It was a “Holy Schmidt” kind of moment. Literally.

Connecting on a one-timed, left-footed volley off a corner kick at the back post, Sophie Schmidt blasted the ball into the back of Kansas City’s net to score the equalizer for the Houston Dash in their NWSL quarterfinal match at PNC Stadium on Sunday.

1-1.

It was Houston’s first playoff goal, in their first playoff game and in front of the largest crowd in Dash franchise history. In fact, the 21,284 fans in attendance marked the second-biggest crowd for women’s professional soccer in the state of Texas.

The goal came less than 20 minutes after Kansas City’s Lo’eau Labonta buried the game opener from the penalty spot in the fifth minute.

What a hit from @sophieschmidt13 to tie it up!!! 🔥@HoustonDash | #HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/LQ5Vb157TE

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 16, 2022

Schmidt admitted after the match, which Houston ended up losing 2-1 in the final minute of stoppage time, that she was supposed to be a part of the group of players in the six-yard box crashing toward goal to receive the corner, but she had a gut feeling the ball would get knocked further. So, she held her run.

Kansas City goalkeeper AD Franch got a hand on the ball, but it fell to Schmidt. What transpired from there felt like slow motion.

“It was bizarre,” the three-time Olympic medalist said. “I was like, ‘Heeere I comeee,’ and I was like, ‘Left-footed volley, don’t hit it over.’ So that was the process in my brain. I was like, ‘Ohhh,’ but as soon as it left my foot, I was like, ‘I hit that well,’ and then it just took a little ricochet and then and I was like, ‘Oh, this is amazing.’”

The goal was the highlight of an impressive performance by Schmidt, a double-sided six who started dangerous attacks while also making key interceptions in Houston’s defensive third. The game exemplified the form the Canadian has shown all year as one of the Dash’s most reliable players.

On Just Women’s Sports’ shortlist of 2022 NWSL MVP nominees, Schmidt, who originally joined the NWSL in 2013 with Sky Blue FC, came into the quarterfinal with a career-high four goals and an assist from the regular season.

SOPHIE SCHMIDT MY GOODNESS. 🚀

Doesn't get much better than that. 💪 pic.twitter.com/aiJ5TnVwxm

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) July 31, 2022

“I think Sophie, obviously I’ve said already in a few interviews, should be a candidate for the MVP of the league,” said Dash interim head coach Juan Carlos Amorós.

Midfielder Marisa Viggiano describes her teammate as world-class.

“I think she’s totally proved that this season and definitely should be up there in MVPs,” she said. “That’s Sophie. She’s going to put her head down and go to work everyday no matter what, for the good of the team. I can’t speak more highly of her.”

Just last year, Schmidt was excluded from Canadian national team coach Bev Priestman’s original 18-player roster for the Tokyo Olympics. Listed as an alternate instead, she ended up on the team only when Olympic roster sizes expanded to 22 players. Even then, Schmidt was limited to playing one game in Tokyo.

“I think taking the news that I was going to be an alternate to the Olympics was probably the hardest hitting thing I’ve ever heard,” she reflected on Sunday.

The news shocked the rest of Canada, too. With over 200 caps at the time, Schmidt had been a big part of Canada’s two bronze medals in 2012 and 2016.

At 33 years old, Schmidt took a step back and asked herself if she wanted to continue playing. If so, she had to throw herself into it wholeheartedly. She figured she had only a few years left, and no room for regrets.

But at the beginning of the 2022 season, Schmidt’s impact in the midfield was in doubt. James Clarkson, who was suspended as head coach in April at the recommendation of the NWSL and NWSLPA’s joint investigation into discrimination and abusive behavior, was considering playing her at center back instead.

“I think, because my role and opportunities were questioned, it made me very focused in, and I think also I became more free on the field somehow,” Schmidt said. “I feel like I’m playing my best soccer in this moment. I feel alive on the field.”

Schmidt ended up starting all 18 of the games she appeared in for the Dash this season. Amorós praises the midfielder’s ability to organize play, drive into the final third and defend opposing attacks.

“She’s instrumental in the way we do things,” Amorós said. “She’s worked so well and for me, it’s a pleasure to have someone like Sophie on my team.”

Schmidt helped lead the Dash to their winningest season in the team’s nine-year history. They earned a franchise-record 10 victories, including a league-high seven road wins. And despite playing two fewer games than in five of their previous seven regular seasons, the Dash still managed to set a club record with 36 total points.

As Dash players answered questions from the media after Sunday’s heartbreaking quarterfinal loss, they took time to reflect on their special season and the possibilities ahead, with Schmidt’s lesson in resilience guiding the way.

“Playing with Sophie this year has been probably one of the greatest moments of my career,” Viggiano said. “I look up to her in so many ways, not only as a player but as a person. I think she has really allowed me to play a little bit more free.”

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

The biggest victors in the WNBA last weekend were the Seattle Storm, as the fifth-place contenders took down the last two league champions to record six wins in their last seven games.

The Storm first took down 2022 and 2023 champs Las Vegas 90-83 on Friday before toppling reigning title-winners New York 89-79 on Sunday.

Guard Skylar Diggins and forward Nneka Ogwumike powered Seattle's two games, putting up 44 and 51 points, respectively, over the weekend.

Forward Gabby Williams also helped fuel the Storm's weekend with two double-double performances.

Seattle is now just one game behind the similarly surging fourth-place Atlanta Dream, while trailing the red-hot No. 3 Phoenix Mercury by 1.5 games.

"Staying ready is what the group is," Storm head coach Noelle Quinn told reporters on Friday. "They're professionals, they're vets."

Teams at the top of the WNBA standings aren't the only squads that saw weekend success, as the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries snagged their second win in a row with Sunday's 87-63 thrashing of the last-place Connecticut Sun.

Despite registering Friday losses, both No. 7 Las Vegas and the No. 9 Washington Mystics finished the weekend on a high note, earning big Sunday wins over the No. 8 Indiana Fever and No. 12 Dallas Wings, respectively.

How to watch the Seattle Storm this week

The Storm will suit back up for another tricky WNBA test on Tuesday, when Seattle hosts the always-dangerous Indiana Fever at 10 PM ET.

The game will air live on NBA TV.

The reigning champion New York Liberty battled through injury and absences over the weekend, narrowly retaining their second-place spot in the WNBA standings despite seeing their losing streak extend to two games with Sunday's 89-79 stumble against the Seattle Storm.

Already missing starting guard Leonie Fiebich, who is overseas competing at the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament, the Liberty also played without center Jonquel Jones and guard Sabrina Ionescu.

While Ionescu is day-to-day with a neck issue, Jones will miss four to six weeks of action due to an ankle injury, the team announced on Saturday.

Despite dropping three of their last four matchups, the champs appear to be taking their recent downturn in stride.

"This isn't going to be the hardest thing that we face all season," said forward Breanna Stewart after Sunday's loss. "We have to kind of embrace the adversity a little bit, whether it's we're down players or things happen in the middle of the game."

New York wasn't the only team in trouble this weekend, though, as the Indiana Fever followed up last Thursday's stumble against the Golden State Valkyries with an 89-81 Sunday loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

Fever guard Caitlin Clark is now one-for-17 from behind the arc in her last two games, as Indiana struggles to break out of their eighth-place standing.

How to watch the New York Liberty this week

New York will hope for added firepower in order to snap their losing streak on Wednesday, when they'll face a rising Golden State squad at 10 PM ET.

Coverage of the game will air live on WNBA League Pass.

The NWSL is officially taking a breather, with the league kicking off the 2025 extended summer break after a roller-coaster weekend slate.

With half the of the 26-match regular season in the books, the No. 1 Kansas City Current extended their lead on the NWSL table to a towering eight points after defeating No. 11 Angel City 1-0 on Friday.

Helping balloon Kansas City's lead was No. 7 Racing Louisville, who kept No. 2 Orlando from claiming any points by securing a 2-0 upset win over the Pride on Friday.

With wins in five of their last seven matches, Louisville's refreshed roster has Racing entering the 2025 summer break with a 6-5-2 NWSL record, as the 2021 expansion side zeros in on a franchise-first playoff run.

"It's all about us. We're not really focused on the other team like we did a little last year," said midfielder Taylor Flint. "What are we going to do — what's our identity? I think that's a huge part of how we've been winning all these games."

On the other end of the table, the bottom four NWSL teams — Angel City, the No. 12 Houston Dash, No. 13 Chicago Stars, and No. 14 Utah Royals — will be looking for a major midseason reboot, after none managed to register a single win in the last five matchdays.

"We go from here, we break now, recharge, and we will be a very difficult opponent for a lot of teams in the second part of the season. That is our target now," said Angel City head coach Alexander Straus after Friday's loss.

There's still a lot left in 2025 NWSL play, with skidding teams banking on fresh starts while surging squads prepare to hit the ground running as soon as the season picks back up in August.

Australian golfer Minjee Lee came out on top at the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, lifting the third major tournament trophy of her career on Sunday.

Entering the final round atop the leaderboard, Lee never relinquished the lead, finishing the tournament a solid three strokes ahead of the competition.

"I definitely was nervous starting the day," the 29-year-old acknowledged following her win. "I looked calm, but not as calm as everybody thinks."

The win earned Lee both an 18-spot rankings boost to world No. 6 and a $1.8 million cut of the event's $12 million prize pool.

Finishing the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship just behind Lee in a second-place tie were 21-year-old Thai pro and new world No. 29 Chanettee Wannasaen and 24-year-old US standout and new No. 49 Auston Kim. Each took home $944,867 thanks to their four-day performances.

Kim, in particular, cobbled together a massive comeback run, chipping away at her nine-stroke deficit entering the competition's final round to claim the best finish of her young career.

"I'm very proud of what I did," the LPGA Tour sophomore said afterwards. "Obviously, the result was really good, but I'm really happy how I handled myself, my emotions, all the adversity. The course is playing really, really tough, but I feel like this week my team and I were very locked in."

Notably, the tournament's top three finishers were the only participants to finish below par, as the field struggled with a punishing week of both Texas heat and windier-than-usual conditions.