Sophia Smith made a major statement in her final NWSL game ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring a hat trick in the Portland Thorns’ 4-2 win over the Washington Spirit on Friday night.

“I have to go into this tournament as my best self, feeling like my most confident self and I knew this game was important in doing that,” Smith said. “If I were to leave this field and feel like I didn’t do what I needed to do, that would be a stressful time.”

The 22-year-old Smith scored her 29th, 30th and 31st career goals in front of 20,000 fans at Providence Park to become the youngest player in NWSL history to score 30 goals (a record previously held by Sam Kerr).

All three of Smith’s goals were beauties, as the star forward gave a clinic on how to manage multiple defenders and still find the back of the net. (A video highlight is embedded below.)

“When I’m dribbling towards the goal, if I see a sliver of an open net, I’m taking a shot. Recently I’ve had some good luck with shots from distance, so I’m going to keep doing that,” she said.

RELATED READ: Sophia Smith and a singular drive for soccer greatness

Washington’s goals were notched by Ashley Hatch and Ashley Sanchez, while Morgan Weaver added the Thorns’ only non-Smith-scored goal of the night.

Smith said she wanted to leave the Thorns in a good position heading into the next few weeks as the team will be without at least six players during the World Cup: Smith and Crystal Dunn (USWNT), Adriana Leon and Christine Sinclair (Canada), Rocky Rodriguez (Costa Rica) and Higa Sugita (Japan). The Thorns currently sit atop the NWSL standings with 25 points, while the Spirit are in second with 23.

“Our mindset going into this (game) was that we needed a clear and good win, playing as ourselves, playing as the Thorns that we know,” Smith said.

Spirit head coach Mark Parsons also had high praise for Smith’s performance.

“I thought we turned up and were fantastic in being brave, and making this more like a game that we wanted to control,” he said.

“But we played against Sophia Smith. And she was world class tonight.”

Smith did her postgame press conference alongside Sinclair, the two players trading banter ahead of a potential North American showdown at the World Cup. Canada ousted the U.S. in the semifinal round of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, though Smith was not a member of the U.S. squad at that tournament. The 22-year-old will be playing in her first major tournament for the USWNT this summer after leading the team in scoring in 2022.

Sinclair said she’d love to see the U.S. and Canada play at the World Cup, especially because the two teams would end up on opposite sides of the bracket so long as they make it out of their respective groups.

“Based on that path, that would mean we’d be playing in the World Cup final, so why not? Let’s go for it,” Sinclair said.

She then added, with a laugh: “Maybe not if (Sophia) was in the form she was in tonight. Maybe she can just chill out a little bit.”

A top of the table matchup that lived up to the hype.#PORvWAS match recap presented by @nationwide pic.twitter.com/pbWbjVtxwr

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 24, 2023

The 2025 NWSL Championship claimed a major viewership milestone on Saturday, as Gotham FC's 1-0 title win over the Washington Spirit became the first-ever league match to record an average of more than one million viewers.

The CBS evening broadcast averaged an impressive 1.184 million fans and peaked at 1.55 million viewers, making it the most-watched NWSL match of all time.

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The 2025 final marked a 22% viewership increase over the 967,900 fans who watched 2024's Orlando Pride victory — the previous NWSL viewership record-holder — and a 45% ratings gain over Gotham's 2023 championship win, which averaged 816,800 viewers.

Saturday's gains both matched the 22% viewership increase the NWSL regular season saw this year and also far exceeded the 2025 postseason's pre-final year-over-year increase of 5%.

Calling the one-million viewer mark "an extraordinary achievement" in Tuesday's league statement, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman also noted that the "record-setting audience demonstrates the deepening connection fans have with our players, our clubs, and the world-class competition on the field, and it underscores the growing demand for women's soccer on the biggest stages."

"We're incredibly proud of what this moment represents for the NWSL and for everyone who continues to invest in and believe in the future of our game," Berman added.

Incoming offseason league Project B scored more major WNBA signings this week, as the upstart venture continues stacking its roster ahead of a planned November 2026 launch.

Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham have both publicly signed on with Project B, joining already announced talent like Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd.

Also inking deals to join the inaugural season of Project B are Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, and Li Meng, a former Washington Mystics guard and current player in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.

The multi-continent, Formula One-style traveling tournament circuit will ultimately sign 66 international stars, as Project B looks to field six 11-player teams in its debut 2026/2027 campaign.

Project B player signings will undoubtedly impact other offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, but the new venture is also looming large over the ongoing WNBA CBA talks.

With negotiations racing toward this Sunday's extended deadline, Project B is putting WNBA compensation offerings under increased pressure, as the new league is reportedly anteing up multimillion-dollar salaries to its signees — far exceeding the 2025 WNBA maximum as well as the $1.1 million-max currently on the negotiating table.

World No. 1 Spain will take aim at a second-straight UEFA Nations League title this week, as La Roja take on No. 5 Germany in the first leg of the 2025 tournament's final at 2:30 PM ET on Friday.

The defending Nations League champions booked their spot in the 2025 final by dismantling No. 3 Sweden 5-0 on aggregate in the semifinal round, while Germany advanced after a tense 3-2 aggregate win over No. 6 France.

Germany must also contend with availability issues during Friday's match, as 28-year-old Bayern Munich forward and senior national team leading scorer Lea Schüller will be out due to family reasons.

To overcome that disadvantage, German head coach Christian Wück is reinforcing the team's back line, adding Athletic Bilbao defender Bibi Schulze Solano to the roster on Wednesday.

Also aiming to shut down Spain's offensive firepower on Friday is new NWSL champion goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who joined her German compatriots late following Gotham FC's title celebrations in New York this week.

While Spain and Germany will contend for the 2025 Nations League trophy this week, the pair — along with ousted semifinalists Sweden and France — have already booked spots in the top group of teams battling for tickets to the 2027 World Cup, with UEFA qualifying set to begin in 2026.

A full 19 months removed from their back-to-back Final Four runs, No. 11 Iowa basketball refuses to go away, with the Hawkeyes already notching one Top-25 win in the young 2025/26 NCAA campaign so far.

The still-unbeaten Hawkeyes took down No. 15 Baylor 57-52 last Thursday, with Iowa starting post players Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden combining for 28 points while guard Taylor Stremlow added another 12 off the bench in the marquee win.

"We have nice pieces," said Iowa head coach Jan Jensen this week. "But it's knowing when to play which pieces and with whom, and we're six games in."

The Hawkeyes have been finding their new identity under Jensen after a transformative period saw Iowa's longtime head coach Lisa Bluder retire while superstar guard Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA.

"Jan's been amazing," Stuelke told JWS at the Big Ten Media Day in October. "She stepped up like she needed to, and she's been growing every day since she's been the head coach, which it's really cool to see she cares. And it's a great environment for all of us."

"I have a year under my belt," Jensen echoed. "I know what this chair feels like now, and I have a little better of understanding of what that first road trip feels like, what that first big win feels like, or the tough loss feels like."

Iowa's season heats up with a ranked rivalry matchup against No. 10 Iowa State on Wednesday, December 10th.

The state rivals will tip off at 7 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.