“I think obviously we wanted to keep building on the performances we had last camp, and the emphasis on coming out strong and sticking to our principles, and I think that’s what we did,” said U.S. veteran Rose Lavelle, who earned her 116th cap. “Overall, I think a really good team performance.”
The United States wasted no time in attacking Italy’s goalie Laura Giuliani, scoring inside the first two minutes.
Fresh off their NWSL title with Gotham, Lilly Reale found teammate Lavelle to start the sequence. Lavelle then went wide to Alyssa Thompson, who quickly returned the ball. Lavelle found Moultrie, who went far side for her second goal in as many appearances with the team.
“We talked about starting fast and starting strong, and I think the momentum carried out,” Moultrie said. “We had a really good week of training, so I feel like it flowed into the first minutes of the game.”
An offside call on Lavelle at the 48-minute mark denied Moultrie her second goal.
In the 64th minute, Sam Coffey dribbled down the middle and found Macario breaking on her left. Macario took the pass and fired a shot far side to give the United States a two-goal lead.
Macario added her second in the 76th minute when she snared a pass from the team’s youngest player, 18-year-old Lily Yohannes, and fired a shot from the top of the right side of the box to the far side of the goal.
It was Macario’s 15th goal in 28 international appearances. Macario has now been involved in 18 goals in her last 14 U.S. appearances.
“It was a great win, it’s always a pleasure being with this team,” said Macario, who has 12 goals and six assists since February of 2022. “I feel so happy to be in this environment, and I feel like it really just helps you be the best version of yourself.
“Lucky enough that (U.S. coach) Emma (Hayes) knows me very well, and she knows what I can bring to the team. This was a good year … in which I have just been trying to find some consistency … just trying to find my rhythm.”
Twenty-six additional U.S. stadiums were mentioned as suitable venues for a 48-nation tournament the bidders project would draw 4.5 million fans and generate about $4 billion in revenue, up from $570 million for 2023 in Australia and New Zealand and a projection of $1 billion for the 2027 tournament in Brazil.
Proposed ticket prices of $35 for the cheapest seats in the opening round to $120 to $600 for the final were listed in a ticket grid. FIFA has refused to release a grid for next year’s men’s tournament, saying only prices initially ranged from $60-$6,730 but could fluctuate with dynamic pricing. The bid book said premium seating would average 10%-20% of capacity at the majority of 2031 stadiums.
Lincoln Financial Field last hosted a women’s World Cup in 2003.
Fifty sites in all were mentioned in the joint 2031 bid. Final decisions likely will not be made for several years.
The bid book also said “other suitable cities are included” beyond the specified 14 “as part of the broader bid framework with the understanding that they will continue to be equally considered for the purposes of stadium selection.”
“By proposing more than the required 20 sites, the joint bidders demonstrate a commitment to securing the best possible hosting conditions and ensuring the tournament represents the full diversity of our region on a global scale,” the bid book stated.
The 2026 U.S. sites included in the 2031 proposal are Arlington, Texas (AT&T), Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz), East Rutherford, N.J. (MetLife), Houston (NRG), Inglewood, Calif. (SoFi), Kansas City, Mo. (Arrowhead), and Seattle (Lumen Field).
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., hosted this year’s Club World Cup final and will host next year’s men’s World Cup final.
The seven others are Charlotte, N.C. (Bank of America), Denver (Empower Field), Minneapolis (U.S. Bank), Nashville (Geodis Park), Orlando (Camping World), San Diego (Snapdragon), and Washington (proposed NFL venue on the RFK Stadium site).
Orlando and Washington were sites of the 1994 men’s World Cup.
Mexico’s three sites for next year’s World Cup also are proposed for the women’s tournament, Mexico City (Azteca), Guadalajara (Akron), and Monterrey (BBVA), along with a fourth in Torreón (Corona).
National stadiums are proposed in Kingston, Jamaica, and San Jose, Costa Rica.
The national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica will host its first women’s World Cup games.
Other U.S. venues listed as possibilities are Foxborough, Mass. (Gillette), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), and Santa Clara, Calif. (Levi’s), all venues for next year’s men’s World Cup.
Additional sites included were Baltimore (M&T Bank), Birmingham, Ala. (Protective), Carson, Calif. (Dignity Health Sports Park), Cincinnati (TQL), Cleveland (Huntington Bank Field), Columbus, Ohio (Lower.com Field), Frisco, Texas (Toyota), Glendale, Arizona (State Farm), Harrison, N.J. (Sports Illustrated), Los Angeles (Memorial Coliseum), Miami (Chase), Nashville (Nissan), New York (Etihad Park), Orlando (Inter & Co), Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl), St. Louis (Energizer Park), San Francisco (Oracle Park), Sandy, Utah (America First Field), and Tampa, Fla. (Raymond James).
Second possible sites in cities, all with lower capacities, were included for Houston (Shell Energy), Kansas City, Mo. (CPKC), and Washington (Audi Field).
Indianapolis was listed for a proposed stadium.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., hosted the 1999 women’s World Cup final – still one of the most famous games in women’s soccer history.
Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium was the only 2026 World Cup venue not included.
Additional possibilities in Mexico are Pachuca (Miguel Hidalgo) and Querétaro (Corregidora) along with Universitario as an alternate choice in Monterrey. Saprissa was listed as an alternate site in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Organizers envision fan festivals and watch parties in conjunction with games. Revenue from marketing and sponsorships is projected at $1.4 billion.
While most of America is running to stores or shopping online on Black Friday, today’s date marks a golden moment in the history of women’s college basketball.
On Nov. 28, 1976, The Inquirer’s annual college basketball preview included a story with a headline proclaiming, “Move over guys, here comes another Top 20 poll.”
Just below was a graphic of Delta State’s center Lusia Harris, the consensus national player of the year, overlooking the Top 20, complete with an added national preview.
And thus, under the stewardship of this writer, inside the Inquirer offices was born an institution that led to seismic change in terms of national attention on women’s basketball. Two years later, at the request of the College Sports Information Directors of America, the Associated Press began running those first-of-their-kind weekly rankings. This season, the poll celebrates its 50th anniversary.
A clipping from the Sunday, Nov. 28, 1976 Philadelphia Inquirer. Page 14-F featured the first edition of Mel Greenberg’s women’s basketball poll.
Just as the 50th anniversary of the Title IX landmark federal legislation bringing equal opportunity to women in collegiate sports was celebrated in 2022, so too will the poll’s 50th anniversary be celebrated all season.
Technology helped spur the poll’s growth, from the pre-NCAA era to 1981-82, when the organization started sponsoring women’s championships. (Before then, women’s championships were held by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.) This writer handled the tabulation operation through 1993-94, which is when Connecticut began an appearance streak that totals 610 times through this week.
Mel Greenberg, right with former Inquirer editor William J. “Butch” Ward, inside the Inquirer offices as Greenberg is honored for winning the first Women’s Basketball Association Media Award.
Until 1994-95, coaches did the voting because writers were at a minimum nationally.
Fifty years ago, the poll was created using typewriters and $70 calculators that today cost a couple of bucks. It evolved from telerams, faxes, floppy discs, and Radio Shack TRS-80 calculators to giant hard drives, laptops, Blackberries, and, ultimately, smartphones and iPads today.
Early on, a sports media relations professional at North Carolina State called looking for information, but I wasn’t keeping records. An hour later, legendary Wolfpack coach Kay Yow, a voter, called to lecture me on the importance of preserving history.
Fortunately, Colleen Matsuhara, who phoned in then-Cal Fullerton coach Billie Moore’s vote from out West, was keeping tabs, so the first six missing weeks from the records were restored. Today, that has evolved into a spreadsheet of all polls, among other records, and this is now the 889th week of the poll.
Two people most excited about the poll creation were based here — this writer’s Temple classmate, Dick “Hoops” Weiss, the acclaimed men’s writer, and Mike Flynn, who, until recently, ran national AAU powerhouse, the Philadelphia Belles.
Way back I said one day to them, “You think I’m going to do this the next 50 years?”
They nodded in the affirmative.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, center, reacts after a championship banner reveal at Gampel Pavilion on Nov. 9.
Grandpa Geno
A few years after Philadelphia hosted the Women’s Final Four in 2000, Geno Auriemma’s UConn squad was back in town to face Villanova. Over at the hotel where his Norristown posse were hanging out, Auriemma’s brother noted that perhaps some decisions would have to be made in the near future.
Two days later, UConn signed another No. 1 recruit, so he wasn’t going anywhere.
I saw his brother again shortly after that and quipped that one day someone is going to say they came to Storrs, Conn., because they like Geno’s grandfatherly ways.
Geno’s birthday is March 23, right in the middle of March Madness. Decades later, the date gets noted at an NCAA Tournament news conference, and now-WNBA standout Paige Bueckers shouts out, “Yeah, we call him Grandpa.”
Temple guard Drew Alexander entered this season with six career field goals and 17 career points. She redshirted her freshman year in 2023-24 and never played more than eight minutes in a game last season.
Owls coach Diane Richardson made a point in the offseason that she was going to use her depth, which included Alexander.
She was one of the first players off the bench in Temple’s season opener against George Mason on Nov. 3 and immediately made an impact. Known for her sharpshooting abilities, Alexander made three three-pointers and scored 13 points in the Owls’ 94-85 overtime win. She has since made at least one three-pointer in four of Temple’s first six games and has emerged as a key bench piece.
“I know that my role on the team is to shoot the ball, rebound, and defend,” Alexander said. “I know every time I step on the floor, no matter if it’s for 30 minutes or 30 seconds, I have to do my role no matter what and play the hardest that I can.”
Shabach alumnus Drew Alexander of Temple University was an instant microwave for the Owls against George Washington. Alexander came off the bench and scored 13 points and added 7 rebounds. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6LMol66IbU
Alexander grew up in Durham, N.C., and had a basketball in her hands at 3 years old. Her father, Darryl, played ball at Central Michigan and overseas. He taught her how to shoot, which has become her strength. They used to take 100 form shots before workouts and then put up 200 three-pointers a day.
She started to receive college scholarship offers after her freshman year, and following her sophomore year at Greensboro Day School, she made a major decision.
Alexander decided to attend Shabach Christian Academy in Maryland and played for the DMV Lady Tigers on the AAU circuit. To do that, she had to move to the Washington area, which meant leaving her family. Alexander spent that year living with her AAU coach, Sam Caldwell.
“It was a little difficult not seeing my parents every day, but also it was a good experience for me to get adjusted to the college level the next year,” Alexander said.
Caldwell led Alexander to Temple. Alexander graduated a year early and reclassified to join the Owls for the 2023-24 season.
She redshirted her first year with the Owls and played on the scout team while learning the playbook. She had a limited role off the bench last season, but that mostly was because her expected role had been filled.
Richardson likes to have one high-level three-point shooter on the court. Last season, that often was guard Tarriyonna Gary, who led the team in threes, making 72 of 188 attempts (38.3%).
Drew Alexander shoots a three-pointer against George Washington.
With Gary occupying the shooting role, Alexander did not see the court much. However, the role was up for grabs after Gary graduated, and she has taken it.
“Her ability to come in and immediately make an impact within the first possession she touches the ball is a really good thing for us,” assistant coach Myles Jackson said. “I think her development throughout the year and her confidence throughout the year are only going to be improved.”
Alexander finished with 13 points in the Owls’ first two games to surpass her total from last season. She came into the season hoping to have a role coming off the bench, but even she was not expecting to have that kind of performance to start the year.
“I wasn’t expecting to have 13 points in the first two games,” Alexander said. “My confidence is really high right now, and I feel like I am in a really good spot.”
Alexander’s shooting has earned her a spot in the rotation, but she still has plenty of room to grow on defense and in getting rebounds.
As the Owls, who entered Friday with a 3-3 record, move further into the season, Alexander’s growth and confidence will continue to play a role on the court.
“I think she’s going to keep progressing,” Jackson said. “We are going to see a really good Drew Alexander come February and March.”
Last year, Arcadia University transformed a basketball gymnasium on campus into the home of its newest athletic programs: men’s and women’s wrestling.
“Compared to most wrestling rooms, we have a very open facility,” men’s coach David Stevens said. “We have three full-size wrestling mats and a turf field. We have treadmills, standalone bikes, and a weight room. [Arcadia] did a really good job of supporting us.”
As the facility was under construction, women’s coach Michael Childs gave prospective members of his 11-athlete squad an up-close look at the progress.
“I took [recruits] through a construction site with our facility that was being built,” Childs said. “There were certain days that they had to wear hard hats when they went through the building. I could show them pictures on my phone, and the education piece kind of sold itself. … The more difficult part was selling them a vision for the program.”
“Wrestling is very popular in the state of Pennsylvania and has very passionate fans, but countrywide, it is still a niche sport,” Childs said. “So introducing that to the Arcadia community in general and the administration, it’s been a growing year for us.”
Focus on ‘family’
The men’s roster features 32 wrestlers, primarily freshmen. The team leadership comes from a group of older wrestlers who entered the season nationally ranked.
Senior Caden Frost was ranked No. 15 in the 149-pound weight class, graduate student Logan Flynn (285) was No. 6, and senior Jacob Blair (133) was No. 8.
Blair and Flynn followed Stevens, their former assistant coach, to Arcadia from Delaware Valley University, while Frost transferred from New England College.
“It’s a lot of leading by example,” Blair said. “We’re trying to build something here with longevity and make an impact not only this year, but also down the road. We’re trying to create good team camaraderie and spirit because this is something none of us have ever experienced. We’ve never wrestled on a team with 25 freshmen.”
Arcadia wrestling is in its first season.
The Knights (1-3) secured their first team win on Nov. 8 over Eastern, 27-20.
Stevens believes the young roster will grow significantly over the course of the season, which begins in November and culminates with the NCAA championships in March.
“We tell every recruit that if you join this team, you become part of a family,” Stevens said. “We haven’t had the early success that we expected or that we wanted. But I think that’s what a family does, is that even through the hardships, we don’t give up on each other. We truly believe that we’re going to do something special here in our first year.”
The three leaders went undefeated in Arcadia’s most recent competition at Misericordia University.
“We talked about how you either have to buy in now or hop off,” Blair said. “But the fire under these guys is that they truly want to be here and want to be college wrestlers. They know it’s going to take hard work, because it’s a grueling sport, both mentally and physically.”
While the Arcadia women’s team (0-2) is a MAC member, there are fewer than 100 NCAA women’s wrestling programs nationwide. The limited number means that all programs, regardless of division, will vie for the same national championship.
In addition to helping freshmen adjust to the rigors of college athletics, Childs must also prepare his team to face some of the country’s top wrestlers.
“I think that the biggest challenge for us is bringing our student-athletes along to understand what this commitment is,” Childs said. “It’s not just your morning lifts and your daily practices. It’s a lifestyle. We’ll potentially be seeing world team members in competitions, All-Americans, and Olympians. So it’s really exciting, and it’s really challenging.”
Taylor McCue, a junior, is the only non-freshman on the Arcadia women’s wrestling roster.
Junior Taylor McCue is the only non-freshman on the women’s roster. From goal-setting meetings to decorating the locker room before competitions, the team is establishing its identity.
“The best thing that I can do for the success and growth of this program is to surround it with good people, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Childs said. “We had our first tri-meet a couple weeks ago on our floor. After our event, we had a parent social, and over a hundred people were there. It was pretty cool to see.”
Freshman Molly Lubenow (right) in action for Arcadia.
A sport on the rise
Arcadia’s addition of a women’s wrestling program follows the rapid expansion of the sport nationwide. According to the NCAA, 17 schools began offering women’s wrestling programs in 2024-25 alongside its promotion to a championship sport.
The inaugural NCAA women’s wrestling championship will take place this spring.
Both Arcadia programs see themselves as leading the growth of wrestling. They also aim to bring national attention to the small university through success in Division III.
“Why I’m grateful to be at Arcadia is the support they give us,” Stevens said. “High school and even college programs are usually focused on other sports that more people are familiar with. But here at Arcadia, we feel like they’re really investing in us and giving us a great opportunity. This is a place that I want to continue to grow.”
The Temple women’s basketball program had not taken a trip outside the United States since 2019, when it competed in the Cancun Challenge in Mexico.
Coach Diane Richardson wanted to take a similar trip with her team this season, and this time the Owls are set to land in the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship.
Temple will play No. 20 Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. Friday, then Clemson or Western Carolina on Sunday.
The trip will give the Owls a chance to bond and experience a foreign country, Richardson said, while also continuing to gain experience against difficult competition in preparation for American Conference play.
“Not only is it a competitive environment with the sports, but they get to see the culture and all of that other stuff,” she said. “We’ll do some cultural things while we’re over there, too.”
Temple’s Tristen Taylor drives against Villanova’s MD Ntambue during Saturday’s game.
When the Owls head to the islands Wednesday, they’ll have a special guest with them.
New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones is a Bahamas native and Richardson’s adopted daughter. Jones will be with the Temple players for most of the trip to help show them the culture.
The Owls have competed in multiteam events in the last two years. They went to Tempe, Ariz., for the Briann January Classic in 2023 and Berkeley, Calif., for the Raising The B.A.R Invitational last season. However, this event will be a different experience, Richardson said.
“They’re going to swim with the dolphins and maybe some yoga with the flamingos,” she said. “So we’ll do some nice cultural things. Take up a lot of the different Bahamian meals … and meet some of the townspeople. It’ll be a great experience.”
The Spartans are unbeaten through six games and have scored at least 90 points in each game. Michigan State also will be the fourth team the Owls face this year that made the NCAA Tournament last season.
Savannah Curry and Temple lost big to Kelsey Jones and Villanova on Saturday.
Depending on the results of the first round of games, Temple then will face Clemson or Western Carolina. The Tigers had a losing record last season but are 4-2 so far. The Catamounts entered Tuesday with a 2-4 record.
“It’s important for us to be challenged early, so that we’re used to that,” Richardson said. “And then we’re resilient and can fight through some things because we’ll be challenged by some Top 25 teams. And when we get to conference play, it won’t be a heavy lift because we’ll have been through it already.”
NEW YORK — Maggie Doogan turned and launched a three-pointer from the top of the key, then yelled, “What?” when the ball splashed through the net to give Richmond a 13-point lead at Columbia last week. The former Cardinal O’Hara star grinned when she sank another deep shot to continue her team’s fourth-quarter surge.
After a cold shooting start, Doogan was Richmond’s leading scorer (16 points) and added nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in a key early-season matchup between mid-major programs that won NCAA Tournament games in March. And when a reporter in the postgame news conference suggested she had struggled offensively in the 77-67 road victory, coach Aaron Roussell playfully responded with, “Tough ‘evals,’ man.”
“I think it’s a pretty good stat line, with all due respect,” Roussell said. “ … I’ll take those ‘off’ nights from her.”
That illustrates the heightened expectations for Doogan, the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and perhaps the best mid-major player in women’s college basketball. The 6-foot-2 do-everything forward is averaging 23.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks through the Spiders’ first seven games. That includes a monster performance in last week’s 72-57 victory over Temple, when she racked up 31 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists.
Her ascent has coincided with Richmond’s, which last season won a second consecutive A-10 regular-season title and its first March Madness game in program history. The 5-2 Spiders, whose only losses so far are to No. 4 Texas and No. 8 TCU, were ranked in the preseason Associated Press top 25 poll and are receiving votes now.
Doogan acknowledges building this legacy is “not at all” what she envisioned when she signed with Richmond. But Roussell calls her a “perfect model” for player development, with the versatility to anchor the Spiders’ read-and-react offensive system. In this new era of college athletics, Doogan also made an increasingly rare decision to not entertain NIL opportunities from power-conference programs and stay at Richmond for her final season.
Richmond’s Maggie Doogan dives for a loose ball in a 2023 game against Villanova.
Also fueling Doogan’s rise? Her on-court diligence and quest for basketball intel. That sets the standard for everybody in the Spiders’ program — including its coach.
“You can’t fake anything with her,” Roussell said in a telephone interview last week. “You can’t be a teammate and not work hard around her. You can’t be her coach and not invest in her and not put the time in with the film. Because she’s going to have questions, and you need to be able to answer those.
“That’s probably been different for me coaching her than maybe any other kid that I’ve ever coached.”
Spiders?
When Doogan was a sophomore in high school, her mother, Chrissie, gave her a Richmond T-shirt as an Easter present.
“Mom, I’m not going to a school where Spiders are the mascot,” Maggie jokingly retorted.
But the Doogan family, based in Broomall, already had a connection to the Richmond coaching staff. Assistant Jeanine Radice, then at Marist, had recruited Chrissie (née Donahue) before she became La Salle’s second all-time leading scorer and member of the school’s athletics Hall of Fame. Then they stayed in touch as Chrissie entered coaching at La Salle, Cornell, and Cardinal O’Hara, where she currently is the school’s athletic director.
So Mom initially sent Maggie’s film, which highlighted her basketball IQ, to Radice. Maggie later demonstrated her outstanding shooting at one of Richmond’s camps, Roussell said. And the coach recognized untapped potential.
Maggie, meanwhile, was interested in branching out from the Philly area but remaining within a reasonable driving distance. She wanted strong academics and the opportunity to play right away. And while visiting Richmond’s campus, she fell in love with the “gorgeous” red-brick buildings.
“It was an easy choice once I really looked into it,” she said.
Cardinal O’Hara’s Maggie Doogan holds the the championship plaque as she celebrates with teammates after beating Archbishop Carroll for the Catholic League title in 2022.
Chrissie wondered whether Maggie’s lanky frame would be strong enough when she entered college. Roussell, though, deliberately took her early development slowly, because the coach “really wanted to make her earn” playing time. A broken hand kept Doogan sidelined for about five weeks, forcing her to step back and observe and pick coaches’ brains from the bench.
“I don’t know if they put something magic in my hand,” Doogan said, “but I was just kind of a different player and took that big leap. That kind of just gave me more confidence at the collegiate level.”
Her breakout game fittingly came in a nationally televised overtime victory over St. Joseph’s. Roussell called her “unguardable” as she totaled 28 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals. By her sophomore season, she was the Spiders’ leading scorer for a team that won 29 games and the first A-10 championship in program history.
In Roussell’s positionless system, Doogan could be viewed as a post player with excellent perimeter shooting and playmaking skills — or a wing who can make an impact inside on both ends of the floor. She not only impressed with her commitment to the weight room and on-court work, but with her film study and tactical aptitude.
Roussell jokingly calls it “stressful” to coach Doogan because of the information she constantly demands. She is not afraid to approach her coach during a shootaround and respectfully ask why they have chosen a specific strategy against an opponent. And the Spiders have changed elements of game plans — before or during a matchup — because of something Doogan observed.
Roussell already says he hopes his “retirement job” is as an assistant coach on Doogan’s future staff.
“The level and the layers of which she thinks about the game is already like a coach,” Russell said. “ … I never want her to be bashful or not tell me what she’s feeling during a game or seeing during a game.”
Those qualities propelled Doogan’s numbers to jump again as a junior, to 17 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. She shot 55.5% from the floor, including 40.6% from beyond the arc. She helped Richmond win a second consecutive regular-season A-10 title, and became the program’s first conference player of the year since 1990.
But after a St. Joe’s buzzer-beater upset Richmond in last season’s A-10 tournament — a game during which Doogan took just five shots and scored five points — she and Roussell had “frank conversations” about what the Spiders consistently needed from her. Doogan went home for spring break and “didn’t speak for three days. … She was miserable,” Chrissie said.
Roussell believes that gave Doogan an extra dose of motivation for a monster NCAA Tournament, after Richmond earned a No. 8 seed in an at-large berth.
She racked up 30 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range, along with 15 rebounds and six assists, in a dominant 74-49 victory over ninth-seeded Georgia Tech. She totaled another 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, seven assists, and six rebounds in an 84-67 loss to top-seeded UCLA, which advanced to the Final Four.
“I had a lot of pride. A lot of pride,” Doogan said of her team’s March Madness run. “ … Once you kind of step back, and a couple weeks later, I was like, ‘Wow, we really did that.’”
Richmond forward Maggie Doogan toward the basket as Georgia Tech guard Kara Dunn defends during last season’s NCAA Tournament.
Still, “literally the second we got back” from the NCAA Tournament, Roussell said, he and Doogan needed to have another honest discussion about her plans for the 2025-26 season. That is the reality in this transfer-portal era, because mid-major players regularly leave for power-conference programs that can offer more lucrative NIL deals.
Chrissie acknowledges she “got some calls on the side” to gauge Maggie’s interest in exploring options. She had to ask her daughter, “Would you leave for any certain amount?” Though Roussell received no indication from the family that he should be worried, he added, “I’m no dummy. I know the pursuers were out there.”
But Maggie and Roussell were aligned on how special this season could be for the Spiders — and that she wanted to finish her college career where it started.
“Not everybody would have made the decision that she did,” Roussell said. “There was a lot of loyalty involved. Now, do I think this was a great fit for her and this was the right answer? Yeah. But she left money on the table by coming back here, and that’s not something every 21-year-old is doing.”
Added Doogan: “Honestly, it’s home. And I wouldn’t want to spend my last year anywhere else.”
After Richmond’s win at Columbia, Chrissie sent Maggie a text about the two turnovers she committed during the game’s final minute.
“Wow, thanks for the love,” Maggie sarcastically responded.
Consider that evidence that the coach-player aspect of this close mother-daughter bond has never fully dissipated. Neither have other characteristics Maggie says she acquired while growing up as a Philly basketball kid. She immediately highlighted her toughness, that “I don’t really like to take a lot of B.S. from people, and I think I get that from back home.” She also credits her time at O’Hara with fostering her vocal leadership, which was on display while speaking up during timeouts throughout Richmond’s win at Columbia.
“I’m trying to calm everybody down, which hopefully works,” she said after that game. “I kind of know what [Roussell is] thinking, and I’m good at talking with everybody else. I think it’s kind of why I’m on the floor.”
She also is navigating life as a player who, before the season, was ranked among ESPN’s top 25 returners in the country.
She acknowledged after the Columbia game that she felt more defensive “crowding” while in the paint and a greater focus on wherever she was on the floor. Roussell is pleased that Doogan is executing on individual focuses, like better finishing, drawing fouls around the rim, and improving as a playmaker and rebounder. Being invited to last summer’s Team USA’s Women’s AmeriCup team trials, where she competed alongside some of college basketball’s best players, also boosted her confidence, Roussell said.
“She has not hit her apex yet,” Roussell said. “There is really good basketball in her future that will be better than what she is now.”
Yet the Doogan family is embracing Maggie’s final college season, which Chrissie compares to the ending of a book.
A group in Richmond gear swarmed Maggie for hugs following the Columbia win, then posed together for a photo op. Her grandparents make the four-hour drive to Richmond for nearly every home game. And whenever Chrissie visits, she notices children wearing No. 44 jerseys with “Doogan” on the back.
“As a parent, you’re like, ‘Wow, this kid,’” Chrissie said. “People all over Richmond know her.”
Richmond’s Maggie Doogan looks on after shooting as Georgia Tech center Ariadna Termis watches.
That’s the impact of Doogan becoming a perfect model of development and versatility.
And the player who stayed at her mid-major school through her entire career.
And the person who continues to set the standard for her program’s historic rise.
“It’s going to be awful whenever she takes off that jersey,” Chrissie said of Maggie. “I know there will be tears shed. But she’s got so much to be proud of, and so much to be excited for this season.
“We’re just trying to take it one game at a time, one practice at a time, and enjoy the ride.”
In a rematch of last year’s Big 5 Classic championship game, Villanova soundly defeated Temple, 88-58, at the Finneran Pavilion on Saturday night.
The Wildcats secured revenge over the Owls after falling in a competitive 76-62 matchup on Dec. 7, 2024.
Five Villanova players scored in double digits in its highest-scoring game of the season. Senior guard Ryanne Allen, who scored 19 points, and graduate forward Denae Carter, who recorded 17 points and five steals, each marked career highs in scoring.
“That was a tough loss last year,” Allen said. “This week in practice, we were reminding the people that weren’t here about that loss, and how we wanted to get that back. So that was a huge impetus for us, especially losing on our home floor. We didn’t want it to happen again, so it was nice to get that win back for us.”
Villanova’s Annie Welde brings the ball upcourt against Temple on Saturday.
Junior guard Tristen Taylor led Temple with 15 points and four assists. Junior forward Jaleesa Molina recorded a game-high nine rebounds. Temple outrebounded Villanova, 34-29.
With the loss, Temple split its two Big 5 “pod” matchups leading up to the Big 5 Classic triple-header on Dec. 7. The Owls defeated La Salle, 75-54, on Nov. 14.
Villanova’s second-quarter surge
Freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe brought early energy for Villanova from the backcourt, scoring eight points and notching three steals in the opening 10 minutes. As the clock expired to end the first quarter, Bascoe intercepted a Temple pass and drove to the basket to tie the score at 13.
The Wildcats carried the momentum into the second quarter, going on an 8-0 run over just 57 seconds. A pair of three-pointers from senior guard Allen and freshman guard Kennedy Henry, along with a layup from junior forward Brynn McCurry, allowed Villanova to take a 21-15 lead and force Temple to call a timeout.
“The second quarter really punched us, and we didn’t respond well enough, especially because [Villanova] got a lot of points in transition,” Temple coach Diane Richardson said.
The Wildcats surged from there, going on an 18-1 run over 4 minutes, 31 seconds.
Meanwhile, Temple faltered, shooting just 5-for-14 from the field while conceding six turnovers in the second quarter.
Temple’s Savannah Curry drives against Villanova’s Kelsey Joens.
Allen’s career night
Allen drained her fourth three-pointer of the night to send the Wildcats into halftime with a 20-point lead. She finished the night shooting 7-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from three. She also notched a career high of six assists.
The Wildcats dominated the second half, leading by 20 points or more throughout the third and fourth quarters. Villanova was especially successful in transition, gaining 26 points on the fastbreak in contrast to Temple’s six across the game.
“What I was most pleased with was the assists,” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “When you have 27 assists on 35 field goals, that’s good team basketball. That’s impressive.”
Next up
Villanova will visit La Salle on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Temple will host Michigan State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Villanova will host the 2025 Big 5 Classic triple-header at the Finneran Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 7.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Rose Lavelle scored in the 80th minute and the eighth-seeded Gotham FC beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 on Saturday night to win their second National Women’s Soccer League championship.
Second-half substitute Bruninha drove into the box on the left wing and sent the ball across to Lavelle, whose left-footed shot sailed past Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury into the bottom corner of the net.
“It was maybe the one moment I had in the game to step up,” Lavelle said. ”I keep saying Bruninha did the heavy lifting on that.”
It is the first NWSL championship title for Lavelle, who had scored in the 2023 final when she was playing for the Seattle Reign against Gotham in a 2-1 loss.
“This was such a roller coaster of a season for us. We had injuries. We had a really daunting schedule with the amount of games that we were playing, the travel. I think just like the way that every single individual stepped up in the moments, did what they were asked to, was so huge,” Lavelle said. “I think you learn the most about yourself in the toughest moments. And so, I think what we faced throughout the season really helped set us up.”
After a strong opening 10 minutes of the match for Gotham, with three shots from Jaedyn Shaw, the final began to mature into a tense affair.
There were few chances and the best of the first half came when Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt perfectly timed a slide tackle and cleaned out Midge Purce with the follow through.
Not long after the half, Trinity Rodman was brought off the Spirit bench for Sofia Cantore, bringing the crowd to its feet. The U.S. women’s national team star was on limited minutes after suffering a knee sprain in October.
Saturday’s game might have been Trinity Rodman’s last for the Spirit.
Even with the introduction of Rodman, the Spirit continued to struggle to create chances. They had marginally more control of the ball, 53%, but were outshot by Gotham 12-6 and finished the game without a single shot on target. Rodman had zero shots and zero chances created.
“As much as I don’t want to admit it, I still don’t feel like I was my full self tonight, which sucks, because I feel like it’s the second year I’ve gone into a final not feeling like myself,” Rodman said.
The second-seeded Spirit (14-6-8) suffered a second consecutive defeat in the NWSL final, having lost last year to the Orlando Pride in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Spirit reached this year’s final by overcoming Racing Louisville 3-1 in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals and then beating the Portland Thorns 2-0 in the semifinals.
Gotham’s trophy celebration.
Gotham (11-8-9) had defied the odds to make the final, going on the road twice to defeat the top-seeded Kansas City Current 2-1 in the quarterfinal and the defending champions the Pride, 1-0.
Gotham is the first eighth-seed to win the NWSL Championship. In 2023, when there were only six playoff spots, Gotham became the first sixth seed to lift the trophy.
Coach Juan Carlos Amoros has seven NWSL playoff wins in his career and two championships.
Pitcher and outfielder Kelsie Whitmore is returning to familiar surroundings after being selected by San Francisco with the first pick in the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League draft on Thursday night.
Mo’ne Davis, meantime, had to wait until the 10th pick before being selected by Los Angeles. The 24-year-old Davis, who’s from Philadelphia, competed at the 2014 Little League World Series at age 13 and became the first girl to win a game and pitch a shutout.
Whitmore is from San Diego and made her professional debut in the Bay Area with a coed team, the Sonoma Stompers, in 2016. The 27-year-old has won two silver medals representing the United States at the Women’s Baseball World Cup and won gold at the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto.
“You ask a 6-year-old version of me about this opportunity happening right now, she would, one, probably not believe you, but, two, just be so, so, so, so excited for it,” said Whitmore, who in 2022 signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks, becoming the first woman to compete in pro baseball’s Atlantic League. She played for the Savannah Bananas this season.
Whitmore was among 120 players selected in the six-round draft that also included teams representing New York and Boston.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred opened the draft by congratulating the WPBL for its launch. The league is scheduled to begin play on Aug. 1.
Each team made five picks per round, with the order of selection determined by a random draw. Teams will cut their 30-player rosters to 15 for the start of the season.
Mo’ne Davis slides to third base during the first day of tryouts for the Women’s Professional Baseball League on Aug. 25.
Japan’s Ayami Sato went No. 2 to Los Angeles. The 35-year-old right-hander is a five-time World Cup winner and the only player to earn three tournament MVP honors.
New York selected U.S. infielder Kylee Lahners with the third pick. Boston chose South Korean catcher Hyeonah Kim at No. 4.
The startup league had a four-day tryout camp in Washington this summer with more than 600 hopefuls on hand.
The league is scheduled to play all of its games at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springville, Illinois. Teams will be based there over a seven-week season, split up into a four-week regular season, a week for all-star activities and a two-week playoff.
The WPBL was co-founded by Justine Siegal, who became the first woman to coach for an MLB team with the Oakland Athletics in 2015. It will be the first pro baseball league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — immortalized in the film “A League of Their Own” — dissolved in 1954.
