All Scores

What to watch this weekend in women’s sports

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The NWSL playoffs headline this weekend in women’s sports, with four teams facing off for a spot in the league championship.

The LPGA and WTA are also back in action as both Tours cap off their 2021 seasons.

Here’s what to watch this weekend in women’s sports:

img
Abbie Parr/Getty Images

NWSL: OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

No. 2 OL Reign will host the Washington Spirit in the weekend’s first semifinal matchup, with the Spirit entering Sunday’s game after a thrilling 1-0 quarterfinal victory against the North Carolina Courage. The well-rested OL Reign have lost just one of their last ten games, falling to Washington 2-0 back in October.

img
Craig Mitchelldyer/ISI Photos/Getty Images

NWSL: Portland Thorns vs. Chicago Red Stars

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

The Chicago Red Stars will travel to Providence Park on Sunday to take on the Portland Thorns for a place in the NWSL championship. The Thorns are the heavy favorites to take the title after winning the 2021 Challenge Cup and NWSL Shield but will first face a surging Chicago team that has won their last four contests.

img
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

WTA Finals

Wednesday, Nov. 10 — Wednesday, Nov. 17 on the Tennis Channel

The world’s top eight singles players and doubles teams will face off in a week-long, year-end competition in the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara, competing for a total prize pool of $5 million. The weekend will begin with a round-robin stage of competition, with the knockout stages beginning on Tuesday.

img
Warren Little via Getty Images

LPGA: Pelican Women’s Championship

Thursday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Friday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Saturday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Nelly Korda and Ko Jin-Young have been battling it out for the World No. 1 spot all season long. Taking over the top spot on Monday, Korda will look to hold on to the top ranking as the Tour heads into the final two tournaments of the year.

img
@PHF

PHF: Boston Pride vs. Connecticut Whale

Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+

The Boston Pride enter their Saturday matchup against Connecticut Whale with two wins under their belt from the PHF’s opening weekend. Katie Burt has been sensational in net for the Pride, posting a 27-save shutout in the team’s Sunday game against Minnesota.

img
@PHF

PHF: Boston Pride vs. Connecticut Whale

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+

The Connecticut Whale will look for a win against Boston after dropping a game to the Riveters in the team’s opening weekend. Alyssa Wohlfeiler has been dominant for Connecticut, recording three goals and an assist in the Whale’s first two games.

img
Manuel Queimadelos /Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Division 1 Feminine: Olympique Lyonnais vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on atafootball.com and nbcsports.com

Lyon and PSG will battle it out for the top of the Division 1 Feminine table on Sunday, in the league’s greatest and longest-lasting rivalry. Both clubs enter the matchup undefeated and tied in points.

img
Kate McShane/Getty Images

FAWSL: Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN

Arsenal looks to hold onto their undefeated record as the club faces off against third-ranked Tottenham. The two teams last met in September when Arsenal downed Tottenham 5-1 in the FA Cup quarterfinal.

img
@ArizonaWBB

NCAAW: No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 22 Arizona

Friday, Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU

Senior Kianna Smith and sophomores Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Cochran are ready to lead Louisville after a 2020 Elite Eight run. Their opening matchup against Arizona will be a tough initial test for the title contenders.

img
Kevin Light/Getty Images

NCAAW: No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 25 Texas

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN

Reigning NCAA Champions Stanford are back in action, taking on a top-25 Texas squad in their first regular-season matchup. With four starters returning from last year’s title-clinching team, Stanford is once again a heavy favorite to lift the trophy at the end of the season.

img
@IndianaWBB

NCAAW: No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 13 Kentucky 

Sunday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m ET on ESPN

Indiana enters the season with a stacked roster, as all five starters from last year’s Elite Eight run return to the Hoosiers. Their first game will be a test, facing a Rhyne Howard-led Kentucky.

Cameron Brink likes Caitlin Clark for 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year

Cameron Brink poses with Caitlin Clark at 2024 wnba draft in new york
Cameron Brink poses with fellow draftee — and possible WNBA ROY —Caitlin Clark. (Photo by Emily Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Dash winger Maria Sanchez confirms trade request a day shy of NWSL deadline

María Sanchez of Houston Dash during a NWSL game
In December, Sanchez signed a new three-year contract with the club worth $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. (Photo by Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

Seattle Storm debut state-of-the-art $64 million practice facility

Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm during warms up during practice on July 11, 2020 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida
Jewell Loyd, seen here practicing at Florida's IMG Academy, and her team are in for a major upgrade this season. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

Mystics relocate game to accommodate Caitlin Clark fans

Maya Caldwell, Erica Wheeler, and Lexie Hull of the Indiana Fever celebrate Caitlin Clark
Get ready — Caitlin Clark is coming to town. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.

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