All Scores

What Vlatko Andonovski sees in USWNT roster’s newcomers

Balcer took issue with the officiating in OL Reign’s match against Racing Louisville. (Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images).

The U.S. women’s national team is gearing up for Nov. 27 and 30 friendlies in Australia, where they haven’t played in 21 years.

Twenty-one is also the age of the current roster’s youngest player (Sophia Smith). The squad, which was announced Tuesday morning, is full of the next generation, in fact. Of the 22 players, 12 have 10 international caps or fewer. Five don’t have any caps at all.

“Part of the reason why we picked some of the younger players, or some of the inexperienced players, is to give them a taste of what this environment is all about and also to show them that they have potential to be on the World Cup team, and I think that’s the best motivation they could have,” said USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

img
The USWNT's full roster heading to Australia later this month, according to a press release Tuesday.

Mallory Pugh and Trinity Rodman were also invited to join the roster but opted out due to undisclosed reasons.

The frontrunner for NWSL Rookie of the Year, Rodman has yet to make an appearance with the senior national team. Her presence would have added to a young offense that already has three rookies.

Defense is the only position that doesn’t have any uncapped players. Alana Cook heads to Australia with two caps, while Emily Fox has six and Sofia Huerta seven.

Let’s take a closer look at the particular areas of the field Andonovski is keen to rebuild and the players he is eager to see.

Casey Murphy and Bella Bixby

In the absence of Alyssa Naeher, who is out with a knee injury, veteran Jane Campbell will lead the goalkeeping trio that includes the North Carolina Courage’s Casey Murphy and the Portland Thorns’ Bella Bixby, each with no caps.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to put those young goalkeepers in the top and challenging environment and to put him through some adversity and see how they deal with it,” Andonovski said. “I think that Australia’s an incredible team … We’ll find out very fast who is cut for big games under pressure.”

Bixby had a standout season in the NWSL, starting 16 matches and recording nine clean sheets to earn a nomination for the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

“She’s done a very good job individually to keep those shutouts, so she’s one of those players that needs an introduction to this environment,” the coach said.

Bixby and Murphy were teammates on the national U-23 team from 2017-18. Murphy also started on the U-20 squad.

Andonovski is familiar with Murphy after coaching her with OL Reign (then Reign FC) in 2019. He saw her improve on a weekly basis and, after watching multiple videos to evaluate her progress this year, has noticed her continued development with the Courage. In North Carolina’s quarterfinal game against the Washington Spirit on Sunday, Murphy made 13 saves to send it to extra time, where the Courage eventually lost.

“We’re glad to say that she’s ready for the next level of her career,” he said.

Ashley Sanchez

With zero caps for the USWNT, Ashley Sanchez steps onto the pitch as the only novice in the midfield.

The 22-year-old, however, has a multitude of experience with the youth program, from the U14 level all the way through U15, U17 and U20. Competing in the U17 and U20 FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2016, she became the first player in U.S. history to play in multiple World Cups in the same year.

Andonovski has been following Sanchez’s progress with Spirit closely all season.

“Some of the things that she’s developed first and foremost is she’s better at the things that she was good at,” Andonovski said.

Specifically, Sanchez thrives at solving problems under pressure, whether it’s finding tight spaces, connecting with the front line or getting back on defense.

“I think that she she’s becoming a little bit more of a rounded player,” Andonovski said.

Forwards

The attacking third will feature the most youth, as five of the six forwards have 10 caps or fewer. While Lynn Williams leads the offense with 43 caps, Bethany Balcer and Morgan Weaver will look to get their first.

“The forward position is an area where we felt like we need to increase the competition,” Andonovski said. “And not just the competition; we need to increase the overall experience of the players. We have to give them games like this.”

The coach seems to be taking into consideration player performances in the NWSL, where five of his forwards have seven league goals or more to rank among the top 10 scorers. Ashley Hatch won the NWSL’s Golden Boot award with 10 goals during the regular season.

Weaver of the Portland Thorns appears to be the outlier, with just one goal in 19 NWSL games this season. But stats aren’t everything. Similar to Williams, the 24-year-old is a workhorse off the ball and puts defenders under a lot of stress.

Balcer, the 2019 NWSL Rookie of the Year in her third season with the OL Reign, has been a weapon on attack. Five of the nine goals she’s scored this season have come by way of headers. She’s also the first player from an NAIA school to have made an NWSL roster. At Spring Arbor University from 2015-18, Balcer had 129 goals in 98 appearances.

Game times

The first match will kick off on Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. local time in Sydney. For North America, that’s Nov. 26 at 11 p.m. ET on FS2.

The team plays again Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. local time, or 4 a.m. ET on ESPN.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Big Ten Teams Climb the NCAA Basketball Ranks

Maryland guard Kaylene Smikle dribbles past Duke's Oluchi Okananwa in an NCAA college basketball game.
Maryland junior Kaylene Smikle led the Terps with 23 points on Sunday. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

One week into the 2024/25 season and the Big Ten is already leading the college basketball charge, with multiple teams tallying upsets to boost their spots in Monday's AP Top 25 update.

The biggest leap belonged to Maryland, who climbed seven spots to No. 11 after defeating now-No. 16 Duke 85-80 on Sunday. With four double-digit scorers, the Terrapins' team effort was led by junior guard Kaylene Smikle's 23 points.

Maryland's Big Ten compatriots, No. 23 Illinois and No. 25 Oregon, broke into Monday's standings after respective wins against then-No. 19 Florida State on Thursday and then-No. 12 Baylor on Sunday.

Led by former UNC standout Deja Kelly's 20 points, the Ducks staved off a late Baylor surge to secure the 76-74 win, snapping a 13-game losing streak to ranked opponents in the process.

Outside the Big Ten, Stanford also made their 2024/25 poll debut, coming in at No. 24. The Cardinal took their omission from the preseason poll — the first in 25 years with Stanford — as a challenge, defeating their first three season opponents last week by an average of 41 points.

South Carolina guard Te'Hina Paopao dribbles the ball upcourt in an NCAA college basketball game.
Senior guard Te'Hina Paopao's 23 points led No. 1 South Carolina over No. 13 NC State on Sunday. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

South Carolina maintains stranglehold on No. 1

The preseason top eight teams held their ground this week behind defending champs No. 1 South Carolina, who extended their division-record active unbeaten streak to 40 games with Sunday's 71-57 win over now-No. 13 NC State.

With junior forward Chloe Kitts, who led the Gamecocks with a double-double in their season opener, ruled out due to an academic issue, South Carolina guards Te-Hina Paopao and MiLaysia Fulwiley stepped up in a big way, sinking 23 and 18 points, respectively.

Texas guard Bryanna Preston celebrates a shot in an NCAA college basketball game.
The SEC added top teams No. 4 Texas and No. 9 Oklahoma from the Big 12 to boost their 2024/25 roster. (Scott Wachter/Imagn Images)

SEC is still NCAA's top basketball conference

While still early days, it does appear that conference realignment and a robust transfer portal has once again emboldened the NCAA's biggest players. 

New Big Ten members No. 3 USC, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 24 Oregon join veterans No. 11 Maryland, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 21 Nebraska, and No. 23 Illinois in this week's rankings, tying the SEC with the most teams in the poll at seven.

Even so, the SEC remains the conference to beat, with not just No. 1 South Carolina setting the sport's standard, but three other Top-10 teams. Conference veteran No. 7 LSU and last season's Big 12 stalwarts No. 4 Texas and No. 9 Oklahoma round out the SEC's grip on the top of the rankings, with No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 20 Kentucky, and No. 22 Alabama also featuring in the poll.

AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll

1. South Carolina
2. UConn
3. Southern California
4. Texas
5. UCLA
6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Iowa State
9. Oklahoma
10. Kansas State
11. Maryland
12. Ohio State
13. North Carolina State
14. North Carolina
15. West Virginia
16. Duke
17. Baylor
18. Louisville
19. Ole Miss
20. Kentucky
21. Nebraska
22. Alabama
23. Illinois
24. Stanford
25. Oregon

Gauff Wins 2024 WTA Finals Tournament

US tennis star Coco Gauff poses with her 2024 WTA Finals trophy
Coco Gauff finishes 2024 with three trophies and a 54-17 record. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

World No. 3 tennis star Coco Gauff won the 2024 WTA Finals on Saturday, becoming the youngest US player to take the tournament since Serena Williams in 2001.

Gauff's championship came by way of a grueling three-hour 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) final match win over reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

The 20-year-old's road to the $4.8 million purse — the largest in women's tennis history — included just her second-ever win over No. 2 Iga Świątek in the group round and a semifinal victory over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Friday.

A winning end to a rollercoaster season

When asked about her 2024 season, Gauff told reporters, "There’s been a lot of ups and downs. At moments, it felt great. At other moments, it felt awful. Basically, a typical year on tour."

Her low point was a disappointing attempt to defend her 2023 US Open title. Gauff stumbled out of the US Grand Slam in the fourth round this fall.

That performance led Gauff to an apparently productive coaching change. She left coach Brad Gilbert, adding Matt Daly to her team to work with Jean-Christophe “JC” Faurel.

Since then, Gauff has gone 13-2, ultimately adding the China Open and WTA Finals titles to her June French Open doubles trophy.

After silencing doubters with Saturday's victory, Gauff took to social media, writing "lol safe to say I beat the bad season allegations."

New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski lift their 2024 WTA Finals doubles trophy.
Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski paired up to make WTA Finals history. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for WTA)

A double dose of WTA Finals history

Just before Gauff took the court, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe were crowned the season's doubles champions.

Dabrowski and Routliffe avenged their Wimbledon final loss by defeating US player Taylor Townsend and her Czech partner Kateřina Siniaková 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday. They are now the first athletes from Canada and New Zealand to win the WTA Finals doubles title.

Top Teams Advance to 2024 NWSL Semifinals

Center back Tara McKeown is mobbed by her Spirit teammates after scoring her first season goal in Sunday's quarterfinal
Former forward Tara McKeown scored her first season goal after playing every minute of 2024 as a center back. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Top seeds stole the show in this weekend's NWSL quarterfinalsas surging strikers, clutch saves, and center-back perfection saw all four higher-ranked teams advance to the semifinals in style.

With the league's top four towering over the rest of the pack by at least 16 points at the end of regular-season play, the weekend's results held few surprises — though the stakes for next weekend's semis have officially been raised.

Forward Barbra Banda chases down the ball in Orlando's NWSL quarterfinal victory over Chicago.
Barbra Banda's brace led the Pride to Friday's 4-1 NWSL quarterfinal win over Chicago. (Dustin Markland/Getty Images)

Orlando's offense, KC's defense shine in quarterfinal wins

Proving why they're the 2024 Shield-winners, No. 1 Orlando blasted No. 8 Chicago 4-1 to kick off the NWSL Playoffs with the club's first-ever postseason win on Friday.

After defensive midfielder Haley McCutcheon opened Orlando's account in the 26th minute with her first goal on the season, star Barbra Banda added a brace before the first-half whistle. Legend Marta topped off the Pride's goal count with a second-half penalty, rendering Red Stars forward Jameese Joseph's sneaky score too little, too late.

After setting the league's goal-scoring standard this season — both at the team and individual level — No. 4 Kansas City secured their semifinal spot thanks to top-notch defense on Saturday.

Despite No. 5 North Carolina controlling the majority of the game's possession, the Current held strong, shutting out the Courage to let Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga's eighth-minute goal stand alone in the 1-0 victory.

Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle celebrates her NWSL quarterfinal-winning goal over Portland.
Rose Lavelle scored Gotham's stoppage-time game-winner against Portland on Sunday. (Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images)

East Coast sends West Coast packing

While tactically different, Sunday's doubleheader followed similar scripts: Goalless first halves led to 1-1 scorelines before East Coast powerhouses No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Gotham emerged with late 2-1 wins over No. 7 Bay FC and No. 6 Portland, respectively.

The earlier match served arguably the most drama, with the Spirit needing extra time to decide their semifinal fate. Bay FC attacker Asisat Oshoala broke the scoreless deadlock in the game's 82nd minute before Washington center back Tara McKeown notched her Iron Woman season's first goal to equalize four minutes later.

A cross from Spirit star Trinity Rodman deflected off Bay's Caprice Dydasco in the 96th minute to clinch the Washington victory.

In the later battle between the league's last two champions, Gotham's Tierna Davidson kept the center back party going with her first-ever goal for the club in the 67th minute. Rookie Reilyn Turner equalized seven minutes later off a Portland set piece, but Rose Lavelle ended the Thorns' 2024 campaign — and soccer legend Christine Sinclair's unparalleled career — by netting the game-winner seven minutes into stoppage time.

How to watch the 2024 NWSL semifinals

No. 2 Washington will kick off the semifinal round by hosting defending NWSL champions No. 3 Gotham at 12 PM ET on Saturday. Live coverage will air on CBS.

No. 4 Kansas City will then visit No. 1 Orlando in the second semifinal at 3 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ABC.

PWHL Unveils All-New Uniforms Ahead of 2024/25 Season

PWHL players pose on the ice while wearing new women's hockey uniforms.
The PWHL unveiled new branding ahead of the league's second season. (Bauer/PWHL)

The PWHL unveiled all-new uniforms for its six founding teams on Thursday, after a long process that saw players competing under generic names and logos for the duration of the league's inaugural season.

Bauer — the PWHL's exclusive game and replica home jersey provider — is the sportswear company behind the uniforms. The league also worked closely with creative agency Flower Shop to refine each team's jersey design and branding.

PWHL hockey jerseys hanging against a blue and grey brick wall.
Each team's jersey design incorporates elements unique to the club's identity. (Bauer/PWHL)

Bauer Hockey takes the lead in PWHL jersey production

"We're proud to be the official game and replica jersey partner for the PWHL, as a next step in our long-standing commitment to girls and women’s hockey," said Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer Hockey's VP of global marketing, in Thursday's PWHL press release. "We are honored to celebrate the players, outfitting them with authentic on-ice jerseys. We are equally excited to celebrate the fans, providing premium-crafted replica jerseys so they can show their passion and support for their favorite PWHL team."

Each team's jersey incorporates elements unique to the club's regional and brand identity. Accordingly, the Minnesota Frost's uniform "embraces the chill" with a deep purple and white motif, "capturing the sharpness of the frozen landscape." Meanwhile, the Boston Fleet's jersey draws on alternating colored stripes, resulting in a "wave-like pattern that evokes a strong connection to the sea."

"Working alongside the team at Bauer, we put thought behind every color, every stitch, every fabric choice — every element— to ensure these uniforms are of the highest quality," added Jayna Hefford, PWHL SVP of hockey operations. "From the design process to final production, we aimed to create uniforms that not only reflect the spirit of each team but also deliver top-tier performance and comfort for our athletes."

Minnesota Frost player models new purple PWHL jersey.
The Frost's new jersey design is meant to evoke Minnesota's cold winters. (Grace Zumwinkle/Minnesota Frost)

PWHL brings home replica jerseys to fans

"Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn't be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward," said PWHL SVP of business operations Amy Scheer. "These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league's history, and we can't wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands."

Fans can now purchase home replica jerseys online at the Official PWHL Shop, with key retailers following on November 14th. Replica jerseys will also be available at all home games when the season kicks off on November 30th.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.