THE EVE EDITION
FIRST BLUSH | SAT OCT 17
The WNBA Finals start this afternoon with two franchises that have never won a title. Golden State is in its second season and its first Finals, with Chase Center behind it and a 3-0 record against Atlanta this year. The Dream, back in the Finals for the first time since 2013, have not lost a playoff game. One of those runs gives way at 3:30 PM.
The rest of Saturday is crowded with contenders. Gotham can clinch a top-two finish at Audi Field, Ohio State tries to answer Friday’s 6-2 loss at Minnesota, Nebraska puts 49 straight regular-season wins on the line against Purdue, and the Eagles go for a fourth straight win in Texas. In Wuhan, the semifinals are already under way, and a Polish finalist is guaranteed.
Europe fills the morning, with Arsenal at home to Birmingham City, Real Madrid hosting Espanyol and OL Lyonnes at Paris Saint-Germain. If Gotham wins, North Carolina can hand it the Shield by beating San Diego at 7:00 PM. College volleyball and hockey run deep into the night, the LPGA’s final round in Shanghai starts at 11:00 PM, and the Track World Championships finish there late tonight.
#4 Atlanta Dream at #2 Golden State Valkyries
Golden State is the first expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals in its second season, and it arrives on a 6-1 playoff run capped by a 3-0 sweep of defending champion Las Vegas. Atlanta is 5-0 this postseason after sweeping Washington and New York, the last of them sealed 85-83 on DeWanna Bonner free throws with 6.2 seconds left. The Valkyries won all three regular-season meetings and had the league’s best defensive rating, and Gabby Williams is averaging 22.7 points in the playoffs. The Dream counter with Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese and Jordin Canada, who is scoring 19.2 a game this postseason. Allisha Gray has been day-to-day since a minor procedure on her left hand. Games 3 and 4 move to State Farm Arena.
EVE’s Edge: Golden State to win, 81-76. Chase Center and a 3-0 season series tip it to the Valkyries, but Atlanta’s defense keeps it close to the end. (Game 1, best of seven.)
Gotham FC at Washington Spirit
Gotham leads the NWSL with 55 points and three games left, and a win at Audi Field clinches a top-two finish and home field through the semifinals. If North Carolina also beats San Diego tonight, Gotham wins its first Shield. Washington is third on 49 and has no margin left. The Spirit won 3-2 at Houston on October 4, with Clara Luvanga scoring the winner in the 84th minute. Jaedyn Shaw leads Gotham with 10 goals and is expected to play, though Emily Sonnett, Bruninha and Jordynn Dudley are out for the season. Gotham won the last meeting 1-0 before 42,175 at Citi Field.
EVE’s Edge: Gotham to win, 2-1. A draw keeps the Shield chase alive, but Gotham, unbeaten in four, should take all three points and the top-two place with them.
#1 Ohio State at #3 Minnesota
Minnesota beat the top-ranked Buckeyes 6-2 on Friday, scoring twice in the first four minutes. Adrianna Milani scored 14 seconds in and added a power-play goal, Madison Kaiser scored twice, and Hannah Clark made 26 saves. Joy Dunne and Jenna Raunio scored for Ohio State, and Rowan Houweling made a career-high 31 saves in the Buckeyes’ first loss. The Gophers are 5-0-0, and Ohio State, last season’s national runner-up, is 6-1-0. Minnesota leads the all-time series 85-34-7, but Ohio State had won six of the previous 10 meetings. Minnesota outshot the Buckeyes 37-28 on Friday.
EVE’s Edge: Ohio State to win, 3-2. The Buckeyes regroup after their first loss, and they will not give Minnesota two goals in the first four minutes again.
#13 Purdue at #1 Nebraska
Nebraska is 18-0 and 7-0 in the Big Ten, with 49 straight regular-season wins and 58 in a row at the Devaney Center. The Huskers lead the nation hitting .330 and hold opponents to .105, Andi Jackson is hitting .487, and Manaia Ogbechie leads the Big Ten at 2.17 blocks per set. Setter Bergen Reilly averages 12.33 assists per set. Purdue, 11-5, swept Iowa on Thursday behind 16 errorless kills from Addy Tindall, after saving four match points to beat Illinois in five sets. Nebraska has won the last seven meetings, and Purdue last won in Lincoln in 2013.
EVE’s Edge: Nebraska to win, 3-0. Purdue digs as well as anyone in the Big Ten, but nobody has found a way to score enough against this block at the Devaney Center.
Italy at USA
The Eagles are 2-0 in the WXV Global Series, coming back from 19 down to beat Ireland 40-36 in Dublin and edging Wales 26-24 in Cardiff, where Freda Tafuna scored a hat trick. Counting a July win over South Africa, it is their first three-match winning streak since 2006. Italy beat Japan 55-21 at home and lost 41-29 to South Africa, and they arrive without the injured Silvia Turani. Michela Sillari could earn her 100th cap, and co-captain Georgie Perris-Redding starts for the Eagles at flanker. Italy won the last meeting, 30-8 in 2023, and the teams meet again in Nashville on October 24.
EVE’s Edge: USA to win, 29-20. Tafuna is in the form of her career, and the Eagles have learned to finish close games.
UNBUCKLING THE BELT
WTA 1000. Wuhan is guaranteed a Polish finalist. Sonay Kartal and Jelena Ostapenko opened the semifinals, and #7 Iga Świątek and #16 Maja Chwalińska followed on Tennis Channel.
UCI Track Worlds. Shanghai finishes the women’s program with the time trial, Madison and individual pursuit finals this morning and the keirin and points race late tonight, all on FloBikes.
Frauen-Bundesliga. Third meets fourth at 8:00 AM, when Eintracht Frankfurt, on 13 points, visit Bayer 04 Leverkusen, on 12, with both chasing leaders Bayern München. Hamburger SV visit 1. FC Köln at 6:00 AM. Both matches are on DAZN.
Liga F. Real Madrid, fourth and five points behind leaders Barcelona, host RCD Espanyol at 2:30 PM. Valencia CF, still without a point, play at Athletic Club at 10:30 AM, and Costa Adeje Tenerife and Granada CF are on the road early. None of the matches has a U.S. broadcast.
Women’s Super League. Arsenal, 10th with one win in five, host promoted Birmingham City at 7:45 AM on Paramount+. Birmingham are still looking for their first win back in the top flight.
NCAAW Field Hockey. #5 Harvard plays at Brown at noon on ESPN+, and #8 Duke visits Louisville at 1:00 PM on ACCNX.
NCAAW Hockey. The Ohio State and Minnesota rematch leads a 3:00 PM slate with four more top-10 teams in action. #2 Wisconsin hosts Minnesota State, #4 Quinnipiac hosts #6 Northeastern, #7 Princeton hosts #8 UConn and #10 St. Cloud State visits St. Thomas. #5 Penn State plays Lindenwood at noon, and #9 Colgate visits Boston University at 6:00 PM.
Première Ligue. OL Lyonnes visit Paris Saint-Germain at 3:00 PM, with no U.S. broadcast.
NCAAW Soccer. #23 Liberty plays at Kennesaw State at 6:00 PM on ESPN+, and Fresno State visits #16 Utah State at 9:00 PM on YouTube.
NWSL. The Shield can be settled tonight. If Gotham wins at Audi Field, North Carolina hands it the Shield by beating San Diego at 7:00 PM on NWSL+. Kansas City visit Utah at 6:30 PM and Angel City visit Denver at 8:45 PM, both on ION.
NCAA Volleyball. After Nebraska and Purdue, #15 Penn State plays at USC on BTN and #14 BYU visits Arizona on ESPN+, with Maryland at #21 Minnesota and #22 Michigan State at Northwestern on B1G+.
A-League Women. Round 1 continues tonight with Melbourne City at Wellington Phoenix and overnight with Adelaide United at Sydney FC, both on ESPN+.
Rugby League World Cup. The Kiwi Ferns open against Fiji in Group B in Newcastle late tonight, with Olympic sevens gold medalists Stacey Waaka and Tenika Willison in their squad. There is no U.S. broadcast.
LPGA. Hye-Jin Choi takes a one-shot lead over Amy Yang into the final round in Shanghai, with 2024 champion Ruoning Yin two back. Choi is still chasing her first LPGA Tour title. Coverage starts at 11:00 PM on Golf Channel.
Marathon. The women’s elite race in Amsterdam starts at 3:00 AM Sunday on beIN Sports.
AEW. In Orlando, Persephone defends the TBS Championship against Hyan, Dani Luna and Queen Aminata at 8:00 PM on HBO Max PPV.