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Emma Hruby
Apr 8, 2024
The USWNT will play in the SheBelieves Cup final on Tuesday after a back-and-forth matchup with Japan that ended in a 2-1 win for the home team.
While Japan scored mere seconds into the game, the USWNT was able to recover. Jaedyn Shaw earned an equalizer in the 21st minute with a brilliant strike from distance. The goal also set a personal record, as she’s now the first player in USWNT history to score in each of her first five starts.
Jae's stunning strike 💫💫💫#USWNT x @att pic.twitter.com/kAqdNpDEB4
Shaw’s mark was felt throughout the game, as she shifted to the No. 10 position and also tried her hand at a little bit of defense.
“I just want to point out, not only did she score a brilliant goal, and not only was she part of a lot of very effective build-ups, but she did a great job defensively,” U.S. interim coach Twila Kilgore said about Shaw. “And this is an area where she has accepted a challenge and is continuing to grow and makes a massive difference for our team.”
USWNT captain Lindsey Horan, who had the game-winning penalty, called Shaw “a footballer.”
“She has a physical presence, but she’s so smart on the ball and technical and savvy and creative,” she told CNN.
Both Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario also made their returns. For Swanson, it was her first start for the USWNT since April 2023, when she suffered a season-ending injury.
“I looked up to her. She’s an amazing player,” Shaw told reporters about Swanson. “I’m so happy that she’s back and I can play with her.”
In total, 50,644 fans turned out for the USWNT, setting a new record for women’s soccer as the most-attended USWNT friendly ever hosted in the U.S. It’s also the most-attended USWNT match at home since the 1999 World Cup final.
The USWNT will now play Canada on Tuesday at 7pm ET in a re-match of the Gold Cup semifinal, which the USWNT won in penalties.
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Emma Hruby
Apr 10, 2024
For the first time ever, the women’s college basketball national championship outdrew the men’s national championship.
According to ESPN and Nielsen, the matchup between Iowa and South Carolina drew more than 18.9 million viewers on average.
Meanwhile, the men’s matchup between UConn and Purdue drew 14.8 million viewers – four million less than the women’s championship.
According to Nielsen, it’s the first time that the audience for the women’s final was larger than the men’s.
The women’s championship peaked at 24 million viewers, and is an 89 percent increase from 2023 – plus a 285 percent increase from 2022. It’s also the most-watched basketball game – collegiate or professional, men’s or women’s – since 2019.
In a statement, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro called the championship game a “fitting finale” to March Madness.
“These exceptional athletes, coaches and teams captured our attention in unprecedented ways and it’s incumbent on all of us to keep the incredible momentum going,” Pitaro said.
The viewership caps off a massive run for the tournament, which included Iowa and LSU drawing a then-record 12.3 million viewers. The matchup between Iowa and UConn then broke that record with a peak audience of 14.2 million.
Emma Hruby
Apr 10, 2024
Alyssa Naeher found herself in a familiar position against Canada on Tuesday – and once again came away victorious.
For the second time in just 34 days, Canada and the USWNT went to a penalty shootout. And Naeher went on an incredible run of form once again – stopping three shots – to give the USWNT the SheBelieves Cup win.
In addition to her key saves, Naeher also stepped up and drilled a penalty herself. It was reminiscent of her efforts against Canada in March – when she also saved three shots and converted an attempt of her own.
We have Alyssa Naeher. pic.twitter.com/uHDfVwY2NZ
“Alyssa is just so even keeled. She is someone that shows no emotion,” forward Alex Morgan said. “I know there are nerves under [there] somewhere, but she is never going to show them and she’s just someone that continues to show up in big moments.”
Her recent success in penalty shootouts comes after the USWNT’s dramatic exit from the 2023 World Cup, with Naeher both saving and making penalties before the team was eliminated by a millimeter on the decisive penalty against Sweden.
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Naeher has since said she still believes she saved that shot. Irregardless, she’s been a difference maker in shootouts ever since.
“There’s certainly a lot of mind games when you come into the penalty shootout, on both sides,” Naeher said. “There’s a lot of familiarity [with Canada] that makes it hard and also really fun to compete on the field.”
Interim head coach Twila Kilgore called Naeher’s performance “incredible.”
“Is it not incredible?” Kilgore said. “I mean, nerves of steel.”
Emma Hruby
Apr 10, 2024
The USWNT are once again SheBelieves Cup champions, defeating Canada in a penalty kick shootout following a 2-2 draw.
After the team went down 1-0 at the half, Sophia Smith scored a brace to put the USWNT ahead 2-1. Adriana Leon would provide both goals for Canada, which included a late equalizer to send the game to penalties.
SOPHIA SMITH PERFECT LEFT FOOTED STRIKE 🇺🇸🌟⁰⁰🎥 @TelemundoSports pic.twitter.com/LCPdCvJssx
Following the game, USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore – who coached her final game at the helm of the national team – said that Smith’s play was another example of her “being a special player in a special moment within our team concept.”
“The first goal was just class,” Kilgore said. “Sometimes individuals just do special things. It was a left-footed finish for Soph in a crowded box, just an exceptional moment, but also there’s a big team concept there.”
Although Smith started the game on the right wing she later moved to her preferred No. 9 position.
Four minutes later, Smith scored her second of the game. She was subsequently named MVP of the SheBelieves Cup.
SOPHIA SMITH PERFECT LEFT FOOTED STRIKE 🇺🇸🌟⁰⁰🎥 @TelemundoSports pic.twitter.com/LCPdCvJssx
“I just try to do my job when I’m told I need to step up,” Smith said. “I don’t think anything of that. I try to lead this team in any way I can and if that’s putting the ball in the back of the net for the PKs or in the game, that’s what I pride myself in and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Substitutes Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman made late impact on the game, resulting in Smith’s second goal of the night, in which Jaedyn Shaw also played a part.
“I know an Olympic roster is very small, and we have a very talented player pool,” Smith said. “So I’m just trying to put myself in the best position every day to make that [Olympic] roster, and by me doing that I’m making players around me better and they’re making me better.”
Emma Hruby
Apr 10, 2024
Stanford head coach Tara Vanderveer is retiring after 38 seasons, the school announced on Tuesday evening.
She finishes with a record of 1,216-271 as head coach at Idaho, Ohio State and Stanford. Her 1,216 wins are the most in college basketball history.
Vanderveer’s last day on the job will be May 8, the 39th anniversary of her hiring at Stanford.
In her time at Stanford, Vanderveer won three national championships and made 14 Final Four appearances. She also coached the U.S. women’s basketball team to Olympic gold in 1996, a team that has long been credited with sparking the founding of the WNBA.
“Basketball is the greatest group project there is and I am so incredibly thankful for every person who has supported me and our teams throughout my coaching career,” VanDerveer said in a statement. “I’ve been spoiled to coach the best and brightest at one of the world’s foremost institutions for nearly four decades.
“I’ve loved the game of basketball since I was a little girl, and it has given me so much throughout my life. I hope I’ve been able to give at least a little bit back.”
Throughout Vanderveer’s career, at least 12 of her former assistants have gone on to head coaching jobs in basketball. A number of her players have also gone on to become professional athletes, including Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, Haley Jones and Karlie Samuelson. Additionally, current Stanford senior Cameron Brink is largely expected to be a first round pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
Vanderveer’s departure comes as the Cardinal join the ACC next season following the dissolution of the Pac-12.
“The joy for me was in the journey of each season, seeing a group of young women work hard for each other and form an unbreakable bond. Winning was a byproduct,” Vanderveer said in a team release.
The coach will continue to work with the athletic department in an advisory capacity, according to the school. Negotiations with longtime assistant Kate Paye to become her successor are already underway.
“Tara built one of the sport’s iconic program’s almost immediately upon her arrival at Stanford, and then maintained that standard for nearly four decades,” Stanford athletics director Bernard Muir said in a statement. “An energetic and positive teacher, a Hall of Famer, a trusted friend and mentor, Tara’s impact is simply unmatched, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to characterize her as one of the most influential people to ever be associated with this university.”
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