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.

Top-seeded Montréal suffered a surprising loss in their first 2025 PWHL Playoffs game on Thursday, falling 3-2 to postseason debutant No. 3-seed Ottawa.

Despite a tense back-and-forth battle, Ottawa forward Shiann Darkangelo broke through with a third-period game-winning goal, pushing the Charge to an early lead in the best-of-five semifinal series.

The Victoire, who notably used their No. 1-seed advantage to handpick the Charge as their semis opponent, have yet to log a playoff win, adding Thursday's defeat to last season's first-round sweep by Boston.

Even so, Montréal is already viewing the loss as fuel to even the score this weekend.

"We outshot them, we had a lot of great opportunities. We were right there," said Victoire forward Laura Stacey. "If we can put that game together for a whole 60 minutes, it'll look scary I think."

Toronto takes Game 1 from defending champs Minnesota

In the PWHL's other semifinal matchup, No. 2-seed Toronto claimed a one-win advantage over No. 4-seed Minnesota on Wednesday, halting the defending champion Frost's late-season surge with a 3-2 Sceptres victory.

Captain Blayre Turnbull opened scoring in the first period, giving Toronto a lead that they never relinquished, while rookie Julia Gosling netted a second-period brace to secure the Sceptres' win.

Minnesota, acknowledging the tough road they face to return to the championship ice, has already set their eyes on Game 2.

"It's going to be a hard-fought series," said Frost head coach Ken Klee after the Frost's Game 1 loss. "We didn't get one tonight…[so now] we're looking forward to Friday."

How to watch the 2025 PWHL Playoffs this weekend

Toronto and Minnesota are back in action for Game 2 of their series at 7 PM ET on Friday, before traveling to St. Paul for Game 3 at 6 PM ET on Sunday.

Sunday will also see Montréal’s attempt to even their series with Ottawa, with the puck dropping on their Game 2 matchup at 2 PM ET.

All games will stream live on the PWHL YouTube channel.

The 2024/25 Women's Super League (WSL) season officially wraps on Saturday, with Chelsea preparing to claim even more history on the heels of their sixth-straight league title.

The still-undefeated Blues will face sixth-place Liverpool in their final outing, with Chelsea on the cusp of becoming the fourth-ever team to finish a WSL season unbeaten.

Should they do so, Chelsea will join 2012's Arsenal, 2016's Manchester City, and their own 2018 squad in achieving perfection — those this year's Blues would be the first to accomplish the feat in the expanded 22-match campaign.

While the team only needs a draw to remain undefeated, a win would secure Chelsea another record, becoming the first club to tally 60 points in a single campaign — two more than the current mark the Blues claimed in 2022/23.

Despite their astounding WSL record, the Blues have fought hard for their dominance this season, with first-year head coach Sonia Bompastor strategically using her entire roster to maintain the winning legacy left by now-USWNT boss Emma Hayes.

"Don't think it's easy. It's never easy," said Bompastor after Chelsea's 2024/25 title win. "It's a great achievement and a lot of work every day — I don't let my players breathe."

Battle for second-place continues on final WSL matchday

While Chelsea chases records, other top WSL clubs are still jockeying for positions on the league's final 2024/25 table.

Along with the Blues, Arsenal and Manchester United are locked into Champions League qualifying positions for next season — but United could leapfrog Arsenal for a second-place WSL finish on Saturday.

Separated by just one point, the Red Devils and the Gunners will face off against each other in the season's final blockbuster matchup.

Arsenal has extra incentive for a good showing, as the Gunners try to snap their two-game WSL losing streak and gain momentum before battling Barcelona in the May 24th Champions League final.

Chelsea also has a shot at another trophy looming, with the Blues chasing a second domestic treble — winning the league, FA Cup, and League Cup.

However, a tough Manchester United stands in the way of Chelsea's third and final treble title, with the pair facing off in the FA Cup's May 18th championship match.

How to watch WSL matches this weekend

All 12 WSL teams will kick off their season's last matches at 7:30 AM ET on Saturday.

Both Chelsea's game against Liverpool and Manchester United's visit to Arsenal will stream live on ESPN+.

As tune-up tournaments like this week's 2025 Italian Open dominate tennis ahead of the 2025 French Open, one familiar name is back in the headlines, with world No. 48 Naomi Osaka making significant strides on the clay court.

Coming off her first tournament win since 2021 at L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo — a WTA 125 event — last weekend, Osaka immediately advanced to the Italian Open's third round this week.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has shown glimpses of brilliance after returning from her 2023 pregnancy, with Osaka now aiming to keep up momentum on her historically weakest surface.

"Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst," Osaka posted after her May 4th victory. "That's one of my favorite things about life though, there's always room to grow and evolve."

Osaka isn't the only tennis star cooking in Europe, as heavy-hitters like world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 3 Coco Gauff also moved ahead in Rome as they look to hone their Roland-Garros form.

Not usually a clay court specialist, Sabalenka has looked particularly formidable, defeating Gauff to take the 2025 Madrid Open title just last week.

How to watch the 2025 Italian Open

The 2025 Italian Open's Round of 32 kicks off early Saturday morning, with continuing coverage on The Tennis Channel.

Fresh off winning their first-ever WNBA title, the New York Liberty will kick off their 2025 preseason slate with in a Friday night clash against the Connecticut Sun — despite the reigning champs looking a little worse for wear.

Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has been slowly recovering from offseason knee surgery, with the 30-year-old watching from the bench on Friday in an effort to return to full fitness for next week's season opener.

Similarly, star guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is likely out for the entirety of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury of her own, exiting the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled with a meniscus injury in early March.

Meanwhile, starting sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich has yet to join the Liberty in training camp as the European standout finishes her overseas season with Spain's Valencia Basket.

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Liberty additions to make New York debut on Friday

That said, New York did manage to make a few savvy pick-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign, with the newly configured team eyeing a strong Friday showing to avoid rumors of a slow season start.

The Liberty traded for point guard Natasha Cloud and signed forward Izzy Harrison over the offseason, while also welcoming back guards Marine Johannes and Rebekah Gardner.

Given New York's lengthy availability report, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted that the team's markedly late preseason start was not strategic, but merely a scheduling solution.

"Sometimes it's just out of our hands," Brondello told reporters. "This is the first home game that we've had because we've never been able to get the arena availability, so that's it. Ideally, we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is."

How to watch the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA preseason

New York will tip off against Connecticut at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.