If Rose Lavelle has a passion besides soccer and her English Bulldog, Wilma Jean, it’s her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team midfielder never misses a chance to talk about the “Queen City.” And on Tuesday night, she delivered on the field for the 22,515 hometown fans at TQL Stadium, notching a goal and three assists in the first 15 minutes of the USWNT’s 8-0 win over Paraguay. The result capped a two-game series of friendlies as part of the team’s fall tour.

“It was special to be able to step out there in front of all my family and friends and the city that has built me into who I am today,” Lavelle said after the game. “It was incredible.”

Lavelle opened the scoring with a header in the fourth minute, and was quite surprised by it.

“Casey [Krueger] served in a great ball,” she said. “Honestly, the three or four times I’ve had a header in the box, it’s gone the complete opposite direction I’ve intended, so I don’t know how it ended up going the way I actually wanted it to.”

There's no place like home 🏡 @roselavelle got the hometown crowd going wild EARLY! pic.twitter.com/Uo8JxfpHBu

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) September 21, 2021

Just two minutes later Lavelle assisted Sophia Smith’s first international career goal. In the eighth minute, Lavelle found Alex Morgan in the box for a header of her own, the first goal of Morgan’s hat trick in the game.

Joining Lavelle in the center of the pitch were Catarina Macario and Andi Sullivan. All three of them led the USWNT’s playmaking with their creativity throughout the game. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski says he challenge them to go through the middle as much as possible, and he wanted the rest of the team to put the trio in situations where they had to solve different problems.

When it came to the midfield’s defending, Andonovski was glowing over Lavelle.

“Rose Lavelle is the best in defending transition in the world,” the coach said. “There’s not a player who transitions as well as she does. Because of her creativity, and because of how good she is on the ball or in possession, we don’t talk as much about how good she is out of possession. She’s not just world class, she’s the best in the world in that situation of the game.”

Lavelle was subbed off in the 70th minute to a full standing ovation. She was later awarded Insiders Woman of the Match honors with 57.9 percent of the votes.

One goal, three assists and one incredible night in Cincinnati for the one & only @roselavelle pic.twitter.com/mWqBN5skgu

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) September 22, 2021

The USWNT scored just two more goals after Lavelle left the field. The first came from Carli Lloyd, who scored five in the first match against Paraguay to begin her farewell tour. The final score came off the foot of Macario, her second of the game and third-ever international career goal.

The USWNT now has a 60-game home unbeaten streak, including 55 wins and five draws. They are one win away from tying the longest home winning streak in team history.

When Lavelle was asked after the game whether her goal in the fourth minute was her favorite of her career, the 26-year-old laughed and said no. She added that her top choice wouldn’t even be the one she scored in the 2019 World Cup final that won her the Bronze Ball and helped the USWNT capture the title.

Her favorite goal happened in high school. As a freshman at Mount Notre Dame in Cincinnati, she scored in the last 25 seconds of a game against the second-seeded team during a time when she and her sister, a senior, were playing together.

“I got to hug my sister!” Lavelle said. “She was the first person I got to celebrate with.”

Lavelle’s answer was a fitting ending to Tuesday night’s homecoming, in which she combined the two things that matter most to her: soccer and being around her family and friends in the city she loves.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

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Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."

Former Oklahoma slugger Jocelyn Alo has signed on with Athletes Unlimited and will compete in the AU Pro Softball AUX this June.

The NCAA record holder in career home runs (122), total bases (761), and slugging percentage (.987), Alo was originally drafted by the league in 2022 but opted instead to join the newly debuted Women’s Professional Fastpitch. 

Alo currently plays for independent pro softball team Oklahoma City Spark, with team owner Tina Floyd reportedly on board with her recent AUX signing. AUX games are scheduled for June 10-25, while the Spark's season will kick off June 19th. Alo will play for both. 

Among those joining Alo on the AUX roster are former James Madison ace pitcher Odicci Alexander and former Wichita State standout middle infielder Sydney McKinney.

According to Alo, the decision to play in the Athletes Unlimited league was fueled by her desire to propel women's sports forward as well as provide more exposure to a sport that's given her "so many opportunities."

"Not only to challenge myself more, but just for the growth of the game," Alo said, explaining her reasoning to The Oklahoman. "I genuinely believe that professional softball can be a career for girls."

Joining AUX is also one more step in her plan toward representing Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I’m constantly thinking about how can I do these little things right in these four years to prepare me for the biggest stage of softball," she told The Oklahoman. "I definitely want to play in the Olympics, for sure."

Alo further expressed enthusiasm in the hope that the rise of other women’s sports, like women’s basketball and the NWSL, will push softball’s professional viability even higher.

"We’re seeing the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) get their stuff going, I see the WNBA starting to get hot," she continued. "I feel like the softball community is like, 'All right, it’s our turn and it’s our turn to just demand more.'"