The softest of all soft launches? Dig into the pinky hold that stunned the WoSo world.

Golden State punches its postseason ticket

No. 2 Golden State is postseason-bound, as the 2025 expansion team clinched a second consecutive playoff berth — and secured a sixth straight win — in last night’s 78-70 victory over No. 8 Dallas.

• Veteran Gabby Williams dropped a game-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, helping the Valkyries convert 16 Wings turnovers into 20 points. 

• Star guard Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 21 points but committed a game-worst seven turnovers, as the shorthanded Wings dropped to 20-16 on the season. (Watch full highlights)

Bright futures: Golden State joins No. 1 Minnesota and No. 3 Las Vegas as early postseason locks, shifting the WNBA title odds as No. 4 Indiana, No. 5 Atlanta, and No. 6 New York jockey for positioning.

• The Lynx remain the team to beat at -105 across the board, while DraftKings puts the Aces at +450 to win the championship and the Valkyries at +850 — up from 45-1 in the preseason.

• The Dream (+900) and Fever (+950) lurk close behind, while the up-and-down Liberty tumbled from +220 early-season favorites to +1400 despite winning eight of their last 10 games. (See full odds)

Liberty hunt momentum against reeling Sky

No. 6 New York is hitting its stride, as the Liberty ride momentum into Chicago to settle their regular-season series with the struggling No. 10 Sky tonight.

• New York arrives hot off bouncing No. 14 Connecticut from playoff contention, righting a recent rocky stretch behind Breanna Stewart’s 20.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per night.

• “We have to just continue to play through adversity,” Stewart said after Saturday’s win. “We don’t want to be high when it’s high and low when it’s low. We want to be pretty steady.” (See full recap)

Scouting report: With guard Skylar Diggins sidelined (knee), Chicago has leaned on center Kamilla Cardoso’s 56.4% effort from the field to stay afloat amid a 4-6 skid. 

• New York took the first two meetings, including July 22nd’s 94-95 nail-biter that saw now-injured Sky guard Sydney Taylor drop 31 points.

• The Liberty are battling their own staffing concerns, after stars Sabrina Ionescu (foot), Leonie Fiebich (foot), and Satou Sabally (head) sat out against the Sun. (See injury report)

Tune in: New York tips off against Chicago tonight at 9 PM ET (WNBA League Pass).

Flag football builds Olympic field

Flag football’s Olympic picture is forming, as the 2026 IFAF World Championships began setting the field ahead of the sport’s 2028 debut.

• Canada topped Team USA 27-20 in Saturday’s gold medal game, qualifying for LA after knocking out Mexico 20-6 in the semis behind two Caroline Moquin-Joubert touchdowns. 

• “Qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games is a reflection of the discipline, resilience, and trust this team has built,” said Canada head coach Rachel Lessard. “They’ve earned every bit of this opportunity.” (Watch full highlights)

How it works: The US earned an automatic bid as LA28 host, joined by the 16-team IFAF Championship’s top two finishers. 

• World No. 1 Mexico claimed the final berth in a bronze-medal thriller, holding off Great Britain 20-19 after Emily Kemp’s late two-point conversion sailed just out of bounds. 

• Three of the six Olympic spots remain open, set to be determined via the dual-stage Olympic Q-Series in 2028. (See full rules)

Maryland Charm captures 1st-ever WLL title

WLL has crowned its first champion, as the Maryland Charm bested the California Palms 16-13 on Saturday to claim the inaugural Women’s Lacrosse League title.

• Sydni Black earned Championship MVP with four goals and a game-high five points, while Alex Aust Holman added a hat trick and goalies Caylee Waters and Jenika Cuocco held the Palms to their lowest output this year. (See full recap)

Big results: The final capped a breakthrough season for the WLL, after expanding its schedule, setting multiple attendance records, and garnering 150 million social media impressions.

• Cash App provided an $80,000 bonus for the Charm, matching the men’s PLL purse as players eye lacrosse’s LA28 return. (See full report)

Sydney Romero wins 1st AUSL Gold Glove

AUSL’s top defender got her flowers, as OKC Spark shortstop Sydney Romero won the league’s first Rawlings Gold Glove Award honoring the year’s best fielder.

• Romero anchored the Spark infield through a 13-12 season, beating out fellow finalists Jadelyn Allchin (Utah) and Alyssa Brito (Carolina) after tallying 45 assists, five double plays, and a .974 fielding percentage. 

• “Sydney embodies everything the Rawlings Gold Glove Award represents,” said Rawlings CMO Mike Thompson. “Her instincts, athleticism, consistency, and leadership set the standard for defensive excellence.” (See full release)

Context: Launched in the MLB in 1957 before expanding to NCAA softball in 2022, Rawlings added the AUSL to its roster following an explosive second season.

Number of the day 

10

Washington’s Trinity Rodman scored her 10th goal on Sunday, becoming the first Spirit player to reach 10+ single-season goals since 2021 — with 10 games to go.