Liberty teases Sabrina Ionescu debut against Valkyries

It’s official: Captain Clutch is a PWHL champion.

New York gets fit for Golden State clash

The Liberty is shoring up its injury report, as New York hopes to see some sidelined starters make their season debuts tonight against Golden State.

• Star guard Sabrina Ionescu returned to practice this week after missing the first four games with a foot injury, while new signing Satou Sabally also joined training after dealing with a cyst — though both remain gametime decisions.

• “We will see how they feel tomorrow,” Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said Wednesday. (See full report)

Taking stock: Should Ionescu and Sabally suit up, they’ll be deepening the bench for a 3-1 New York team starting to click under its new coach.

• Veterans Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones have shown consistent production, guard Pauline Astier sits atop the rookie scoresheet, and the team expects Leonie Fiebich’s imminent return from Spain’s Valencia.

• “It’s a new team and we have to get used to playing with each other,” said DeMarco. “What we can do as a staff and players as a whole is continue to have the right space and understand, if a defense takes something away it means something else is open.” (See full stats)

Tune in: The Liberty hosts the Valkyries tonight at 8 PM ET, live on Prime.

Gotham falls in Champions Cup upset

A new team will lift the Concacaf trophy, after defending champion Gotham fell to Liga MX Femenil’s Club América 4-1 in last night’s Champions Cup semifinals.

• Former Gotham forward Geyse notched three assists on the night, while former Angel City and Bay FC forward Scarlett Camberos racked up a hat trick while silencing the Bats’ defense.

• “It was a very difficult game for us,” said Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “I have to give a lot of credit to my players. They gave absolutely everything they had in those conditions.” (Watch full highlights)

Setting the field: The NWSL will have one representative in Saturday’s final, as Washington got past Pachuca 1-0 to advance to the club’s first continental final.

• 18-year-old Paraguay international Claudia Martínez continued her quality Spirit debut, scoring the game’s lone goal in the 81st minute off a multi-pass team sequence. (Watch full highlights)

• Washington faces a Club América side riding high, after downing Monterrey to win a third league title in front of 6.8 million viewers last week.

Tune in: The Champions Cup final kicks off Saturday at 9:30 PM ET, live on Paramount+.

NCAA softball kicks off super regionals

NCAA softball’s final 16 teams are taking the field, as this weekend’s super regionals determine which programs reach the 2026 Women’s College World Series.

• All eight top seeds remain in contention, after a mostly chalky first round that saw No. 1 Alabama fail to give up a single run alongside similarly strong showings from defending champion Texas and powerhouse Oklahoma.

• “It’s just been this — whoever has the ball next does better than the one before,” Crimson Tide coach Patrick Murphy said of his pitchers. (Watch full highlights)

How it works: The super regional round is a best-of-three series between two teams, with the winner advancing to the eight-team World Series.

• Second-round headliners include Alabama taking on No. 16 LSU, No. 2 Texas facing Arizona State, No. 3 Oklahoma playing Mississippi State, and No. 4 Nebraska squaring off against No. 13 Oklahoma State.

• The WCWS kicks off on May 28th in Oklahoma City, with the round’s top two finishers moving on to a best-of-three Championship Series. (See full bracket)

Tune in: The NCAA softball super regionals start today at 7 PM ET, live on ESPN2.

Montréal wins 1st-ever Walter Cup

The Montréal Victoire sealed the deal last night, lifting its first-ever Walter Cup trophy with Wednesday’s 4-0 win over the Ottawa Charge.

• The 3-1 series came down to the wire, as Montréal scored three times in Game 4’s final 10 minutes to put the title out of the Charge’s reach.

• “I tried to live through every moment,” said Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie. “There were highs, there were lows, and we were able to kind of get through all of those adversity moments as a team.” (Watch full highlights)

Big impact: Montréal’s Marie-Philip “Captain Clutch” Poulin won Playoff MVP, tallying a record-tying eight postseason points after falling just short of Olympic gold with Canada earlier this year.

• “It was ups and downs, coming back to this group, just fighting through,” Poulin said. “It hasn't been easy — injuries, sickness, a lot of things — but we stuck together.”

Las Vegas approves Flavor Flav’s SHE Weekend

The US women’s hockey team is getting a parade, as Las Vegas greenlit rapper Flavor Flav’s SHE Weekend celebrating athletes in women’s sports.

• The Las Vegas Strip parade kicks off July 16th, starting at the Bellagio Hotel and ending at Toshiba Plaza, with invites out to some of women’s sport’s biggest names.

• “I just want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity,” Flav told Clark County officials. “I am a girl dad and I am a big supporter of women’s sports.” (See full report)

Big picture: The idea for the weekend dates to Flav reaching out to Team USA, looking to honor the hockey team’s gold medal win after they declined a White House visit.

• “If the USA Women’s Hockey team wants a real celebration and invite,,, I’ll host them in Las Vegas,” he tweeted in February. “I’m sure I can get a hotel and airline to help me out here and celebrate these women for real for real.”

Quote of the day

Indiana head coach Stephanie White
discussing Caitlin Clark sitting out last night’s win over Portland despite not featuring on Tuesday’s injury report.