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  • Voorhees’ Riley Tiernan features in a new ESPN behind-the-scenes series on NWSL players

    Voorhees’ Riley Tiernan features in a new ESPN behind-the-scenes series on NWSL players

    A new behind-the-scenes series on NWSL players features Voorhees native Riley Tiernan as one of the main characters.

    NWSL: The Final Third is co-produced by ESPN and two firms the network knows well, Words + Pictures and Omaha Productions. The former has done many 30 for 30 documentaries — and women’s soccer content for other platforms like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video — and the latter has done a raft of shows with ESPN, including the Monday Night Football Manningcast. (Peyton Manning is one of Omaha’s co-owners.)

    The three-episode set is centered on Tiernan, Angel City teammate Christen Press (in her last season as a pro), Kansas City’s Lo’eau LaBonta, and Washington’s Trinity Rodman, Hal Hershfelt, and Esme Morgan.

    “I always say the key to making series like this successful is choosing characters who are excited by the opportunity and understand that there is a level of vulnerability that’s required,” said Marie Margolius, the show’s director, who’s a devotee of the sport and played at Harvard. “Riley, specifically, certainly understands that. And I think her trajectory in the league has sort of resonated with people because of her vulnerability and because she’s opened up about the challenged road that she’s had.”

    Many viewers will pay attention to Press, a longtime U.S. national team star; and Rodman, the American game’s newest phenom. (Among the series’ fun stories is Rodman’s first-person account of how she met her boyfriend, tennis pro Ben Shelton.) LaBonta also is widely popular among women’s soccer fans, thanks to her vibrant personality and viral goal celebrations.

    A look back at Riley Tiernan’s breakthrough in the NWSL last year

    Tiernan isn’t as well-known yet, partially because last year was her pro debut. But this miniseries might help change that.

    ‘South Jersey is more gritty’

    “It was such a cool opportunity,” Tiernan told The Inquirer. “I think any chance I’m given to do things like that is really important to take. They were great people, and they wanted me to just be as raw and authentic as possible, so I just tried my best to to do that.”

    We see Tiernan at her southern California apartment with her boyfriend, former Rutgers pitcher Gavin Stellpflug. They met when Tiernan played soccer for the Scarlet Knights, and he moved west to join her last summer.

    “He’s been one of the most supportive people throughout my journey here, especially,” Tiernan said. “So just being able to have him not only be here with me in California, but to also want to be involved in all the opportunities I get, I think it shows how much he really cares and how he’s willing to show up for me — even in times where he might not feel super comfortable being on camera and stuff like that. But, yeah, I can’t thank him enough for just being there for me in every way possible through the good and the tough times.”

    Amid controversy, the NWSL stands firm on the High Impact Player rule

    The show takes viewers through Tiernan’s rookie season in LA, but also back in time a bit through her growth in South Jersey and at Rutgers.

    “I would say South Jersey is more gritty, putting in the dirty work,” Tiernan says in the show, amid a montage of old photos and video clips. It was an easy line for TV to seize, but also one of a few that could draw attention from casual viewers who might see the show and decide to tune in to games. The NWSL craves that audience as much as any other sports league does.

    “I’m super wild and crazy and a little bit fearless too, so I think that helps me with sports a lot and difficult situations,” Tiernan says later.

    The series includes one of those situations: surviving a preseason tryout with Angel City. That was the only way she could get there, since last year was the first after the NWSL abolished its college draft.

    Riley Tiernan got a Philly homecoming with the U.S. national team’s under-23 squad last fall

    ‘The toughest player on the field’

    Her debut season included eight goals, the most by any rookie in the league, and a Rookie of the Year nomination. That drew praise from interviewees, including former U.S. women’s national team star Sam Mewis, who now hosts a popular podcast on the Men In Blazers media network.

    “You may think she’s going to go out on the field and she’s going be dainty and fast, and she’s going to flick her ponytail,” Mewis says. “Riley is the toughest player on the field. … I just think it’s so impressive what she’s brought to a franchise that is really important to the league.”

    We also see Tiernan on the night of the NWSL’s inaugural awards show, where she was nominated for Rookie of the Year, though the award ultimately went to Gotham FC defender Lilly Reale.

    “She’s a star,” Stellpflug says in one of his cameos. “It’s been crazy to watch. She has a look, she’s got the spirit, she’s got the hunger, the tenacity, and, of course, the talent.”

    Trinity Rodman and Lily Yohannes lead the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup roster, but some big players are out

    Julie Uhrman, one of Angel City’s cofounders and its CEO, consoled Tiernan at the event: “You will be MVP next year if I have anything to do with it. You’re amazing. You’re f— amazing. OK? You’re amazing.”

    The moment brought Tiernan to tears.

    Uhrman will step down from the CEO job at the end of March, transitioning to an advisory role and a seat on the club’s board. But Tiernan isn’t going anywhere: last month, she signed a contract extension through 2028.

    What happens next is beyond Hollywood’s control because sports is the ultimate reality show. The NWSL regular season starts March 13, Angel City’s opener is two days later, and from there, Tiernan will get to write her own story on the field.

    Why Trinity Rodman’s contract situation was the biggest story in women’s soccer this winter

    “Her journey to being a contender for Rookie of the Year is one that is full of resilience and mental fortitude and physical strength that I think is really inspiring,” Margolius said. “She also just has this casual, fun vibe to her that I think is going to be really beneficial for the league and the sport. People are going to root for Riley Tiernan — everybody on the production team, by the end of production, was rooting for Riley Tiernan.”

    All three episodes went live in ESPN’s streaming app on Wednesday. They will be televised on ESPN2 on Monday starting at 9 p.m. and will also be available to Disney+ subscribers from March 2-31.

  • The making of ‘the Guru’: How creating the AP women’s basketball poll changed Mel Greenberg’s life

    The making of ‘the Guru’: How creating the AP women’s basketball poll changed Mel Greenberg’s life

    These days, when traveling for WNBA coverage or big women’s college basketball games, a conversation with the Uber or Lyft driver may touch on the event.

    To my surprise the dialogue often extends to my 40-plus years at The Inquirer, which culminated in the spring of 2010. The driver, especially if they’re knowledgeable of sports, may ask, what is your name?

    When given, the immediate response might be Oh, I’ve read your stuff, or Yeah, I know you. You’re a legend!

    Similar discourse may occur if I’m writing the overnight roundup for my blog on my iPad in a restaurant or sports bar.

    And perhaps I shouldn’t be shocked when recognition comes up in Connecticut when covering the dynasty built by Norristown’s Geno Auriemma.

    These are moments that would not have occurred long ago.

    In fact, I might have mentioned employment at The Inquirer, but with little or no reference to women’s hoops, since those once involved with the sport were a limited sect of participants and other media, covering their own teams.

    So now it’s the 50th anniversary of the Associated Press women’s basketball poll, begun by yours truly at The Inquirer.

    Born in The Inquirer’s newsroom, the AP women’s basketball poll ‘has stood the test of time’

    Since there are now lots of years of involvement that include lots of tales along the way, many have urged me to author a book.

    There’s no book yet, but what follows are moments along the way to becoming the trip lever to a sport now heavily attended and watched by millions on TV.

    My interest in journalism in my formative years and time as a manager for the Temple men’s basketball team — in the heyday of the Big 5 when the Owls won the 1969 NIT — were backgrounds when applying for a copy boy slot at the paper down Broad Street, which a few days later turned into a promotion to an editorial clerk on the business page.

    Inquirer sportswriter Mel Greenberg in 1981.

    The thought of being in sports was nonexistent then since in those days beats were held by longtime veterans.

    Now it’s the fall of 1975, and the late Jay Searcy becomes sports editor. He’d been writing a women’s column at the New York Times and was very aware of Immaculata, which was winning national titles, and he asks me to basically create the women’s beat.

    A formal role on the writing staff came much later. My “day job” was in other duties, which is its own tale.

    I used to joke with women’s basketball coaching legend C. Vivian Stringer, “I’m like you. I teach gym and coach, and all they’re interested in is make sure l’m on time in the morning for gym class.”

    How Inquirer staffer Mel Greenberg’s poll changed women’s college basketball forever | Claire Smith

    But of course, pioneering a beat had its luxury.

    When time came to start the poll, I used the way presidential elections were covered on TV, making knowledgeable sources in the nine regions of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, which governed women’s sports before the NCAA took over.

    Ed Jaworski, then the media contact for Queens College in New York, was my go-to.

    He was so thrilled in the first month of the poll that he wrote a piece for Editor & Publisher, the weekly bible for newsroom executives, that became a two-page center spread under the headline “You May Ask, What is The Greenberg Poll,” which was a stunner to The Inquirer’s bosses when the edition arrived on their desks.

    A clipping from the Sunday, November 28, 1976, edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

    What the poll did initially, as I said at the time, was give teams an identity. That created an early impact: The day after Texas hosted Stephen F. Austin, now a top-five contest, a call came from the Lone Star State telling of the massive crowd at the annual game.

    When I’d make calls in the early days, they’d start like, “Hi, my name is Mel Greenberg,” “Who?” “At The Philadelphia Inquirer.” That quickly evolved to a Hey, how are you doing? before I could finish my introduction.

    In the spring of 1976, Penn State was hosting the AIAW’s 16-team national finals.

    In spending hours writing a preview, I thought, If I’m going to get into this, I’m doing it for every writer coming after me who won’t go through the same agony.

    This is still in the last stages in the world of typewriters.

    I added my own top 20 and noted four key potential upsets in the first round.

    That night, a call came from State College. All four had happened.

    I thought, this is fun but if I’m going to do a poll, I need someone to blame it on — hence coaches because there wasn’t enough media to be weekly voters.

    Five weeks into that first season, I wasn’t keeping records, which caused the late N.C. State coach Kay Yow to call and lecture me, saying I’m going to be the keeper of history moving forward.

    Fortunately, a double floppy disc software program called Reflex came along. Those original files from me have migrated into thousands of lines on spreadsheets of Microsoft Excel that enable to note that this week, No. 901 in Year 50, UConn’s Auriemma passed retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer with 655 appearances. His Huskies have been ranked a record 622 consecutive weeks dating to preseason 1993-94, a year before their first national title season.

    What’s it like to face one of Geno Auriemma’s UConn teams? Ask Villanova’s Denise Dillon.

    Two years into the rankings, the Collegiate Sports Information Directors Association urged the AP to start running the poll, which began the relationship, with my name attached, and appearing with stories in papers across the nation.

    I once told coaches in the early days to be patient. Newsroom executives are getting younger and have daughters in athletics.

    Things took a dramatic turn internally when Gene Foreman, our No. 2 in the newsroom, said his daughter, a swimmer at Virginia, also was going to be a trainer on the women’s basketball team, where she and North Philly native Dawn Staley became friends.

    Soon, the nicknames started, mainly Mr. Women’s Basketball, but soon enough to Women’s Hoops Guru, the name of my blog, and just when in person, simply Guru.

    Unrivaled’s Philadelphia spectacle delivers not just a big crowd, but a profitable one

    I recently noted when accepting a special achievement award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association at the annual dinner, like Woody Allen in the movie Zelig being at many moments in world history, l’m the equivalent in women’s hoops.

    I helped in the AIAW evolve the tournament into a Final Four format for better media and public understanding; together with retired St. Joseph’s coach Jim Foster and retired Villanova coach Harry Perretta, helped formalize women’s Big 5 play; saw the launch of ESPN and the WNBA; and remained deeply involved in the coming of NCAA women’s competition.

    Players I’ve covered have become coaches such as Villanova’s Denise Dillon, St. Joe’s Cindy Griffin, and Drexel’s Amy Mallon, while younger media types have gravitated, too.

    Yes, there’s much more to tell, but the word limit, even for the internet, is approaching, and so is the deadline.

    In later years the many awards have been nice, but it’s the friendships that have made it all worthwhile.

    Former Inquirer sportswriter Mel Greenberg (center) works the St. Joseph’s-Penn State women’s basketball game on Nov. 16. Current Inquirer Sixers beat reporter Gina Mizell is at right.
  • Rowan hires alumna Casey Burford as women’s volleyball coach

    Rowan hires alumna Casey Burford as women’s volleyball coach

    Rowan University has hired Casey Burford as head coach of its women’s volleyball team, the school announced Tuesday.

    The team’s previous head coach, Deana Jespersen, died of breast cancer on Nov. 2.

    Burford (née Grasso) played volleyball at Rowan from 2010 to 2014 before entering coaching and spent the last two seasons as head coach at Catholic University. She previously held assistant coaching roles at Goucher College, Delaware State, and Frostburg State.

    “This program has always meant so much to me because of my experience here as a student-athlete, alum, and student-assistant coach,” Burford said in a news release. “I’m truly excited by the work Deana did to shape Rowan volleyball into the culture and program it is today and feel so lucky to be a part of it again.

    “Returning to my alma mater and being part of this program feels like a full-circle moment, and I’m excited to work with a group of strong, talented young women as we continue to grow together.”

    The Profs were 25-6 and 7-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference last season. Rowan lost to Stockton in the semifinals of the NJAC tournament 11 days after Jespersen’s death.

    “Coach [Jespersen] instituted a strong culture of family and togetherness, and I’m confident that Coach [Burford] will build upon that similar philosophy to lead our program to success on and off the court,” Rowan athletic director Shawn Tucker said in the release.

  • Temple women have turned things around as the American Conference Tournament looms

    Temple women have turned things around as the American Conference Tournament looms

    With four games remaining in the women’s basketball regular season, Temple is not where it envisioned it would be. The Owls were coming off consecutive 20-win seasons and picked to finish fourth in the American Conference this season.

    Instead, Temple stands at 12-14 with a 6-8 mark in conference play and finds itself fighting to make the tournament instead of battling for a top seed.

    The Owls slid as low as ninth in the standings and were one game away from falling out of the top 10, and only the top 10 teams make the conference tournament. Temple has righted the ship with back-to-back wins against Charlotte and Memphis to move to seventh place but is still looking to improve.

    “We have been up and down,” coach Diane Richardson said. “But I think we are playing better together. … Hopefully we are on the upswing. I know it’s going to be a tough hill to climb to get into the conference tournament and even if we are in the conference tournament, it’s going to be five games [in five days].”

    Temple’s remaining games offer a unique set of challenges and circumstances. It faces two of the top three teams in the conference in Rice on Wednesday and South Florida next Tuesday. It will face two teams below the Owls in the conference in Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday and Florida Atlantic on March 7.

    Kaylah Turner has been a key contributor for Temple this season.

    The Owls almost certainly will have to play five games in five days at the conference tournament in Birmingham. That will present a challenge for Temple since its depth has not progressed to the level Richardson desires.

    While the reserves have been improving — Temple had 14 bench points in its 65-62 win against Memphis on Sunday — their lack of production is why the Owls have fallen in the standings, and Richardson knows it will be a factor in March.

    “They’re starting to pick things up and not be so hesitant and be more confident in what they’re doing,” Richardson said. “Knowing how they have to help us. They have to. Seeing how we’ve done this season with going up and down, up and down, and not being able to really count on the bench as much. They kind of see that.”

    Temple’s comeback falls short vs. East Carolina for third straight loss

    Without a strong bench, Richardson has relied on guards Kaylah Turner and Tristen Taylor and forwards Jaleesa Molina and Saniyah Craig.

    Craig has especially improved. She’s been a force in the paint for the Owls, scoring in double figures in the last seven games, and has hit double-digit points in every conference game beside two, while averaging 8 rebounds.

    “She’s been more of a leader, so she’s talking more,” Richardson said. “She’s more comfortable and talking, and that in turn has stepped up her game. That confidence is like, ‘OK, let’s go, let’s go.’ If you hear on defense, you can hear her talking the whole time.
And that also helps her teammates, kind of gets a little fire in everybody else.”

    Guard Savannah Curry has also increased her production. She missed the first four games of conference play with a facial injury and struggled to find her role upon returning. However, she scored career highs in points (18 and 21) in consecutive games against East Carolina and Charlotte.

    Curry’s emergence could be important in taking some of the burden off the Owls’ top four contributors. While Temple is no longer on the verge of missing the conference tournament, it wants to end its regular season on a high note.

    Kaylah Turner went from Temple’s top reserve to leading scorer in the American — and she isn’t satisfied

    “We’re looking at one game at a time,” Richardson said. “If we make the tournament, that’ll be great. If we don’t, we’re still working on getting better and us playing together and cohesively. So, right now, we’re concentrating on one game at a time.”

  • St. Joseph’s guard Gabby Casey has emerged as a ‘multidimensional’ player

    St. Joseph’s guard Gabby Casey has emerged as a ‘multidimensional’ player

    When St. Joseph’s coach Cindy Griffin recruited Gabby Casey out of Lansdale Catholic High, she compared Casey to Susan (Moran) Lavin, who scored 2,340 points, the most by any men’s or women’s basketball player for the Hawks, from 1998 to 2002.

    Casey set the scoring record for the boys’ and girls’ teams at Lansdale Catholic, and her natural scoring knack intrigued Griffin. The Hawks’ culture drew the 5-foot-9 guard, who joined St. Joe’s during the 2023-24 season.

    Her role gradually increased each year, and now as a junior, Casey has St. Joe’s fighting for a top-four seed and double bye in the Atlantic 10 tournament. She leads the Hawks in points, rebounds, and steals and prides herself on being a well-rounded player and leader for her teammates.

    St. Joe’s women are on a hot streak and could earn a double bye in the Atlantic 10 tournament

    “I felt that over the summer I had to put in a lot of extra work and come in more confident than I ever had before because I knew I was going to have a much bigger role,” Casey said. “I knew I was going to score in order for us to win, and that has really been the fun part for me. Scoring and then getting to lead the girls is so easy.”

    Casey played sparingly off the bench as a freshman, averaging 13.2 minutes. Last season, she was elevated into the starting lineup but was a secondary scorer, averaging 7.7 points. The Quakertown native has been an example for her teammates.

    “That used to be the natural progression,” Griffin said. “Kids stay, and they reap the benefits of their work, and when it’s their time, it’s going to be their time. I think Gabby is a great example of that, just staying the course and being where her feet are. She loves being around our team and our culture, and being able to step into that leadership role is really nice to see.”

    Gabby Casey (center), shown last Wednesday against Duquesne, has made 62 three-pointers this season.

    Casey has embraced leading a St. Joe’s team that lost a lot of experience from last season’s team, which won 24 games. In Griffin’s eyes, Casey has carried on the lessons that she learned from past team leaders.

    She has filled the leadership role seamlessly, guiding the Hawks to a 19-9 record with one regular-season game, at home against third-place Richmond (2 p.m., ESPN+) remaining.

    “[I try to] bring consistency in just showing up every day with the same mindset and same goals,” Casey said. “Then also creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed and feels like this is a place they want to be every day.”

    Casey always possessed the ability to score, which was evident from her high school days, and has put it on full display this season. She is averaging 16.0 points, good for third in the A-10, while shooting 48% from the field.

    After its Big Three moved on, St. Joe’s women’s basketball leadership has a decidedly Philly flair

    Her favorite way to score is a turnaround jumper, but she also can get to her spots in the midrange for pull-up jumpers. Casey also is a threat from three and leads the team with 62 triples.

    However, her on-court impact goes beyond scoring. She is St. Joe’s top rebounder with 6.4 per game, tied for second in assists (3.1), and is first in steals (1.6). When Casey is struggling to score, she still finds ways to help her team compete.

    “She’s multidimensional. It’s not just about scoring, it’s how she impacts the game,” Griffin said. “I go back to her freshman year, when we beat Villanova on our home court, and the trajectory of the game changed when Gabby came in and got a couple of steals. It changed the game, and that’s her impact. She’s gritty, tough, and competitive.”

    St. Joe’s guard Gabby Casey (left) is averaging 16.3 points this season.

    Now, Casey aims to lead St. Joe’s to success in the conference tournament.

    “These practices are going to be key to dialing in on the little things that we have to fix throughout the rest of the year,” Casey said. “We have to really focus on the little details that will give us the edge because A-10 play is going to be hard.”

  • Carli Lloyd’s return to Fox’s World Cup coverage comes with goals for herself and the USMNT

    Carli Lloyd’s return to Fox’s World Cup coverage comes with goals for herself and the USMNT

    In 2022, Fox Networks threw Carli Lloyd into the proverbial fire — on the other side of the world.

    Barely a year removed from her own retirement from professional soccer, the Delran native was announced as one of the primary studio analysts for the network’s monthlong coverage of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

    She handled it all in stride, finding her voice while taking cues from longtime on-air personalities Rob Stone and Alexi Lalas, but it was the first time she’d be a consistent presence, and a different look from what’s customary, with her observations of each match being critiqued and analyzed by soccer fans all over the world.

    From left, Fox Sports soccer broadcasters Carli Lloyd, JP Dellacamera, and Alexi Lalas speak at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia last month.

    “It was a lot to learn really fast, a lot to take in,” Lloyd recalled during the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia last month. “But I was fortunate enough to learn from guys like Alexi and [Fox commentator] Stu [Holden] who helped me along the way really feel confident and like I can really do this.”

    Lloyd did it well enough that she’ll be among Fox’s lead crew of studio analysts once again for the 2026 World Cup as the tournament makes six stops through Philadelphia as part of a 104-match schedule this summer.

    It’s a task she says she’s “ready and excited for” after getting her feet wet in 2022, in addition to the commentary she’s been able to provide in the years since — some of which along the way stirred up a bit of controversy.

    But a new year finds the tournament on home soil, with the United States hosting the bulk of scheduled matches, also spread across Canada and Mexico. It’s the perfect time for the United States to return to the biggest stage and show the world just how far it has evolved as a soccer nation, Lloyd says.

    “I wouldn’t say there’s immense pressure in winning the World Cup,” Lloyd said. “But there’s the pressure to show the country that they are there to compete and they’re going to fight, and they’re going to give everything they have for our country.”

    Made to inspire

    Lloyd can recall being a 12-year-old girl watching the 1994 World Cup, the last time the men’s edition was held in America. That tournament, she recalled, sparked her excitement and love for the sport.

    Follow that up with the unforgettable 1999 women’s edition, also hosted in the States, and those two moments galvanized the idea that Lloyd would do all she could to pursue it as a career.

    The World Cup, Lloyd says, has that effect.

    Carli Lloyd celebrates scoring her third goal against Japan in the 2015 women’s World Cup final in Vancouver.

    “I don’t think we all know yet just how massive this is going to be, and the impact that it’s going to have on generations to come,” Lloyd said. Those 1994 and 1999 World Cups “jump-started my dream; they were life-changing for me. But I think it’s only going to be massive in the United States of America if our team shows up with that grit and that fight and that mentality.”

    But it’s not just on the fans’ side. Lloyd said U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to leave a lot of the USMNT’s bigger names off the roster for the Concacaf Gold Cup, deciding to bring top American talent from Major League Soccer and elsewhere — like the Union’s Quinn Sullivan and Nathan Harriel — was an eye-opening experience for those players who might work a bit harder to remain on Pochettino’s radar.

    “For me personally, I think the Gold Cup was the turning point for this team, leaving a lot of those well-known players off the roster,” Lloyd said. “I think it was the best thing that could have happened to this team going into this World Cup. It gave a lot of the non-European [American] players the confidence, the belief, and [allowed Pochettino] to instill the culture he wants to build.”

    U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino, second from left. Carli Lloyd said the manager’s decision to bring fresh faces into the national team last summer and in the November cycle reinvigorated the team ahead of the World Cup.

    Games and opportunity

    Lloyd compared all of that to the success U.S. women’s coach Emma Hayes achieved in a short span, becoming the change that was needed after the Americans’ shocking exit at the 2023 women’s World Cup.

    There’s no reason, she says, that Pochettino can’t find similar success — despite being off to a noticeably slower start.

    “Obviously, the 2023 [women’s] World Cup didn’t end well,” Lloyd said. “The team needed change and almost needed to be blown up in order to be rebuilt again. Emma Hayes comes in. A lot of players retire. She selects different rosters, and they instantly change the culture, the mentality, the pride of wearing the jersey again, and that happened very quickly.

    “But with the men’s team, I feel like it took a lot of time, and I don’t know why it took time. Maybe it was the language barrier [between] coach and the team, and the lack of games and opportunities that they had together.”

    The U.S. seemed to find continuity during November’s qualifying cycle with a pair of exhibition wins, against Paraguay in Chester and a 5-1 rout of Uruguay in Tampa, Fla., to close the year.

    Pochettino will call up a number of players for matches against Belgium on March 28 (3:30 p.m., TNT, Peacock) and Portugal on March 31 (7 p.m., TNT, Peacock), in what will surely be a final audition for many on that roster.

    Both matches will be in Atlanta, home of U.S. Soccer’s new multimillion-dollar national training center. Lloyd noted that the investment and the caliber of nations the U.S. is bringing in show a commitment to improvement on the global stage.

    The USMNT’s players appreciate the team’s tough schedule leading up to the World Cup

    Now, it’s up to the players to cash in, she says.

    “I think we saw that fight [during this last FIFA window] in November,” Lloyd said. “You can see there’s a different tone within this group. And I’m glad that they found it when they did. There were some big wake-up calls for some players … and I think that’s all we’ve been wanting to kind of see, these guys having the pride when you put on that jersey. And they sure showed that those last two games in November.

    “It’s not a vacation when you come into the men’s national team anymore. There should be an excitement around it where you want to come in and lay your body on the line and do everything possible for the team and for your country.”

  • Penn women’s basketball keeps its Ivy Madness hopes alive with dominant win over Yale

    Penn women’s basketball keeps its Ivy Madness hopes alive with dominant win over Yale

    Penn dominated Yale on Saturday at the Palestra, keeping its slim hope for an Ivy League tournament bid alive.

    Mataya Gayle (22 points, four assists) and Brooke Suttle (16 points) combined for 38 points in the 68-52 win, which put the Quakers three games back of Harvard and Brown for fourth place in the Ancient Eight with four games left in the season.

    Penn women’s basketball competed in the four-team Ivy Madness tournament in six of the possible seven times since its inception in 2017. The Quakers failed to qualify in 2022.

    “They know we need to win,” Penn coach Mike McLaughlin said. “Since they’re smarter than me, they can figure out statistical analysis. I’m just here to tell you one at a time.”

    A mark above

    Gayle was honored pregame at halfcourt for reaching 1,000 career points against Cornell last weekend. The point guard is the 27th player in program history to reach the historic mark, but she’s not resting on her laurels.

    “I was excited about it,” Gayle said. “I think it was more so bittersweet. It’s the last time I’ll do this, so I was happy to get it. I’m proud of myself and the work I put in, but just want to keep winning.”

    Once the ball was tipped, Gayle continued her scoring ways — she tacked on 10 more points before the end of the first quarter. The Quakers (15-9, 5-6 Ivy League) held the lead for all but 21 seconds on Saturday, repeatedly taking advantage of Yale’s Ivy League-worst defense by scoring at the rim.

    Penn took care of the ball, too, and had just seven turnovers.

    “Only turning the ball over seven times gives us a chance to beat anyone,” McLaughlin said.

    Senior guard Simone Sawyer (12 points, eight rebounds) and Suttle combined to go 10-of-17 from the field, stepping up as reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year Katie Collins (eight points) who shot 2-of-11 from the field and struggled to score against Yale’s size.

    “I felt great,” Suttle, a sophomore guard, said. “Honestly, my teammates were doing a great job of finding me on cuts and off ball screens and actions like that. It’s just really good to be able to go out there knowing that they were confident in me.”

    Sophomore guard Ciniya Moore led Yale (6-18, 2-9) with 19 points.

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    Looking for help

    After winning the first iteration of Ivy Madness in 2017, Penn has been a perennial bridesmaid, losing in the championship game the next two seasons and coming in as the fourth seed in each of the last three.

    Now, McLaughlin is looking for help from some unlikely allies down the stretch with the hope that his team, once again, sneaks its way into contention.

    “I’ll buy them something to eat when I see them next,” McLaughlin said in reference to if Princeton beats Brown. “That’s what Philly people do right? They help out. We took care of our business. Whatever happens, happens, but I’m not opposed to buying if they help us out.”

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    Not as lucky

    The men’s team, which traveled to New Haven, Conn., to take on the league-leading Bulldogs, lost, 74-70. The Quakers (13-11, 6-5) remain in third with a one-game lead over fourth-place Cornell.

    Penn’s three-headed offensive attack, led by TJ Power (18 points, eight rebounds), Ethan Roberts (12 points), and Michael Zanoni (20 points), showed out — but the team failed to stop Yale’s paint presence, led by forward Isaac Celiscar (16 points) and center Samson Aletan (13 points).

    The Bulldogs (21-4, 9-2) scored 14 more points in the paint, 36-22, and seven more second-chance points (14-7).

    Penn guard Michael Zanoni had 20 points in a road loss to Yale.

    Up next

    Penn’s women embark on their final regular-season road trip, starting with Harvard on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN+). The men host Dartmouth that night at the Palestra (7 p.m., ESPN+).

  • Jefferson women’s basketball coach Tom Shirley to be inducted into Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame

    Jefferson women’s basketball coach Tom Shirley to be inducted into Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame

    Longtime Thomas Jefferson women’s basketball coach Tom Shirley received a welcome surprise before his team’s matchup with Caldwell on Saturday.

    Shirley, who has coached the Rams for 36 years, was announced as one of 10 inductees into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. The class will be inducted on Sept. 19.

    “I am honored to be recognized by the Pa. Sports Hall of Fame,” Shirley said. “I do realize there is group of individuals that have assisted me in receiving this recognition. Thank you to the players, alumni, coaches, staff, and Thomas Jefferson University, who have made this possible.”

    The other inductees are: Mike Bantom (basketball), Larry Bowa (baseball), Brad Cashman (administration), Joe Crawford (official), Marc Jackson (basketball), Benjamin Johnson (track and field), Kelsey Kolojejchick (field hockey), Ted Lachowicz (football), Darrelle Revis (football), Chris Snee (football), Nancy Stevens (field hockey), and Willie Thrower (football).

    Shirley has led the Rams to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, five Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championships, two Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference titles, and two New York Collegiate Athletic Conference titles.

    Jefferson University’s Tom Shirley becomes the 25th college basketball coach to reach 900 wins

    He has 922 victories, the most an for active Division II coach, and is considered one of the most decorated college women’s basketball coaches.

    “This is a significant moment celebrating Coach Shirley’s contributions to basketball and sports in Pennsylvania,” said Hall of Fame president James Parrella.

    Shirley has been named CACC Coach of the Year four times, including consecutive seasons in 2024 and 2025. He also was named the American Women’s Sports Federation Division II Coach of the Year and Converse District Coach of the Year in 1993.

    Off the court, he was the school’s athletic director for 32 years. He stepped down from the role in August 2024.

    His team had one of its best seasons in program history in 2023-24. The Rams set a program record with 23 straight wins, lost just once during the regular season, reached the Sweet 16 for a second straight year, and finished 32-2.

    The Rams are 17-10 and 11-8 this season, after a 48-45 loss to Caldwell. They have one more regular-season game, Wednesday night at home against Chestnut Hill, before the conference tournament begins March 3.

    Longtime Thomas Jefferson University women’s basketball coach Tom Shirley with Rams alumni.
  • Megan Keller’s golden goal for Team USA should go down as one of the biggest moments in Olympic history

    Megan Keller’s golden goal for Team USA should go down as one of the biggest moments in Olympic history

    When they eventually install microcameras into the corneas of our eyes, we’ll still be watching this hockey highlight.

    This was Kerri Strug vaulting on one leg in 1996. Bob Beamon shattering the long jump in Mexico City in 1968. Sid the Kid in 2010, only much, much cooler.

    It was more than historic. It was iconic.

    In overtime of the gold-medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA defenseman Megan Keller deked Canadian defender Claire Thompson and left her in the dust, flailing with her stick.

    Keller then beat goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens with a backhand to the short side.

    It was a golden goal worthy of the name.

    It should live as one of the great Olympic moments of all time. It should live as one of the great sporting moments of all time.

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    It’s hard to compare this Olympic moment with Romania’s Nadia Comăneci, who scored gymnastics’ first perfect 10 in 1976 at the age of 14. It’s not really the same as Usain “Lightning” Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who broke Michael Johnson’s world record in the 200 meters in 2008 or Michael Phelps, who, at those same Beijing Games, swam his way to eight golds; their moments were parts of aggregations. And it certainly lacks the social significance of Black sprinter Jesse Owens, who won a then-record four golds in 1936 in front of host Adolf Hitler.

    Jamaica’s Usain Bolt celebrates as he wins the men’s 200-meter final with a world record during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

    I was there for Bolt and Phelps. All of those moments took your breath away the way only great moments in sport leave you breathless.

    None was quite as magical as Keller’s golden goal.

    Sidney Crosby did something similar for Canada in 2010, and he did it against Team USA, and I was there for that, too. But Crosby’s goal was simpler: He carried the puck in, had a weak shot deflected away, got it back, went to the boards, passed to teammate Jarome Iginla, skated away from suddenly inattentive defenseman Brian Rafalski, got the pass back from Iginla, and snapped a shot past goaltender Ryan Miller.

    Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and film legend Donald Sutherland, both great Canadians, were sitting right behind me. They’d probably disagree with my assertion here.

    Sid’s was a great play.

    Keller’s was better.

    Keller’s goal isn’t quite the same event as Team USA’s upset of the Soviets in 1980. That was a true underdog story, mostly U.S. college kids playing an elite set of professionals who’d won the last four golds. It might be the biggest upset in sports history — but it wasn’t an overtime game, or even a gold-medal game, and there was no defining, game-ending moment like Keller’s.

    Pity poor Thompson, but not too much. She’d been a hero in China with 11 assists and two goals, an Olympic record for defensemen, when the Canadians won the gold in 2022.

    There are plenty of caveats surrounding what should be the play of the year. None of them of Keller’s making.

    Megan Keller celebrates after scoring one of the best golden goals you will ever see in hockey.

    Crosby scored his goal in a four-on-four setting, but overtime rules were changed ahead of the 2022 Olympics to make it three-on-three.

    The teams in 2010 were more evenly matched, while the U.S. team in Milan, Italy, was heavily favored, having outscored opponents, 31-1, in a 6-0 run that included a 5-0 win over Canada in the preliminary round. However, Canada’s strategy and execution Thursday had the reigning champs holding onto a 1-0 lead before American captain Hilary Knight tied the game with 2 minutes, 4 seconds left in regulation.

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    Finally, no teams besides Canada (five) and the U.S. (three) have won a gold medal, and they have met in the gold-medal game seven of the eight times it has been played. To date, it is not a sport in which the field offers the titans much resistance.

    This should not diminish the moment. Keller and her teammates can only beat opponents they meet.

    This golden goal is one of the best plays you will ever see.

    In fact, as a spontaneous athletic maneuver of incomparable audacity and breathtaking skill, seizing the biggest moment in a player’s life, I struggle to find its equal.

  • Imhotep is back in the Public League girls’ basketball final after beating Central

    Imhotep is back in the Public League girls’ basketball final after beating Central

    Business as usual.

    For the 14th year in a row, Imhotep Charter is headed back to the Public League championship. In Thursday’s semifinal, the Panthers eked out a 52-45 win against Central at La Salle’s John Glaser Arena. Imhotep led for the entire game, but Central kept it close until the final whistle. Taylor Linton’s team-high 17 points lifted the Panthers back to the final.

    “Out of all the teams throughout Imhotep history that have contributed to the streak, the commonality between all of those teams is that everybody is pushing,” said Imhotep coach David Hargrove. “Pushing to be better — number one. But then, pushing to be better teammates — number two. That allows us to keep that standard of competitiveness and championship-quality basketball.”

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    Late in the fourth quarter, down by six, Central sophomore guard Ava Yancey stole the ball and passed to junior point guard Stevie Hall, who was fouled and sent to the line. She made both free throws.

    But Imhotep kept on pushing.

    Panthers junior guard McKenna Alston responded with a lay-in of her own to quiet Central’s fans. Alston then stole the ball on the next two Lancers possessions to swing the momentum back to the Panthers.

    “We challenge our kids about making connecting plays. A lot of people think that’s [just on offense]. But for us … it’s on defense too,” Hargrove said. “We were able to put pressure to the ball, be in passing lanes, and be active.”

    Linton added: “[The end] was very intense. I think what was important is that we kept our poise … and we stayed connected.”

    Imhotep senior point guard Anai Kenyatta controlled the pace for the Panthers. Whenever the Lancers gained momentum, Kenyatta answered the call, finishing with 13 points. Senior forward Crystal Hawthorne added 11.

    For Central, sophomore forward Janai Bellinger led with a game-high 18 points. After Imhotep took a quick nine-point lead behind a 7-2 run to start the second half, Bellinger kept her team within striking distance until the final whistle.

    Audenried trounced Lincoln 67-28 earlier Thursday, meaning Imhotep will meet Audenried in the Public League championship for the fourth year in a row on Sunday. The Panthers lost to the Shayla Smith-led Rockets in the championship the past three matchups. With Smith now at Penn State, Sunday’s results could look different from previous years.

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    “Sunday’s matchup — we anticipate it to be a classic. It’s what has become an Imhotep-Audenried matchup, which is always going to be a back-and-forth, competitive game,” said Hargrove. “Some players are going to step up, some might step down, but it’s going to be a competitive game, and our kids have really been building for this moment all season.”

    Before Imhotep prepares for Audenried, the Panthers celebrated in the locker room after Thursday’s win.

    “It was quiet at first when we all walked in because it was like, ‘Dang,’” Linton said. “And then the coaches started coming in, and it was like, ‘OK, we going to the chip.’ It was real. Everybody was cheering and everyone was really, really happy.”