Sophia Smith is a goal scorer.

She was as she was growing up in Windsor, Colo., when she helped Stanford to a national championship in 2019, and when the Portland Thorns drafted her in 2020.

She’s been a goal scorer in her 25 appearances for the U.S. women’s national team, and during her MVP campaign for the Thorns this season.

And Sophia Smith was a goal scorer on Saturday, when her club claimed a historic third NWSL championship in a 2-0 victory over Kansas City.

With less than four minutes gone by in the first half, Yazmeen Ryan fielded the ball in the center circle. She took one touch and sent a smooth pass through the Kansas City defenders. Elizabeth Ball slid in a last-ditch effort to make contact with the ball but instead left Smith in a one-on-one situation with keeper AD Franch.

As Smith advanced, Franch dove. Smith moved the ball from her right foot to her left, and with an open goal ahead of her, she watched as her shot sailed into the back of the net.

It gave Portland an early 1-0 lead, which ended up being the game-winning goal as the Thorns held the Current scoreless. It also allowed Smith to shrug off the haters.

Everything is coming up roses 🌹 pic.twitter.com/bM1B6dBLxj

— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) October 30, 2022

As Smith’s teammates mobbed her, the forward raised her shoulders and put up her hands, in a celebration reminiscent of Michael Jordan’s iconic shrug. But Smith wasn’t making a nod to Jordan — she was letting everyone know that she had the goods. The MVP goods.

“There’s been a lot of people who don’t think I deserved to win MVP,” Smith said after the match, with a new MVP trophy, one for the best player in the championship game, sitting in front of her. “So that (celebration) was a little bit of, ‘That’s that.’”

Smith has been in the NWSL for three years, and during that time, the 22-year-old has gained a reputation for her speed and skill in the open field. She was second in the league in scoring this year with 14 goals, just one behind San Diego’s Alex Morgan, who finished as the Golden Boot winner with 15.

When she knocked in Portland’s first score of the contest, Smith put those qualities on display for the Washington, D.C. crowd.

“Her pace is lethal,” KC midfielder Desiree Scott said. “You can’t grow that. That is just natural talent.”

And Scott isn’t the only one who has noticed Smith’s natural skills. Her potential at a young age helped her become the first player born in the 2000s to appear for the senior national team. It’s also the reason the Thorns drafted her first overall earlier that year. And it’s something coach Rhian Wilkinson noticed as soon as she came aboard to coach the club this season.

What Smith is doing right now is remarkable, Wilkinson said, but the conversation around the young star could hold even more weight in a few years’ time.

“She can stop pushing now, and she will still be a very good player, one of the best players this country has ever produced,” Wilkinson said about the MVP. “And my job is to keep pushing her, and to make sure she is the best player this country has ever produced because she has that in her right now.”

Wilkinson went on to praise Smith’s abilities to take on multiple defenders and to “create something out of nothing.”

“It is a gift to have her on your team.” Wilkinson said.

Smith feels similarly about her coach.

She announced in the post-match press conference that she thought it was “bulls–t” that Wilkinson wasn’t nominated for NWSL Coach of the Year. Despite coming into an already talented squad, Smith said the way Wilkinson handled the controversy surrounding the Thorns after the release of the Yates report and managed to implement her own style of play is being undervalued.

Smith went on to say that Wilkinson pushes her to reach her full potential, something the MVP both wants and needs.

“I feel like I can be (the best), but I need to be pushed and I need to be held to high standards every single day,” Smith said. “And she does a really good job of that. So I really can’t ask for much more than that.”

Sophia Smith might be on her way to becoming the best player this country has ever seen. And for those who don’t believe, well, she’s shrugging off the haters one goal at a time.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.