All Scores

NWSL preview: San Diego Wave built for the long haul in 2023

Alex Morgan led the NWSL in goals in 2022, helping San Diego to the best inaugural season for an expansion team. (Ira L. Black – Corbis/Getty Images)

When two California expansion sides joined the NWSL in the same year, the competition naturally escalated on the West Coast. Angel City showcased the off-field value of Los Angeles’ deep-running soccer culture combined with a bit of Hollywood glamor. But the team that ran away with the on-field results in 2022 was the San Diego Wave.

After surprising everybody but possibly themselves, Casey Stoney’s side comes into 2023 as an established contender in just their second year. Taking advantage of the NWSL’s first free-agency period, the Wave retooled their roster with strategic, positional signings.

We already know that San Diego is the real deal, but just how far can they go this year? Stoney gives us a peek behind the curtain.

2022 Year in Review: Raising expectations

The Wave had the most successful inaugural season for an expansion team in NWSL history in 2022. They became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their first year and the first to host and win a playoff game in their first year. Their third-place finish in the league standings was by far the best result for a team in its first season of existence.

Bolstered by a career-best scoring output from Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan and an award-winning season from Rookie and Defender of the Year Naomi Girma, the Wave made it difficult for teams to break them down defensively and tricky to contain them in front of goal. The Wave proved versatile in their positioning in 2022, with a well-drilled, off-the-ball ethos that turned into quick-fire chances at the other end of the field.

When inviting a high press, the Wave compensated with one of the best goalkeepers in the league in Kailen Sheridan to go over the top, and one of the best direct strikers in Morgan.

“Sometimes you want to bring that pressure on,” Stoney says. “So you bring them closer to you, and you leave more space in behind their backline. And I thought we exploited that well at times last year.”

When pressing themselves, the Wave have a midfield Stoney says was already in the top 50 percent of contested possession, a stat they want to improve upon in 2023. Stoney, a former center-back herself, says they intend to keep the play central and in front of them with their pressing philosophy.

“I always think you kind of want the center-backs on the ball so you can go and press,” she says. “Because they’re normally the players the least comfortable with it.”

img
Casey Stoney won NWSL Coach of the Year for San Diego's historic season in 2022. (Ray Acevedo/USA TODAY Sports)

Offseason moves: Slowing things down

Where San Diego wants to take a step forward in their second year is the ability to control tempo with the ball at their feet. After relying on a number of young players to carry the load in year one, the Wave turned to free agency for experienced players, who for the first time could make club decisions without forcing trades.

San Diego landed Danny Colaprico, one of the best holding midfielders in the league, and forward Rachel Hill. Stoney also has high expectations for teen phenom Jaedyn Shaw in her second professional year.

Many soccer teams say they want to play a possession-style game, without delving into the particulars of why that approach works. In a highly transitional league like the NWSL (in other words, teams move the ball quickly to punish defenses), sometimes the best-laid plans in the midfield can lead to turnovers and attempts to control through possession are disrupted at every turn.

Not surprisingly, Stoney’s philosophy behind slowing the game down isn’t just a lofty ideal, but also a practical response to the grind of an NWSL season.

“I think it’s important when you go to Houston in the middle of the season and it’s 80 percent humidity, you can’t go and go,” she says, noting that the Wave dropped points at times last season by pushing too hard to win games rather than controlling play in a draw.

“I believe that you have to have adaptability and fluidity within the game,” Stoney says. “There’ll be spells where you need to sit with two, there’ll be spells where you need to attack with two depending on who you’re playing against, where the spaces are.”

img
Star defender Abby Dahlkemper missed time last season due to various health reasons. (Russell Lansford/USA TODAY Sports)

2023 Outlook: Riding the wave

The Wave have retained their dynamism from 2022, and now they are better equipped to save their legs during the dog days of the NWSL season. Their elevated depth will be tested when they experience another first in 2023: a major tournament year.

Sheridan, Girma, Morgan, midfielders Emily van Egmond and Taylor Kornieck, and forward Sofia Jakobsson could all miss matches in the middle of the season while playing in the 2023 World Cup. Additionally, defender Abby Dahlkemper is still working her way back from offseason back surgery. The young players the Wave developed in year one will once again have to step up, this time aided by new veterans.

“You have to make sure that you recruit a squad deep enough that it’s competitive every day in training,” Stoney says. “And it’s about making sure those players have played and they’ve gotten minutes, and also making them feel valued throughout the season so that they’re not just chucked in on a whim because someone else is away.”

The plan is to lean into positional flexibility if necessary, and maintain as much continuity as possible so that the team is firing on all cylinders when they push for a playoff spot and beyond. A feature that separates the NWSL from other domestic soccer leagues is the tournament-style playoff bracket, and getting a team to the finish line intact is an underrated art.

“The biggest thing I’ve tried to do — and I will always learn from — is listening to my players, because it’s their bodies,” says Stoney. “They’re the ones having to do the work.”

The Wave have the personnel to contend for the top of the table and make a run at the NWSL Championship, but managing those pockets of the season when their top performers aren’t available will likely come with a learning curve. In a competitive season, depth tends to win out, and San Diego has developed a squad that can hang with the best.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Pro Women’s Lacrosse League Debuts at WLL Championship Series

A promotional graphic for the WLL Championship Series.
The WLL played its first-ever pro games at this week's Lexus Championship Series. (ESPN)

The brand-new professional Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) made its official debut this week just outside of Washington, DC, where its first-ever game saw the New York Charging take down the Maryland Charm 14-13 in the WLL Championship Series.

After the inaugural Tuesday result, the action continued on Wednesday, when the California Palms opened their WLL account by getting the better of the Boston Guard in a tight 16-15 matchup.

Founded and run by the Premier Lacrosse League, the WLL fosters top-level competition as the sport gears up for its 2028 Olympic return.

The four-team WLL Championship Series follows an Olympic-style "sixes" format. Unlike traditional lacrosse, which uses a larger pitch and 10 athletes per team, sixes employs a condensed field with six players per side.

In the Championship Series, teams are first competing in three round-robin games to determine semifinal seedings. The tournament will culminate with the knockout semifinal and final rounds on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

Team USA lacrosse star Charlotte North gestures during a 2022 World Championship game.
Team USA star Charlotte North competes for the WLL's Boston Guard. (Ryan Hunt/Getty Images)

WLL looks to level up lacrosse ahead of 2028 Olympics

Despite the competition's quick turnaround, the WLL represents a growing professionalization movement in women's lacrosse — with all involved betting big on the sport's Olympic success in LA.

When lacrosse steps back onto the Olympic stage in 2028, it will have been 80 years since its last 1948 outing — and even then, it was merely a demonstration event. The last time the sport earned medals was in 1908.

Furthermore, the sport's entire Olympic history rests in the men's game — 2028 will see women take the Olympic lacrosse pitch for the first time ever.

"We are honored to be a part of the WLL, and we couldn't be more excited to bring this game to the fans in new ways than ever before," said Boston Guard star Charlotte North in a league statement.

"We firmly believe that this is the beginning of what will be a monumental movement in the game of professional women's lacrosse, and for female athletes around the globe.... It's our time."

Former Northwestern lacrosse star Izzy Scane shoots the ball during an NCAA game.
Izzy Scane, the NCAA DI lacrosse career scoring leader, plays for the New York Charging. (Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

How to watch the WLL Championship Series

The tournament's round-robin play continues with the Maryland Charm facing off against the Boston guard at 9 PM ET on Thursday, before the California Palms contend with the New York Charging at 6 PM ET on Friday.

All WLL Championship Series games will stream live on ESPN+, with Sunday's and Monday's knockout rounds airing live on ESPN2.

Indiana Fever Rev Roster Ahead of 2025 WNBA Season

Fever forward Katie Lou Samuelson dribbles the ball during a 2024 WNBA game.
Indiana is buying out Katie Lou Samuelson's contract as the Fever reconfigures their roster. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

The Indiana Fever continued upending their roster this week, with the WNBA franchise announcing the departures of both forward Katie Lou Samuelson and guard Erica Wheeler.

First, the team agreed to a contract buyout with Samuelson on Monday. The 27-year-old was on track to enter the final season of her two-year contract with the Fever, on a guaranteed $180,250 salary for 2025.

Indiana reportedly acquiesced to a $106,419 buyout — allowing the franchise just enough leftover funds to sign one additional veteran to a minimum contract. At the same time, that buyout ensures that Samuelson — who will officially become a free agent next week after the requisite five days on the wire — will be made whole even if she inks a minimum contract elsewhere.

Then on Wednesday, the Fever cleared up more space on their roster as free agent Wheeler opted to join Seattle.

Indiana Fever players DeWanna Bonner, Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Caitlin Clark attend an NBA game.
DeWanna Bonner, Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Caitlin Clark are central to the 2025 Fever roster. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

Fever aims for the ultimate WNBA prize with refreshed roster

Indiana as been cleaning house this offseason, from sending their 2022 No. 2 draft pick NaLyssa Smith to the Dallas Wings two weeks ago to this week's departures.

Exits aren't the only changes to the Fever's lineup, however. In the last few weeks, the team has successfully re-signed guard Kelsey Mitchell and traded for guard Sophie Cunningham while also stocking up on top veteran talent in free agents DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, and Sydney Colson.

The moves are part of Indiana's plan to make a major playoff push in 2025, revamping their roster to build off their 2024 playoff appearance — the team's first since 2016.

With a pair of WNBA Rookies of the Year in Caitlin Clark (2024) and Aliyah Boston (2023) forming the team's young core, the Fever are building a tested veteran shield primed for the challenge of a deep postseason run — which can sometimes spell growing pains both on and off the court as fans and players alike grow accustomed to the rejiggered lineup.

That said, Clark is focusing on the fun part of smoothing out the Fever's new-look roster, saying "I think it will be a lot of fun to get in the gym and be with my teammates and just start putting the pieces together and see what works or what doesn't... I think that's what's super exciting."

"The next few years are gonna be amazing for this franchise and will continue to be for hopefully 10-plus years," she continued.

"Hopefully we win a few championships. They’re investing to help us be really good."

UCLA Faces USC in Big Ten Title Race Headliner

USC's JuJu Watkins lines up a free throw during a Big Ten basketball game.
Juju Watkins and the Trojans will play No. 1 UCLA twice in their final five regular season games. (John Fisher/Getty Images)

With less than three weeks left in NCAA basketball regular-season play, the final games will determine the winner of the Big Ten — a title that's increasingly likely to land in Los Angeles.

Already sitting atop their conference compatriots by at least two wins, No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 USC will meet for the first of two season clashes on Thursday, before closing out NCAA play against each other on March 1st.

The crosstown rivals are vying for a first-ever Big Ten regular-season title after joining the historically Midwest conference in 2024.

The games will feature two of the sport's biggest stars, as USC sophomore JuJu Watkins and UCLA junior Lauren Betts square off for the first time since their 2024 Pac-12 Tournament semifinal, when the eventual champion Trojans needed two overtime periods to outlast the Bruins.

This season, however, UCLA has an slight advantage over the Trojans. While the Bruins remain the only unbeaten Division I team left standing, USC has two defeats on their 2024/25 record, including a lone conference loss to unranked Iowa in early February.

That said, a Thursday home win would pull the Trojans even with UCLA at 11-1 on the Big Ten table, setting up a photo finish with the coveted No. 1 seed in March's conference tournament on the line.

"[UCLA is] a team that clearly has it clicking right now," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told ESPN. "We know there'll be a lot of pride on the line."

UCLA's Lauren Betts slaps her teammates hands as she enters the court for a Big Ten basketball game.
UCLA's Lauren Betts was named to both major NCAA Player of the Year Award lists. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

NCAA National Player of the Year race heats up

Watkins and Betts aren't just making moves on the court this week. Both stars also made the John R. Wooden Award's 20-player late midseason watch list, which spotlights the athletes on track to vie for this season's overall best college basketball player honor.

Along with the SoCal standouts, Tuesday's list included Notre Dame guards Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, Texas sophomore Madison Booker, LSU stars Aneesah Morrow and Flau'jae Johnson, and UConn senior Paige Bueckers, who became the award's first-ever freshman winner back in 2021.

Notably, a pair of true freshmen could follow in Bueckers' footsteps, with both fellow Husky Sarah Strong and Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes earning nods.

Though unlisted players remain eligible for the eventual 15-athlete ballot, these 20 represent the likeliest to follow in back-to-back Wooden winner Caitlin Clark's footsteps.

On the other hand, the Naismith Awards — the other leading NCAA honor — dropped its official positional shortlists last week, with 10 nominees in the running for each of the five awards. The 10-player lists will shrink to five finalists for each honor in March, and fans are currently eligible to vote on who makes that final cut.

Nearly all of the athletes on the Wooden Award's radar are also in the running for their respective Naismith honor.

Kentucky's Georgia Amoore dribbles the ball up the court during a game.
No. 8 Kentucky will look to bounce back against No. 3 Texas on Thursday night. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

How to watch Thursday's Top-10 NCAA basketball matchups

Players on both the Wooden and Naismith lists will feature in Thursday's top NCAA basketball matchups.

With Big Ten dominance on the line, Lauren Betts and No. 1 UCLA will visit JuJu Watkins and No. 6 USC at 10 PM ET, streaming exclusively on Peacock.

Meanwhile in the SEC, Madison Booker's No. 3 Texas squad will take on a No. 8 Kentucky team reeling from an upset loss to Ole Miss on Monday. Fellow Wooden watch list and Naismith nominee Georgia Amoore will try to lead the Wildcats past the Longhorns at 7 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.

Nike Spotlights Global Women’s Soccer Stars in New United Pack Cleats

Nike United cleats pack promotional image showing headshots of women's soccer stars flanked by neon lights.
Nike tapped six international women's soccer stars for their latest cleats. (Nike Football)

Nike put global women's soccer stars in the spotlight last week, debuting their new Nike United Pack cleats collection.

For the first time ever, the apparel giant is bringing together six athletes to launch a series of performance cleats. The subsequent United Pack was developed collaboration with some of the sport's biggest international names.

The United Pack hit shelves last week with three styles of boots: Tiempo, Mercurial, and Phantom. Each boot is paired with two top international footballers, whose names are emblazoned on the heels of their cleats.

Of course, the United Pack collection is one part of a larger Nike initiative. In recent weeks, the brand has bet big on women's sports via everything from Super Bowl ads to signature shoes.

Three nike united pack women's soccer cleats hover against a purple background.
The purple and Volt United Pack lineup pairs players with updated Nike mainstays. (Nike Football)

Spain and USWNT get top Nike United Pack billing

Spain midfielder Patricia Guijarro and USWNT center back Naomi Girma are backing the Tiempos, while forwards Lauren James of England and Spain's 2023 World Cup champion Salma Paralluelo feature on the Mercurials. The Phantoms showcase USWNT attacker Sophia Wilson (née Smith) and her Portland Thorns teammate, Venezuela's Deyna Castellanos,.

The collection honors all six players by emblazoning their names onto the cleat's sock liner.

A purple and Volt colorway also links the line. As does the upper surface, which is designed to look like shattered glass in a nod to the "new generation of athletes breaking through to the next era in football."

"What I like the most about this boot is that it was created with six different players who come from different backgrounds and play for different teams, but we all came together to create something special that we can share with the world," said Wilson in a Nike's press release.

"Being a part of this boom and just making people respect women's sports is exciting," added Girma. "It's going to be even better for the next generation."

Where to buy Nike United Pack cleats

Fans can now purchase the Nike United Pack cleats online and at select retail locations.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.