The U.S. women’s national soccer team rallied after a lackluster first half to take down Colombia 3-0 Saturday in the first of two friendlies between the sides.

Colorado native Sophia Smith led the way, scoring the first two goals of the game in front of her home crowd at DSG Park in Commerce City.

With Colombia set up in a low block and a sweeper, the USWNT struggled to break down their opponent’s backline. Despite holding 71 percent of possession, the USWNT only put three of their 12 shots on goal in the opening 45 minutes, failing to execute in the final third.

The team was awarded a penalty kick in the final seconds of the first half and a breakthrough goal before the break seemed imminent, but Colombia keeper Catalina Perez denied Lindsey Horan from the spot to keep the match deadlocked.

The second 45 minutes were a different story for the USWNT, with Sophia Smith notching the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute, finishing off a perfectly placed ball from Rose Lavelle.

THE BUBBLE BRAID!@sophsssmith megs us into the lead! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/BmV6YRj4xe

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) June 26, 2022

Smith doubled the USWNT’s lead in the 60th minute, again getting on the end of a long ball out of the midfield from Lavelle.

.@sophsssmith's second of the evening, and FIFTH of 2022! pic.twitter.com/WclxMx2T2w

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) June 26, 2022

Taylor Kornieck put the icing on the cake for the United States, nodding in a set-piece from Megan Rapinoe in stoppage time for her first USWNT goal in her national team debut.

Double check our math, but @taylorkornieck has scored in 100% of the #USWNT matches she's appeared in 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/wb22ii7rKc

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) June 26, 2022

Three takeaways from Saturday’s win

Sophia Smith shines in her home state

Colorado native Smith put on a show, notching a brace in front of the Commerce City crowd. The attacker played a full 90 minutes and made magic with Lavelle throughout the match, with the duo linking up in both of Smith’s goals.

Smith is tied for the USWNT’s scoring lead with five goals on the year. Heading into the June camp, coach Vlatko Andonovski said it would be “extremely difficult” for a player to take Smith or Mallory Pugh’s starting spot, with Smith’s Saturday night performance further solidifying her place on the front line.

Ashley Sanchez shifts the tempo

Ashley Sanchez and Alex Morgan were subbed on at the half, relieving Horan and Ashley Hatch. The duo immediately made an impact, jump-starting an out-of-sync USWNT offense while upping the game’s tempo.

Sanchez unlocked space, drawing defenders with her skills on the dribble, showing off her creative flair and courage one-on-one. Not only is Sanchez exciting to watch, but she is also effective, especially in breaking down a low block and pulling defenses apart with her dynamic movement on and off the ball.

ASHLEY SANCHEZ.
THE MAGICIAN.

🧙‍♀️🪄⚽️pic.twitter.com/Uv5OCk2Rmo

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) June 26, 2022

The star midfielder nearly put Morgan on the board, dishing out a well-executed ball to the forward in the box before she was fouled, drawing a penalty. Lavelle, however, missed from the spot, with Perez once again denying the USWNT.

Sanchez and Morgan marked a handful of second-half substitutions from Andonovski, including Sofia Huerta for Kelley O’Hara, Kristie Mewis for Andi Sullivan, Kornieck for Lavelle and Rapinoe for Pugh.

Taylor Kornieck scores in USWNT debut

Kornieck had a night to remember, with the University of Colorado alum scoring in her first appearance with the USWNT. The San Diego Wave midfielder subbed on in the 73rd minute before heading in a set piece from Rapinoe, putting the score at 3-0 in the final minutes of stoppage time. With her late-game goal, Kornieck became the 22nd player in USWNT history to score in her first appearance.

Notre Dame standout Olivia Miles will forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft, instead opting to stay in the NCAA for her final year of college eligibility. But she reportedly will not for the Fighting Irish.

Miles is set to enter the transfer portal, posted ESPN’s Shams Chariana on Monday, moving on from Notre Dame after back-to-back Sweet 16 exits.

"Notre Dame's Olivia Miles — the projected No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft this month — will forgo the draft and enter NCAA's transfer portal, sources tell ESPN," the journalist posted on X. "The 22-year-old top prospect makes unprecedented decision to use her one year remaining of college instead of the draft."

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Miles shakes up the 2025 WNBA draft

Miles will certainly have her choice of top-ranked NCAA programs. But the projected No. 2 draft pick’s decision also has major implications on both the 2025 WNBA Draft and the 2026 draft lottery.

The junior started all 34 games this season for Notre Dame. She averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game while maintaining 48.3% effectiveness from the field.

"I love college. I think I've outgrown it a little bit, though, so that makes my decision tougher to stay. It's comfortable, a place where you have security," the star guard told ESPN after Saturday's loss.

With UConn’s Paige Bueckers sitting comfortably at No. 1, expected Top 5 pro recruits USC’s Kiki Iriafen, South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao, and fellow Irish Sonia Citron could all see a rankings boost.

As South Carolina women's basketball returns to the Final Four, the 2024 NCAA champions’ March Madness journey hasn’t exactly mirrored last year’s dominance. But their resilience has kept them very much in contention.

The Gamecocks bounced back from third-quarter deficits in their last two tournament games, relying on tight defense and smart positional rotations to wear opponents down.

“It is that type of year, that for us, there’s not any blowouts,” head coach Dawn Staley said after her team’s Elite Eight win over Duke. “We have to grind for every single win that we can get.”

South Carolina taps into depth after WNBA departures

After losing center Kamilla Cardoso to the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Gamecocks harnessed their depth, relying on strict minute restrictions to disrupt game flow and launch second-half runs.

Sophomore standout MiLaysia Fulwiley has popped off the bench, complementing leading scorer Joyce Edwards and inside show-runner Chloe Kitts.

One of the team’s key veteran leaders, senior Te-Hina PaoPao has been a grounding force as the only player averaging 25+ minutes per game.

Defense is key to Gamecocks victory

For the Gamecocks to become back-to-back champs, they’ll have to lean hard on their time-honored calling card: defense.

"Look, I mean, at this point it's not going to look pretty. Okay? It's not," Staley said after South Carolina narrowly escaped Sweet 16 opponent Duke. "There are stretches in each game that is not going to look pretty… Some of it's not going to look as smoothly as us coaches and players envision or how you practice, but you certainly have to get down and play the kind of game that's presented in front of you, and we'll do that."

“If we’re not scoring a whole lot of points, then we gotta up our defense,” she continued. “If we’re scoring a lot of points, we gotta up our defense.”

The USWNT announced their final match of the summer’s three-game international window yesterday, with the team set to take on northern neighbors Canada in Washington, DC on July 2nd.

The friendly rounds out a bill that also includes two previously announced clashes with the Republic of Ireland scheduled for June 26th (Commerce City, Colorado) and 29th (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Canada coach Casey Stoney has an edge on the US

With much of Europe focused on the 2025 Euros, July’s bout with Canada will mark the North American nations’ 67th meet-up — but the first under Canada’s new boss.

Coach Casey Stoney arrived in Canada after parting ways with the San Diego Wave last June, her two years of NWSL experience providing extra familiarity with many USWNT stars.

Stoney previously led WSL side Manchester United for four seasons, giving her further insight into current USWNT manager — and ex-Chelsea head coach — Emma Hayes’s style.

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USWNT faces Brazil without injured defender Tierna Davidson

Yesterday, the US posted a major roster change ahead of this month’s friendlies against Brazil, with Gotham center-back Tierna Davidson officially sidelined due to a knee injury suffered last weekend.

Davidson will be replaced by 19-year-old Angel City defender Gisele Thompson, who earned her first two senior caps during February’s SheBelieves Cup.

While Hayes’s USWNT is all about fierce competition and roster experimentation, mounting injuries could force the team into thinner lineups than expected — and up the competition across the board.

No. 1 seed Texas and No. 2 seed UConn punched their tickets to Tampa last night, joining No. 1 seeds UCLA and South Carolina in the Final Four after two tight matchups closed out the NCAA tournament’s fourth round.

Texas got the best of in-state foe TCU 58-47, behind a game-high 18-point performance from SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker.

UConn then handled USC 78-64, holding off the JuJu Watkins-less Trojans as superstar guard Paige Bueckers followed up her career-high 40-point Sweet 16 performance by dropping 31 points on the night.

"We're just so grateful, but we know like the journey isn't done," Bueckers said after the game. "We want our story to continue as long as possible, and we have business to finish."

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Texas books first Final Four appearance since 2003

After four Elite Eight appearances in five years, the Longhorns finally punched their ticket to the Final Four — their first time back since 2003 — behind a tenacious defense that forced 21 TCU turnovers.

“Anybody that watched that game today, when they turned the TV off, they had to go, ‘Wow, that freaking team plays their ass off,’” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after the game.

"I'm having fun with it now," Booker told reporters. "March Madness — you’re supposed to have fun."

"I’m so proud of myself and proud of my team to get to this moment," Harmon said after registering 13 points against TCU.

"Rori Harmon is still that girl," echoed Booker.

Bueckers leads UConn to the NCAA Final Four

The Huskies are headed to their fourth Final Four in the last five years. They advanced on a balanced scoring strategy that saw three different players put double-digit points on the board.

In addition to Bueckers’s 30-piece, freshman phenom Sarah Strong ran the frontcourt. Strong paired 22 points with 17 rebounds and four assists for her fifth postseason double-double. Additionally, Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen bolstered the backcourt with 15 points of her own.

"There's Disneyland, there's Disney World and then there's UConn World," Auriemma said. "These are fantasy numbers that make no sense. You couldn't predict this and you couldn't script this at all."

All four remaining teams have the potential to win a national championship. Now it’s a matter of who can deliver when the going gets tough.