mackenzie Arnold got a hand on a cross from Harder into the box, but she spilled the ball at Kerr’s feet, leaving the Australian with an easy shot on an open net.

The ???????? is at it again! @samkerr1 scores her fifth #BarclaysFAWSL goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/sYsrVOCJyI

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

Thirteen minutes later, Kerr completed her hattrick, with Kirby again assisting on the goal. The sequence once more started with Chelsea pressing West Ham, leading to some quick interplay between Kirby and Kerr, which ended with Kerr easily tapping in the score.

She's got her third!

It's a #BarclaysFAWSL hat-trick for @samkerr1! ???? pic.twitter.com/3LnzWexNsL

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

At 3-1, it was all Chelsea. West Ham did not give up per se, but Chelsea, with the fans backing them, and with the two-goal cushion, felt comfortable and confident. They even had multiple chances in which they could have extended their lead.

Things got interesting near the end, however, when Eriksson scored an own goal in the 88th minute. With the score now at 3-2, West Ham tried to push for a final equalizer in the last minutes of the second half and the seven minutes of extra-time, but they were unsuccessful.

???? Substitute @lehmann_alisha whips it in and @westhamwomen
get a goal back late on at Kingsmeadow! #BarclaysFAWSL pic.twitter.com/87SjZ0HfTn

— Barclays FA Women's Super League (@BarclaysFAWSL) December 6, 2020

With her three goals, Kerr moved up to third in the FAWSL top scorers of the season, behind Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema and Jill Roord.

Chelsea sits in 3rd place, with 17 points, three behind league leader Manchester United and two behind Arsenal, though they have a game in hand.

The Blues will be taking a break from the FAWSL for their next match, as they will be facing Benfica in the Champions League.

The match details for our #UWCL round of 32 tie against Benfica have been confirmed! ????

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) November 29, 2020

West Ham currently sits in 10th, but an away match against Chelsea was always going to be a tough match for them to win. The goal for West Ham this season is to avoid relegation, and their next match against Bristol City, who are bottom of the table, will be the perfect opportunity to give them some cushion so as to avoid playing in the FA Women’s Championship next season.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins examines Angel City FC's early success in the young 2025 NWSL season.

Off to an undefeated 2025 campaign, a stat only the 2024 championship-winning Orlando Pride and powerhouse Kansas City Current also boast, 2022 expansion side Angel City launched itself into the early contender conversation after missing the NWSL Playoffs entirely last season.

Watkins digs into the LA club, chatting through the team's star-studded formation, its early days, as well as its young core, highlighted by star sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson — all while weighing if the squad is truly ready to level up into the league's title-seeking echelon.

Angel City is beginning to see some payoff from its early developmental strategy, with Watkins pointing out that taking winger Alyssa Thompson straight out of high school is now providing major returns.

"She's got three goals in four games in 2025, she's the second youngest NWSL player to hit 10 goals and 10 assists in her career," noted Watkins. "Teams are having trouble accounting for her despite knowing that she is their offensive focal point at this moment."

That said, even with Thompson's prowess, Watkins does expect the club's hot start to cool, though she does predict a 2025 NWSL Playoff berth for the LA team.

"They are getting through on moments of brilliance, on chemistry and mental fortitude," noted Watkins. "It's a long season, and those kinds of things can start to slip as you get tired and other teams get used to the way that you play."

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

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The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) hired former MLB executive Kim Ng as its first-ever commissioner on Wednesday, tapping into Ng’s 21 years of top-level experience ahead of the league’s inaugural 2025 season.

After becoming the youngest assistant general manager in baseball history for the New York Yankees in 1998, Ng inked another line into the record books as the first woman GM in any major US men’s sports league in November 2020, when she took over the front office for MLB’s Miami Marlins.

Her three-season tenure in Miami culminated in a 2023 playoff appearance — the Marlins' first in 20 years.

Ng's pivot to softball is a homecoming for the trailblazing 56-year-old exec, who played NCAA softball before breaking down MLB barriers.

"I think after 30-plus years in the business, I also owe it to myself to do some things that I hadn't necessarily had the opportunity to do in the past," Ng told The Athletic about her decision to join AUSL. "And this is, for me, it's a passion."

Prior to her commissioner appointment, Ng served as a senior advisor for AUSL, helping to develop the league into existence from a landscape full of growing parity at the college level, yet few viable pro opportunities.

"Knowing what an established, mature system of governance looks like, I think will be really helpful in establishing this league," Ng added.

AUSL takes the field with 2025 tour

Launching on June 7th — immediately following the 2025 NCAA Women's College World Series — each of the AUSL's four inaugural teams will play 24 games across a seven-week season.

The league's 2025 debut will function as a tour, with regular-season games played across eight different cities before two additional locations are added for the first-ever AUSL All-Star Cup in August.

Each city is auditioning to become one of six permanent markets for the league, which will transition to a traditional location-based set-up in 2026.

The PWHL dropped its 2025 Draft details on Tuesday, with the league’s third-annual entry draft set to take over Ottawa, Canada — home of the Charge — on June 24th.

Eligible NCAA standouts and other pro hockey prospects have until May 8th to declare for selection, following the PWHL’s May 3rd regular-season finale.

Notably, the second-year league follows the Gold Plan when it comes to determining draft order. Under this system, teams eliminated from the playoffs have an incentive to continue hunting wins, as franchises who amass more points post-elimination secure higher draft picks.

The New York Sirens and 2024 champions Minnesota Frost currently sit below the postseason cutoff line, meaning both teams could snag the most draft capital when the league returns from international break later this month.

NCAA stars likely to top 2025 PWHL Draft selections

Last year, the New York Sirens selected Princeton star Sarah Fillier as the overall No. 1 pick, with the rookie forward having an immediate impact in her debut pro season.

Fillier currently ranks second in individual points scored on the 2024/25 PWHL stat sheet, trailing only US hockey legend and Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight.

As for who will join Fillier and Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise — the inaugural 2023 PWHL Draft No. 1 pick — atop this year's draft, two NCAA standouts are likely contenders.

Should she declare, University of Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy is the projected 2025 No. 1 pick.

However, Murphy could return to the Golden Gophers for a final NCAA season following her international duty with the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship semifinals-bound Team USA.

Should Murphy defer her pro debut, 2024/25 NCAA MVP Casey O'Brien is the likely top selectee, having already declared for the draft.

The Wisconsin captain wrapped up her NCAA campaign as this season's leading scorer, claiming 88 points on 26 goals and 62 assists en route to this year’s national championship — the third NCAA title of her college career.

Eight top squads are edging closer to Saturday’s 2025 NCAA gymnastics championships team trophy, with the pivotal semifinal round kicking off on Thursday afternoon.

No. 2-seed Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Missouri, and No. 11 Alabama will hit the mat first, before 2024 winners and the 2025 bracket's No. 1-seed LSU goes to work to defend their title against No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 8 Michigan State.

The top two teams from each of Thursday's semifinals will advance to compete for the national title on Saturday.

Semifinal meets will crown individual NCAA champions

First, however, five individual NCAA trophies will be bestowed on Thursday night, as the semifinal meets will determine the 2025 all-around and event champions.

In addition to the athletes on the eight qualifying teams, four all-around competitors and 16 event specialists will join the race for solo NCAA hardware, with each earning an invite as the top performer in their respective category at one of the sport's four Regional tournaments.

These individual contenders will follow a qualified team's rotation schedule during their semifinal meet.

Leading the all-around pack is LSU star and 2024 individual champ Haleigh Bryant, though she'll face stiff competition in her bid for a back-to-back championship.

Standing in Bryant's path are Oregon State's Jade Carey, Arkansas's Joscelyn Roberson, Denver's Madison Ulrich, and Washington's Mary McDonough, alongside qualified team athletes like UCLA's Jordan Chiles — Carey’s 2024 Olympics teammate.

Bryant will also defend her shared 2024 vault title, though her co-champion on that event, Cal's Mya Lauzon, will instead compete for beam and floor hardware this week.

All other 2024 event winners are also back, with LSU's Konnor McClain and Florida's Leanne Wong seeking to repeat on beam and floor, respectively. Wong will also hunt another trophy on bars, alongside last year's co-champ, Utah's Grace McCallum.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships

The first 2025 NCAA gymnastics semifinal starts at 4:30 PM ET on Thursday, followed by the second semi at 9 PM ET.

Live coverage of both semifinal meets will air on ESPN2.