By OkayGoal
In this week’s women’s soccer news, Georgia set an NCAA record; Tobin Heath was honored by the Portland Thorns; Sarah Schupansky has a new team; and more!
High of the Week
Georgia women’s soccer set the NCAA attendance record for men or women with 25,433 people in attendance at Sanford Stadium. The previous women’s soccer record was set at the 1999 National Championship match between North Carolina and Notre Dame with a crowd of 14,410. The previous men’s record was in 1980 with 22,512 in attendance at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Georgia’s match on August 20th was just the second soccer match to be played in the stadium.
It was a special moment for Georgia who was hosting the match as a way to honor the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Olympics final when the USWNT won the Gold Medal against China in Stanford Stadium. That match had an attendance of 76,489 people who watched the USWNT win 2-1.
Georgia had a lot to celebrate on the field as well, with a 6-0 win over James Madison University in the match. The team had five different goalscorers in the match, with midfielder Honoka Hamano scoring a brace.
Low of the Week
Racing Louisville dropped a much needed three points this weekend against the Chicago Stars 3-2. It was a back-and-forth match with Chicago getting the scoring started first thanks to Jameese Joseph’s first goal of the season. Chicago went into the break with the 1-0 scoreline, but it didn’t take long for Taylor Flint to find the equalizer. In the 62nd minute, Mallory Swanson put Chicago in front again with an incredible goal off the spin move. Louisville would answer again just seven minutes later with a goal from Makenna Morris. Julia Grosso scored the game-winner for Chicago in the 83rd minute. It was Chicago’s first win since July 5th and just their fifth on the season.
For Louisville, though, it’s a really bad game to drop points in. Chicago is sitting in last place, and Louisville is trying to make a late push for the playoffs, but they have work to do, and they desperately needed to get points out of this match. Louisville was doing really well during their recent stretch with four straight wins before the loss to Chicago. Unfortunately, Racing, though, has a pretty tough stretch coming up. Next weekend they’ll have to travel to the San Diego Wave, then they’ll have two straight home games against Bay FC and Gotham.
News of the Week
Tobin Heath got her much-deserved flowers this weekend from the Portland Thorns organization. The midfielder officially retired in 2025, but she hadn’t played in a match since 2022; on Saturday, she signed a one day contract to officially retire as a Thorn. Portland is the club that Heath spent the majority of her career with, and she’s a legend in that city and for that club. Heath played for the Thorns from 2013-2020, and she was a huge part in making Portland successful on the field as well as building the environment that we all know and love in the Rose City. She played in 73 matches, scored 13 goals, and tallied 24 regular-season assists, which is the most in club history. She helped the club win two NWSL Championships and one Shield trophy.
On the international stage, Heath was also one of a kind with the USWNT. She made 181 international appearances while scoring 36 goals and tallying 42 assists. She helped win two Women’s World Cups and two Olympic Gold medals. She was named a 2026 National Soccer Hall of Fame Inductee for her decorated career as well. Heath was a magician on the field and was a one of a kind player so it’s nice to see her getting the recognition she deserves on the club level as well.
one of one.
Thank you, Tobin, for leaving the game better than you found it and for putting Portland on the map for women’s soccer. pic.twitter.com/uc4GSuF6OL
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) August 23, 2026
Transfer of the Week
This week, the Boston Legacy announced that they have acquired midfielder Sarah Schupansky from Gotham FC in exchange for $50,000 in allocation money and $30,000 in intraleague transfer fees. Before beginning her professional career, Schupansky spent four years at the University of Pittsburgh, where she appeared in 82 games, scored 32 goals, and registered 43 assists. Ahead of the 2025 season, Gotham signed the midfielder to a two-year contract. During her time with Gotham, she made 38 appearances and helped the club win the NWSL Championship last season. It’s a strong addition to this Boston team that is still trying to find their footing in this league. A player like Schupansky can immediately come in and make a difference for this squad.
Player of the Week
Few players have had a better season than Ashley Sanchez is having right now with the North Carolina Courage. She scored a brace in North Carolina’s 2-1 win over the Boston Legacy, including the latest goal in NWSL history, which came in the 17th minute of second-half stoppage time. She’s currently leading the Golden Boot race with 13 goals in 20 games and has been a key piece in the Courage’s recent form, with the club getting four wins in their last five games. Sanchez is playing herself back into the USWNT discussion, and with her form it seems like Emma Hayes will have a difficult time not calling the midfielder up soon.
Win of the Week
The Portland Thorns opened their new training facility this week in partnership with the WNBA’s Portland Fire. Kaiser Permanente Performance Center is a 100,000-square-foot performance center designed specifically for women’s sports. The facility will have two full-sized soccer fields, an outdoor training space, a 5,000-square-foot strength and performance center, a yoga and Pilates studio, a chef and nutritionist in a full-service dining room, team meeting spaces, dedicated family spaces, and more. It’s a massive step for women’s soccer and women’s sports in general; these athletes deserve state-of-the-art facilities, so to see this one open is great. Portland joins the Kansas City Current and Angel City as clubs that already have dedicated training spaces, and other teams are following suit; the Chicago Stars plan to open theirs in 2027. The Denver Summit, Bay FC, and the new Atlanta expansion club have all announced plans to open their own facilities as well.
Goal of the Week
Mina Tanaka has been playing really well for the Utah Royals, and that momentum continued into this weekend’s game. Despite Utah losing 4-2 to the San Diego Wave, Tanaka scored a brace, including a really impressive first goal. Cece Delzer did well to bring the ball down and control the long ball with a defender on her back and lay it off to a running Tanaka. The forward hit the ball one time and placed it into the back of the net; it was a perfect strike.
Save of the Week
Jordan Silkowitz made a reaction save in Bay’s match against the Houston Dash. Houston earned a corner kick that was whipped into the box, with a Dash player getting her head on it and putting it on frame, but Silkowitz was able to make herself big and get a hand on it.