The USYNT cruised to the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup knockout round in historic fashion on Saturday, routing Paraguay 7-0 in Bogotá, Colombia, thanks to stellar showings from young NCAA and NWSL standouts.
Armed with the most pros to ever feature on a US U-20 World Cup roster with eight NWSL rookies, the USYNT pulled off the largest U-20 WWC win in team history.
The US hasn't won a U-20 WWC in 12 years, with 2024 marking the first time they've made it out of the tournament's group stage since 2016.
Young NWSL and NCAA players level up the U-20 game
Though long viewed as inferior to Europe and its club-based academy system, US players opting to turn pro at younger ages are making the USYNT increasingly competitive — a trend that's also pushing college programs to new heights.
In Saturday's win, Angel City defender Gisele Thompson and Utah Royals rookie Ally Sentnor both found the back of the net, while the youngest goal-scorer in Seattle Reign history, winger Emeri Adames, tied Heather O'Reilly's 2002 national record for most assists in a single U-20 World Cup game with three in the first half.
Representing the NCAA, Princeton junior Pietra Tordin made her U-20 World Cup scoring debut count with a hat trick — the first US player to do so since Savannah DeMelo in 2018.
USYNT to face Mexico in U-20 knockout clash
Unlike previous editions, this year's expanded U-20 World Cup includes a Round of 16 for the first time.
The USYNT will face regional rival Mexico tomorrow, a team they lost to in the 2023 Concacaf Championship final before settling two July friendlies with a draw and a win.
How to watch the US vs. Mexico at the U-20 World Cup
Catch the US women's youth national team take on Mexico in U-20 World Cup action at 9 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage on FS2.
NCAA Division I college soccer kicks off on Thursday, and 2023 champs FSU are leading the preseason charge.
After this summer’s mass exodus from the Pac-12, three of the four remaining Power conferences — the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC — all added strong soccer programs to the mix. Each of those three conferences is now set to start the season with seven ranked teams, according to the United Soccer Coaches' Top-25 preseason poll.
ACC, Big Ten dominate college soccer rankings
Highlighted by No. 1 FSU and No. 2 Stanford, the newly restructured ACC is shaping up to be the conference to beat. With the country's top recruiting class plus 10 returning players, including sophomore striker Jordynn Dudley, FSU is back atop the preseason rankings for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
Led by No. 4 Penn State, the Big Ten also boasts top contenders — especially after adding UCLA (No. 11) and USC (No. 23) to the fold.
With the addition of Texas at No. 17, the SEC has a solid foundation. However, with no schools ranked higher than No. 14 Georgia, they’ll need some standout non-conference wins to move up the weekly poll.
While the Big 12 has just two squads on the list, both cracked the Top 10, with 2023 College Cup semifinalist BYU coming in at No. 3 and Texas Tech tied for No. 8.
Anson Dorrance departs UNC
NCAA soccer's biggest roster shift comes via the UNC coaching staff, with head coach Anson Dorrance announcing his departure from the program just four days before the season's start. After 45 seasons and 21 national titles — the most by a head coach in any DI sport — the Tar Heels manager passed the reins to associate head coach Damon Nahas, who will serve in an interim capacity as the school conducts a hiring search.
Dorrance is just the latest in a series of UNC turnovers, which saw nine 2023 players transfer and 11 turn pro — including top NWSL draft picks Ally Sentnor and Savy King.
How to watch college soccer this season
Four ranked matchups headline Thursday’s DI season opener, with No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Penn State and No. 13 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Notre Dame leading the pack. Both games kick off at 7 PM ET with live coverage on BTN and ACCNX, respectively.
Florida State women’s soccer won its fourth national championship — and third in the last six years — on Monday night, with a dominant 5-1 win over Stanford.
The five goals are the most in a women’s championship game since 2003, and the most that the Cardinal have allowed since 2000. Stanford hadn’t conceded five or more goals in a game since 1996, and the 2023 team had allowed just 10 goals all season.
With the win, Florida State (22-0-1) became the first undefeated NCAA women’s soccer champion since Stanford went 23-0 in 2011. The game also marked the first time in history two undefeated teams met in the women’s College Cup final.
Stanford became the first team to score on the Seminoles in the NCAA Tournament when midfielder Maya Doms broke through in the 52nd minute, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Florida State’s offensive onslaught.
Monday night’s College Cup final was billed as an offensive-defensive battle: Stanford entered the championship allowing just 0.42 goals per game this season, while Florida State had the top scoring offense in the country, with goals in 34 straight games.
Freshman Jody Brown registered a brace, while senior Beata Olsson had a goal and two assists. Onyi Echegeni — a senior midfielder and member of the Nigerian national team — and freshman Jordynn Dudley each recorded a goal and an assist in the win.
BACK-TO-BACK GOALS WITHIN 26 SECONDS FOR FLORIDA STATE 😱
— espnW (@espnW) December 4, 2023
The Seminoles take a 2️⃣-goal lead‼️ pic.twitter.com/JQsnW8CuBx
Dudley, who scored her 14th goal of the season on Monday, earned College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors, and junior defender Lauren Flynn was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player. The title was the first for FSU second-year head coach Brian Pensky, who succeeded legendary coach Mark Krikorian.
The Seminoles are now second all-time in Division I women’s soccer history with four national championships, surpassing Stanford and trailing only North Carolina (21).
The 2023 NCAA College Cup kicks off on Friday, with Florida State, Clemson, BYU and Stanford battling for a spot in this year’s national championship game. In many ways, these final four teams follow the arc of the regular season. In total, the semifinalists have lost just five games and two of the teams are undefeated.
Outside of reigning champion UCLA’s shocking ouster in the first round of this year’s tournament, the semifinals are full of powerhouse teams featuring numerous players with professional careers in front of them.
Nearly every starter on these four teams has a shot at the pro level, and increasingly in both the NWSL and beyond, those opportunities are not reserved for graduating seniors. Here are a few of the upperclassmen (and one underclassman) worth watching in the semifinals, some more well-known than others but all serious professional prospects.
Jasmine Aikey, Midfielder, Stanford
Stanford briefly lost their way after winning the 2019 national championship, but in 2023, they’ve been rejuvenated by the success of their recent recruiting classes. Sophomore Jasmine Aikey, the only underclassman on this list, has turned heads on her way to being named a MAC Hermann semifinalist. She leads the undefeated Cardinal in goals (11) and assists (10). And in this year’s NCAA Tournament, she’s played facilitator, currently on a four-game streak with at least one assist.
Maya Doms, Forward, Stanford
Fifth-year senior Maya Doms is one of the final connectors between the 2023 Stanford team and the squad that won the 2019 NCAA championship in her freshman year. She’s captained the team since 2022, providing both the chance-creating talent and leadership qualities that have led the Cardinal to an undefeated season. She’s scored 10 goals and registered six assists in the Stanford attack, including a dramatic strike in overtime against Nebraska last week that sent her team to the College Cup. She also recently spent time with the USWNT U-23s, teaming up with a number of players already succeeding in the NWSL.
Onyi Echegini, Midfield, Florida State
Born and raised in England and already featuring for the Nigeria national team, including at the 2023 World Cup, senior Onyi Echegini should garner heavy interest across the pond after closing out her final year of eligibility. She’s scored 15 goals and contributed four assists for the Seminoles this season. She can make runs in behind the defense and make backlines pay from distance. Echegini’s pure striking ability and poise in front of goal is also among the best in the entire college system.
Taylor Huff, Midfielder, Florida State
Junior Taylor Huff, playing in her first season with the Seminoles after transferring from Tennessee, can sometimes fall under the radar, but she has been a consistent midfield engine since her arrival. She leads the team in assists with 13, keeping the Seminoles’ vaunted attack humming with ease. Florida State has executed two big wins so far in the NCAA Tournament, most recently with Huff opening the scoring in a 3-0 defeat of Pitt in the Elite Eight.
Makenna Morris, Defender, Clemson
Don’t let senior Makenna Morris’s position fool you because she’s a proven goal-scorer. Doing it all for the Tigers, Morris has notched 10 goals this year, the second-most for a defender in NCAA history. And she didn’t reach that tally by taking lucky shots from distance. Morris has keen off-the-ball vision to find good positions in front of goal, and she’s just as capable of collecting and sinking a through-pass as she is defending on the other end. She’s the kind of fearless, multi-talented player who can propel a team to a title game.
Megan Bornkamp, Forward, Clemson
Senior Megan Bornkamp will also be crucial to the Tigers’ shot at their first-ever NCAA title game. Another player with USWNT U-23 experience, Bornkamp started her college career as a defender but has since flourished in the Clemson attack, most notably scoring the late equalizer in Clemson’s Round of 16 win over Georgia. She consistently produces high-quality scoring chances, and she has functioned as much as a playmaker as an out-and-out scorer in 2023.
Brecken Mozingo, Midfielder, BYU
Senior Brecken Mozingo is the complete package of an attacking midfielder, leading BYU’s balanced attack with a whopping 14 goals and 15 assists this season. She’s the Cougars’ primary penalty taker, going 5-for-5 on the season, and she has shown a skill for reading the field with a calm mind. Mozingo notched a goal and an assist in BYU’s furious 4-3 comeback against North Carolina in the Elite Eight, and fans can expect to see her pulling the strings in the College Cup.
Olivia Wade-Katoa, Midfielder, BYU
Senior Olivia Wade-Katoa works alongside Mozingo in perfect tandem, contributing 12 goals and eight assists of her own in 2023. None were more crucial than her strike in the second-to-last minute of the Elite Eight, giving the Cougars their improbable 4-3 victory over the Tar Heels. Wade-Katoa has the mentality of a college veteran, coming in clutch multiple times this season to provide game-winning goals. Look for her to combine with Mozingo to try to launch BYU into their second title game in the last three years.
Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.
The best time of the year is here, with the NCAA women’s soccer tournament set to kick off on Friday, Nov. 10.
A total of 64 teams are set to compete for the national title, with defending champion UCLA among them after the Bruins took home the Pac-12 conference crown. They are joined by Florida State, Clemson and BYU as No. 1 seeds in the tournament.
Four teams will play in the tournament for the first time: Idaho, Maine, Ohio and Towson. Check out the full bracket here.
The first round will be played Nov. 10-12, and the second and third rounds will take place on Nov. 17 and 19. The quarterfinals will take place on Nov. 24-25.
This year’s College Cup will take place in Cary, North Carolina, at WakeMed Soccer Park on Dec. 1 and 4. The first semifinal will be played on Friday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. ET, with the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The national championship will kick off at 6 p.m. ET Monday, Dec. 5. The College Cup matches will be televised on ESPNU.
NCAA women’s soccer tournament: Schedule
- Round of 64: Nov. 10-12
- Round of 32: Nov. 17
- Round of 16: Nov. 19
- Quarterfinals: Nov. 24-25
- Semifinals: Dec. 1
- Championship: Dec. 4
The U.S. women’s national team is preparing to welcome its next head coach. And as the new chapter begins, college soccer stars could get their chances on the USWNT roster.
With the NCAA tournament kicking off Friday, Just Women’s Sports highlights four players who deserve a look from incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes.
The recent debuts of Mia Fishel, 22, and Jaedyn Shaw, 18, underscored the shift in the national team, as a youth movement is beginning to take over in the presence of veterans. Already, Fishel and Shaw have provided a sneak peek at what the future could look like, with each scoring a goal in the last match against Colombia.
Our previous edition of this list picked out NWSL players who should get USWNT consideration. This time around, we turn to the college ranks to spotlight prospects who could receive call-ups in 2024.
Trinity Byars, 20, Texas
A standout for Texas, which claimed a No. 5 seed in the 64-team bracket, Byars has the abilities to be a top pick in the 2024 NWSL draft. Through three seasons with the Longhorns, she has had 46 goals and 32 assists in 64 games. She also was an all-state sprinter in high school, making her an explosive forward with the power to outrun opposing defenses – a skill which has helped other USWNT forwards, including Mallory Swanson.
While the USWNT certainly has options at forward, Byars could warrant a look as the team retires star players such as Megan Rapinoe. She also has extensive youth experience, including being nominated for U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Player of the Year award in 2019.
Lexi Missimo, 20, Texas
Missimo is another star out of of Texas that has spent time in the USWNT’s youth system. The midfielder has been linked to both Manchester City and Arsenal, and she has at times been compared to the likes of Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis.
Considering what those three have accomplished, Missimo could be the next big thing for the USWNT midfield.
Ayo Oke, 20, UCLA
Oke transferred to UCLA from Cal ahead of the 2023 season, and she and the Bruins enter the NCAA tournament with a No. 1 seed. In the 2022 season, she posted nine assists as a right back.
The 20-year-old defender also has youth national team experience, playing as a starter on the U-23 national team in March 2023. She also played at the U-20 Women’s World Cup and helped the U.S. to the U-20 Concacaf Championship in 2022.
She’s been a part of U.S. Soccer’s youth system since the U-15 age group, and as the USWNT looks to replace aging defenders (and Emily Sonnett seemingly transitions to the midfield), Oke deserves a look.
Reilyn Turner, 21, UCLA
Reilyn Turner, who became the first college athlete to sign an NIL deal with Nike, has been a star for UCLA in three seasons. In 2022, she was named the Most Outstanding Player at the College Cup, helping UCLA to the national championship. And in 2023, she is putting together her best year to date, with 10 goals and six assists through 18 games played.
While Turner would have to compete against a stacked forward group on the USWNT, she has the ability to show up in big moments. A fixture on U.S. youth national teams, she should see a senior USWNT call-up soon.
An NCAA women’s soccer player did the improbable Sunday, scoring a goal off an acrobatic front-flip throw-in.
Such a goal is rarely seen, and that’s because it’s often that it would count. It can be difficult to throw the ball far enough to reach the goal. And even if it does reach the net, NCAA rules dictate that it would not count.
Unless, of course, the opposing goalkeeper touches the ball.
On Sunday, Northern Iowa’s goalkeeper touched the ball as it went into the net, meaning that the throw-in from freshman Zoey Mahoney counted as a goal. It was the defender’s first-ever collegiate goal, and she didn’t even need to use her foot to score it.
SHE DID WHAT?🤯🤯#NCAASoccer x 🎥 ESPN+ / @DrakeWSoccer
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) September 17, 2023
pic.twitter.com/0IANl5DRJT
Throw-ins into the box can often lead to goals elsewhere, too. Extrapolating from the last four Premier League seasons, throws into the penalty box should produce 22 goals for every 1,000 throws, according to the Athletic — more than double other throw-ins in the final quarter of the pitch.
A second goal helped Drake to a 2-1 win, ending UNI’s eight-match unbeaten streak to start the 2023 season.
Four former Butler women’s soccer players are suing the university for alleged sexual assault by an athletic trainer while they played for the team.
The lawsuits allege a culture in which trainer Michael Howell “was close with one of the team’s coaches” and “wielded influence over athletes’ treatment and playing time,” according to a report in The Athletic. Howell allegedly often exposed players’ intimate body parts during massages, an occurrence players nicknamed “the breeze.”
The first three lawsuits were filed against Butler in U.S. district court in Indianapolis in July, with the fourth filed last week. They are suing the school, athletic director Ralph Reiff and Howell for negligence, battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The fourth woman, identified as Jane Doe 4, said that Howell rubbed his erect penis on her hand and touched her breasts, labia and groin, in addition to pressing his groin against her buttocks.
The woman also alleges Howell gave players treatment in his and their personal hotel rooms in the spring of 2021 during a tournament in Rhode Island. He required some players to take ice baths in his room, indicating “this was non-negotiable.”
A Title IX investigation, in which a panel of outside attorneys presided over a five-day hearing, found that Howell had “sexually assaulted and harassed” players on the team.
Butler said it removed Howell from campus and suspended him after learning of his alleged misconduct in September 2021. He was fired in 2022.
“After a thorough investigation and hearing, the trainer was found responsible for violating university policies, and he was then terminated in summer 2022,” the university said in a statement. “Butler looks forward to the opportunity to show the high integrity and responsiveness of the coaches and senior personnel. Because the complaints do not name the plaintiffs and they have not waived federal student privacy protections, Butler is limited from further comment outside of the legal process.”
An attorney for Howell told The Athletic that Howell “flatly denies the claims in these lawsuits.”
Florida State junior midfielder Jaelin Howell has won the Hermann Trophy, which recognizes the top female college soccer player in the country.
NCAA Division I coaches voted on the award winners, which were announced Thursday by the Missouri Athletic Club.
👑 @jaehowell18 pic.twitter.com/sENdKLQuyW
— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) May 28, 2021
Howell, a Lone Tree, Colo. native, led Florida State to the NCAA Division I final, where it lost to Santa Clara 4-1 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw.
During the season, Howell helped the Seminoles to nine shutouts in 15 games. She also recorded five goals and two assists.
Howell’s teammate Malia Berkely was also nominated for the award, giving the Seminoles two of the free finalists.
The College Cup Final is locked in.
No. 11 Santa Clara will be taking on top-seeded Florida State for the title. It all comes after two semi-final games that saw the Broncos upset the Tar Heels followed by another dramatic win by the Seminoles.
No. 11 Santa Clara vs No. 2 UNC:
Goals by Izzy D’Aquila, Skylar Smith and Kelsey Turnbow helped propel the Broncos to the upset over No. 2 UNC by a score of 3-1.
Kelsey Turnbow snapped the one-all tie on a Izzy D’Aquila set up.
Goal No. 9 on the season, including second in the @NCAASoccer Tourney, by @KelseyTurnbow snapped a 1-all tie
— Santa Clara Women's Soccer (@SCUWomensSoccer) May 14, 2021
WATCH ▶️ https://t.co/7VDp3e6aR9#StampedeTogether #NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/jyXx4IAWS1
That goal would give Santa Clara the 2-1 lead, before Skylar Smith would score unassisted in the 60th to give the team a 3-1 advantage.
It’s the Broncos’ third championship game appearance and their first since 2002. They last won the title in 2001.
No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 13 Virginia
This one was a defensive battle from start to finish, as the two teams finished regulation plus two overtime periods scoreless. Virginia did a good job putting the pressure on Florida State, but ultimately couldn’t find the back of the net.
The game would be decided in penalty kicks, where FSU goalkeeper Christina Roque proved to be a brick wall.
QUEEEEEEN CRISTINA! 👑 pic.twitter.com/YFCVLgEbzp
— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) May 14, 2021
Gabby Carle finished it off, delivering a strike to the left side that fooled UVA keeper Laurel Ivory and propelled Florida State to the championship, having scored 3-0 on PKs.
IT'S THE NOLE WAY! 🍢🔥 https://t.co/l8SUwZegaE pic.twitter.com/aSvDtC9dB1
— FSU Soccer (@FSUSoccer) May 14, 2021
The NCAA Tournament Final will be broadcast Monday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.