In this week’s women’s soccer news, the USWNT got a big win; Kayla Duran suffered a season-ending injury; Rose Lavelle had a big day; and more!
High of the Week
The USWNT scheduled a big test this international break with three games against Japan. The first match was in San Jose, California, and the United States got a big 2-1 win thanks to goals from veterans Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan. They got off to a quick start with the first goal coming in just the ninth minute. The rest of the first half was fairly evenly matched, but just after the start of the second half, the USWNT would double their lead thanks to a goal from Horan. It didn’t take long for Japan to get an answer in the 61st minute with Riko Ueki finding the back of the net. Goalkeeper Claudia Dickey had to make a point-blank save to keep the USWNT ahead at the end of the match, but they did enough to get the win. The goal that Japan scored was the first goal conceded by the USWNT in 2026. This is a team that has had a lot of rotation since Emma Hayes took the reins, but we’re starting to see some consistency in the lineup and chemistry growing between players. It was a good first match for the USWNT during their April break.
Low of the Week
Unfortunately, there was more injury news out of the NWSL this week. Gotham announced that defender Kayla Duran suffered an ACL tear during their match against the Kansas City Current. Duran was placed on the season-ending injury list. She first joined Gotham in 2025 as a national team replacement player, and just a month after signing that contract, they signed a contract through the end of the 2025 season. Then, just before the start of the 2026 season, she signed a new contract with the club through the 2027 season. Of Gotham’s five games this season, Duran had started all but one. We’re wishing her a speedy recovery, and we can’t wait to see her get back on the field.
News of the Week
The NWSL announced who the highest selling jersey of 2026 is at the moment, and the name at the top of the list isn’t shocking. Trinity Rodman leads the way with the top-selling jersey, despite being young. Rodman has accepted the fact that she’s the face of the league now, and that fact is shown even more with the jersey sales.
Then in second is Lindsey Heaps who actually hasn’t even joined her team yet. Heaps is finishing her season at Lyon before joining her hometown team, the Denver Summit. Denver has embraced this new NWSL club, and they’re showing love for the team. Fans are super excited to see Heaps take the field in her Summit jersey this summer. Hal Hershfelt rounds out the top three with the Washington Spirit having two of the three spots.
Player of the Week
Rose Lavelle had a big game against Japan for the USWNT. It was her 100th start on the international stage, and she had quite the performance to celebrate. She opened the scoring for the United States, and then she earned the assist on the game-winning goal by Heaps. Lavelle is one of those players who are just so fun to watch, so to see her healthy and back to playing at her level is awesome. She’s a veteran player who can take control of a game, and she did just that on Saturday. Lavelle is a player who has struggled with a lot of injuries, but with the 2027 Women’s World Cup coming up, keeping the midfielder healthy and at the top of her game will be very important.
Return of the Week
Sophia Wilson is back with the USWNT after giving birth to her first child, a daughter, Gigi, in September 2025. She had been away from the USWNT for 17 months while on maternity leave, but on Saturday, she earned her first appearance representing the United States as a mom. Wilson returned for her club team, the Portland Thorns in their 2026 season opener.
Goal of the Week
The NWSL might be on a break, but the Gainbridge Super League is still going full swing, and Emily Morris scored a beauty of a goal for the Carolina Ascent. The ball was bouncing around the box with the defense unable to get a clearance, so Morris took the pass and settled the ball to set up a long range left-footed shot that went curling into the back of the net. The goal ended up being the game winner and extended Carolina’s unbeaten streak to seven games.
Morris makes an INSTANT IMPACT ⚡️
Emily Morris 𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 minutes after entering the match to give @carolinaascent the 1-0 lead! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/nXblG1FB1u
— Gainbridge Super League (@GainbridgeSL) April 12, 2026
Signing of the Week
The Houston Dash announced this week that they have signed defender Natalie Bain through the end of the 2026 season, but she won’t join the team until the end of May as she’s finishing up her semester at Xavier. During her four years at Xavier, she started all 85 matches she appeared in and played over 7300 minutes. Her list of accolades include being named to the All Big-East First Team three times and the Big East Defensive Player of the Year twice.
What To Look Forward To
The USWNT will face off with Japan two more times before the end of the international break. The second of the three matches will be on Tuesday, April 14, and then on Friday, April 17. Japan is a very good team, and going against them is a great test to see where the team is as a whole, as well as figuring out which players are standing out to USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. The first match was a very good game, so it’ll be exciting to see that matchup two more times.
GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS