South County (Va.) made history last season, winning the first state championship in program history.

The Stallions had never made the state semifinals before then, but that didn’t stop them from going 17-0 and claiming the 6A title.

While South County returned plenty of experience from that championship team — eight of 11 starters — each year presents a new challenge. So far, the Stallions have passed this season’s challenges with flying colors. They have extended their unbeaten streak to 28 games, sandwiching a scoreless tie in between two runs of five consecutive wins, and have risen to No. 2 in this week’s JWS high school soccer rankings — up two spots from the last edition.

Talent is sprinkled all across the Stallions’ roster with defenders Brooke Birrell (Maryland commit) and Avril Silva (George Washington) marshaling the backline, seniors Abigail Colangelo (Duquesne) and Lauren Dupont (Northeastern) controlling the midfield, and forwards Jaidyn Curry (Dartmouth), Riley Brodrick (Ithaca College) and Tusca Mahmoudpour (Miami) leading the front line. That doesn’t even included injured defender Alyssa Cacace (Virginia Military Institute).

(Note that these rankings do not include teams from Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina, as their seasons are nearly done.)

Breaking news: your 2021 Girls Soccer State Champions 🥇@soco_gsoc @fcpsnews @Karen4Schools @soco_principal @LJ4fcps pic.twitter.com/Bm63MVykS0

— Brett M. Garner (he/him) (@GARNERyourGRIT) June 24, 2021

1. Valor Christian (Colo.), 12-0

The Eagles have not lost a regular season game in over three years and have outscored opponents 59-3 this season.

2. South County (Va.), 10-0-1

The Stallions are two wins away from a second consecutive undefeated regular season.

3. Bentonville (Ark.), 16-0-2

If the Tigers avoid defeat in their regular season finale, they will enter the playoffs undefeated.

4. Gretna (Neb.), 17-0

The Dragons opened postseason play Monday with a 16-1 victory.

5. Colonial Forge (Va.), 11-0

The Eagles just keep winning, and their season-opening win over Colgan looks better and better as the Sharks move up the rankings.

6. Valley (Iowa), 12-0

The Tigers have posted three consecutive shutouts and allowed just one goal in the last seven games.

7. St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.), 12-0-1

The Saints earned a 1-0 double-overtime victory Tuesday over Blue Valley West, last season’s Class 6A state champions.

8. Colgan (Va.), 11-1-1

Led by junior forward Samantha DeGuzman, a Virginia Tech commit, the Sharks are averaging over four goals per game.

9. Broken Arrow (Okla.), 12-1

Broken Arrow cruised in its state playoff opener Monday and is now three wins from a state championship.

10. Legacy (Colo.), 13-1

The Lightning returned to the field Tuesday after six days off and cruised to a 10-0 win.

11. Yorktown (Va.), 10-1

Yorktown has reeled off 10 consecutive victories, nine by two goals or more.

12. Marian (Mich.), 7-0

The Mustangs scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes left Tuesday, extending their perfect start under new head coach Reid Friedrichs.

Agatha Valka with a game winning goal for @MarianSoccer with 1:32 remaining to lift the Mustangs over @FGRathletics, 3-2!!! HUGE @CHSL1926 win! #MarianStrong #RoadWarriors pic.twitter.com/OOWh86vo0U

— Marian High School Athletics (@marianathletics) May 3, 2022

13. Fort Zumwalt South (Mo.), 18-1

The reigning Class 3A state champion Bulldogs have reeled off seven consecutive wins.

14. Triad (Ill.), 16-1

The Knights’ 41-game unbeaten streak ended with a 2-0 loss to Waterloo.

15. Pine Creek (Colo.), 14-0

The Eagles have scored 90 goals for an average of 6.4 per game.

16. Wade Hampton (S.C.), 18-1

The Generals appear to be peaking ahead of the state playoffs, having outscored opponents 12-1 in their last five games.

17. O’Fallon (Ill.), 14-1

Senior forward Avery Christopher spearheads the attack with 27 goals, over a third of the team’s scoring output.

18. Naperville Central (Ill.), 13-1-1

A rare goal against resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Redhawks.

19. Liberty North (Mo.), 15-0

The Eagles have already matched last year’s win total with two more regular-season games to go, and in doing so, make their first appearance in the rankings.

20. Wando (S.C.), 14-1

It’s not often that defending state champions in the highest classification fly under the radar. But the Warriors make their first appearance in the rankings on the back of a 14-game winning streak, including a 1-0 win over James Island on April 28.

21. Oregon (Wis.), 11-0

The Panthers’ dominance continued with a 6-0 win Wednesday. They have now outscored opponents 69-3 this season.

22. James Island (S.C.), 15-1-1

With a loss to Wando, James Island ended the regular season on a sour note, but now turns its attention to repeating as Class AAAA state champions.

23. Grandview (Colo.), 11-1-2

With over a week off, the Wolves will be well-rested when they face fellow 6A power Columbine in the regular-season finale.

24. St. Dominic (Mo.), 15-2

A 4-2 win Wednesday keeps the Crusaders on the right track.

25. Broomfield (Colo.), 11-2

With another 2-1 loss, the Eagles’ second in three games, Broomfield tumbled down the rankings.

Phillip Suitts is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. He has worked at a variety of outlets, including The Palm Beach Post and Southeast Missourian, and done a little bit of everything from reporting to editing to running social media accounts. He was born in Atlanta but currently lives in wintry Philadelphia. Follow Phillip on Twitter @PhillipSuitts.

Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is in the books, with the top two seeds putting up more than 100 points each in blowout wins when the postseason tipped off on Sunday.

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx opened the playoffs' eight-team first round with a 101-72 drubbing of the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, as MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier led scoring with 20 points while guard Natisha Hiedeman added 18 off the bench.

Elsewhere, the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces' 102-77 victory over the No. 7 Seattle Storm capped Sunday's slate, with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson leading the way with 29 points alongside double-digit performances off the bench from guards Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.

The lower seeds walked away less unscathed, as Valkyries boss and Coach of the Year favorite Natalie Nakase picked up a technical foul for arguing a call in the game's second half.

"I want a fair fight, I really do. I want a clean fight, but I love the fact that both teams are playing their hearts out," she said afterwards, criticizing Sunday's officiating. "They're fighting. But I would like it to be fair."

"I understand it, but it's the playoffs," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said in response. "Obviously, we fouled a lot at the end. But I didn't think that was a factor in the game."

How to watch the top seeds in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

Both Minnesota and Las Vegas are now one win away from advancing to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinals.

The No. 2 Aces will look to sweep the No. 7 Storm at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN.

Then on Wednesday, the No. 1 Lynx will try to silence the No. 8 Valkyries at 10 PM ET, with live coverage also on ESPN.

The No. 5 New York Liberty secured the sole upset in the Sunday tip-off of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, topping the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 76-69 following a tightly contested Game 1 overtime battle.

Liberty guard Natasha Cloud dropped a game-leading 23 points on her former team, while Mercury star Alyssa Thomas neared yet another triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists on the night.

"I'm proud of the way we stuck together, we weathered the runs they went on, and ultimately found a way to win," New York guard Sabrina Ionescu said after the game.

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The newly healthy Liberty will hope for full availability in Game 2, though forward Breanna Stewart went down with a knock to the knee in overtime after posting an 18-point performance on Sunday.

"We're just hoping that she will be okay," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game.

Brondello also confirmed that it was Stewart who asked for a sub in overtime after coming down hard on her left knee.

Concerns about the health of the two-time WNBA MVP — who recently returned from missing 13 games with a bone bruise on her right knee — overshadowed the defending champions' comeback win.

How to watch Phoenix vs. New York in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

The No. 5 Liberty now return to New York looking to knock the No. 4 Mercury out of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with a Game 2 victory on Wednesday.

The matchup tips off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

The No. 3 Atlanta Dream won their first postseason game since 2018 on Sunday, downing the No. 6 Indiana Fever 80-68 in Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs as they continue making a case for this season's dark horse.

The Dream's starters shouldered the bulk of Sunday's scoring, punctuated by 20-point performances from forward Rhyne Howard and guard Allisha Gray, while the Fever's Kelsey Mitchell put up 27 points to give her injury-laden team a chance.

"This is [this roster's] first home game, period, in the playoffs," Howard reminded reporters after the win. "So for us to even have accomplished that much to have the home-court advantage, we knew we had to make it a good one."

Atlanta hasn't made it past the first round since the 2016 playoffs, but a dominant regular season has the team eyeing a long-awaited return to the WNBA semifinals.

This year's Dream won a franchise-record 30 games under first-year head coach Karl Smesko, while also leading the league in rebounds per game.

"This wasn't going to be a year that we were going to be satisfied with everybody telling us, 'Wow, you really improved over last year,'" said Smesko. "That's not what we're trying to do. We're trying to be the best team in the league."

How to watch Atlanta vs. Indiana in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

The short-staffed No. 6 Indiana will look to halt the No. 6 Atlanta Dream's momentum on Tuesday, when the first round's Game 2 takes over Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the Fever's first home playoff game since 2016.

The 2025 WNBA Playoffs will continue when the Dream visit the Fever at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN.

Jaedyn Shaw hit the ground running in her Gotham FC debut this weekend, as the NJ/NY club's recent $1.25 million-dollar signing scored against her former club in Friday's 2-0 win over the now-No. 5 San Diego Wave — helping boost the Bats to No. 3 in the 2025 NWSL standings.

"This year has been really difficult," an emotional Shaw said after the match. "I'm so grateful for this team and the opportunities I've gotten this year…. I'm extremely grateful for this moment."

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The 20-year-old previously shattered scoring records during her time with San Diego, but struggled this year after her offseason transfer to the North Carolina Courage.

Already finding the back of the net for her new team, Shaw will look to put the past behind her as Gotham extends their climb up the table, having risen from No. 8 to No. 3 behind a four-game unbeaten streak that now includes three straight wins.

Gotham forward Esther González is also excelling, retaking the lead in the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race by tallying her 13th goal of the season in the last minute of Friday's first half against the Wave.

With the club gaining momentum and the 2025 NWSL Playoffs looming, Gotham is looking to make a run to add a second championship trophy to their 2023 title.

"Even in the most difficult moments, they've stayed united, kept pushing together, and kept working hard. That's been our key," said head coach Juan Carlos Amorós after Friday's match.