Women's Soccer

It took 33 shots, but Sweden finally found the back of the net.

After peppering the Belgium goal with dozens of shots — nine saved by Nicky Evrard — Sweden broke through in the 92nd minute to secure a 1-0 win and book its spot in the Euro 2022 semifinals on Friday at Leigh Sports Village. 

Defender Linda Sembrant, in her first start of the tournament, kicked home the stoppage time winner to send the No. 2 team in the world into a semifinal against host England on Tuesday at Bramall Lane. Sembrant’s shot was the 33rd of the match for Sweden.

It’s not often a fullback gets the hook for defending so poorly. It’s even rarer for such a move to completely flip the script in a major match.

Sarina Wiegman’s decision to replace the struggling Rachel Daly in the 82nd minute helped spark a remarkable comeback as England beat Spain 2-1 in extra time in the 2022 Women’s Euro quarterfinals on Wednesday in Brighton. 

The U.S. women’s national team is heading back to the Olympics thanks to a bit of revenge on the team that knocked it out of the last Olympics less than a year ago.

Alex Morgan converted a 78th-minute penalty kick to finally break through against Canada for a 1-0 win in the Concacaf W Championship final on Monday in Monterrey. Neither team had given up a goal all tournament, and Morgan buried the winner against her club teammate Kailen Sheridan, who was marvelous on Monday to keep the U.S. off the scoreboard from open play. 

After becoming the youngest goal scorer in NWSL history last month, 16-year-old Portland Thorns prodigy Olivia Moultrie got her second of the season Saturday night and it'll certainly be up for Goal of the Week honors.

The Thorns welcomed Gotham FC to Providence Park with Portland near the top of the table and NJ/NY beneath the playoff line, and it only took the home side five minutes to open the scoring through Taylor Porter after Gotham failed to clear a corner kick.

The Netherlands, after playing with fire and group stage elimination at Euro 2022, reeled off three goals in the final minutes to turn a precarious 1-1 scoreline against Switzerland into an emphatic victory on Sunday, although the reward of passage to the quarterfinals is sobered by the fact that it's France lying in wait.

Playing again without star striker Vivianne Miedema — who was still experiencing Covid symptoms — the Dutch looked much less than the sum of their parts against a stubborn Swiss defense that threatened on the attack through the dazzling feet of Ramona Bachmann.

Spain secured its spot in the Women's Euro quarterfinals and has a date with England after defeating Denmark 1-0 on Saturday. 

The final group stage game of Group B saw Spain and Denmark enter the match level on three points. Spain had the goal difference advantage therefore only needing a draw to advance. The stats might show that Spain dominated in possession with 75%, but the victory was anything but straight-forward.

Denmark had its chances tallying 10 shots and had the Spaniards on the ropes at several points throughout the game.

Oh, Canada. Soccer has never looked so promising up north. Both the women's and men's teams have qualified for the World Cup and boast promising young stars like Julia Grosso and Alphonso Davies. Popularity is skyrocketing for a sport which is widely considered to be the fastest growing in Canada. With growth at an all-time high, this is a crucial time for Canada Soccer.