Rise Higher

England

Saturday was the last match-day of the 2022/2023 WSL season. Sabrina D’Angelo earned the start for Arsenal in their 2-0 loss against Aston Villa. Jayde Riviere remained on the bench as Manchester United beat Liverpool 1-0. Reading took on Chelsea as the former looked to stay in the WSL, and the latter looked to clinch another league title. Deanne Rose started for Reading and played the first 33 minutes. Jessie Fleming came on for Chelsea in the final six minutes, and Kadeisha Buchanan was an unused substitute. Chelsea won the match 3-0. Finally, Shelina Zadorsky was not on the roster for Tottenham as they drew West Ham 2-2. These results mean that Rose’s Reading is relegated to the Championship for the 2023/2024 season, and it is likely Rose will look to transfer to a different club. With the league-wide results, we will see Fleming, Buchanan, Riviere, and D’Angelo in the UWCL later this year.

France

This weekend marked the end of the 2022/2023 D1 Arkema season. Ashley Lawrence started as captain for PSG as she played her final match for her club. She played the first half in a 3-0 win. Vanessa Gilles was rested for Lyon against Reims as the titleholders throttled their opposition 7-1. Lastly, Marie Levasseur was not on the roster for Fleury as they beat Guingamp 6-0. Despite the win, Levasseur’s Fleury placed fourth overall in the league, meaning they will miss out on the next UWCL season.

Italy

Julia Grosso played the final 16 minutes for Juventus in a 5-2 win against Roma.

Portugal

Famalicão won the Taça de Portugal Feminina, defeating Braga 2-0. Marie-Yasmine Alidou played almost the entire match.

Sweden

Clarissa Larisey earned the start for BK Häcken and scored in the 90+3 minute to pad Häcken’s lead. They beat Piteå 3-0. For Vittsjö, Sarah Stratigakis played the full match and earned an assist in the team’s 3-0 win over Djurgården. Sura Yekka was an unused substitute. In a match that may later prove critical in the race for UWCL spots, Kristianstads and Hammarby drew 1-1. Evelyne Viens played the full match for Kristianstads.

USA

Allysha Chapman and Sophie Schmidt both played the full match for the Houston Dash in a 2-0 win against Kansas City. The match between the San Diego Wave and Portland Thorns seemed to be goalless until goals in the 86th and 90th minutes brought the final score to a 1-1 draw. Kailen Sheridan was in net for the Wave. On the other side, Christine Sinclair started and played 66 minutes before being subbed off. Adriana Leon was once again an unused substitute for the Thorns. In the match between OL Reign and Angel City, both Jordyn Huitema and Quinn came off the bench. Shortly after coming on, Quinn scored their first-ever NWSL goal. That match ended 4-1 in favour of the Reign. Sydney Collins was once again left off the North Carolina Courage’s roster, but Victoria Pickett played the last 13 minutes in a 2-1 win against Racing Louisville. In a 1-0 win against the Orlando Pride, Bianca St-Georges played the first 61 minutes for Chicago. In the last NWSL match of the week, Gabrielle Carle started for the Washington Spirit in a 1-1 draw with Gotham FC.

Player of the Week: Quinn

Goals: 2 (Larisey x 1, Quinn x 1)
Assists: 1 (Stratigakis x 1)