Naomi Girma is Officially a Blue

Naomi Girma is Officially a Blue 

In last week’s article, we discussed the recent transfer news. We mentioned that Chelsea was close to signing Girma, and after a week, it was announced on Sunday that Naomi Girma had officially signed her new contract with Chelsea. The 24-year-old USWNT defender is the first-ever million-dollar player in women’s soccer, Chelsea set a new world record in transfer fees as they paid San Diego Wave $1.1 million in order to acquire Naomi Girma. Girma was introduced as a new blue at Sunday’s game against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, wearing her new #16 jersey. Naomi is not the only USWNT player at Chelsea, in fact, she is now reunited with her Stanford University teammate, Catarina Macario, who has been thriving as one of Chelsea’s top Forward. Girma will be under contract at Chelsea for 4.5 years. With the Girma signing, many other European teams have been trying to sign more US talent, as Arsenal and Chelsea are both showing interest in Washington Spirit and USWNT Forward Trinity Rodman, who will become a free agent next year. With more and more players going to the WSL (Women’s Super League) in England, some fans may think this will become the new trend for young US players. Only time will tell, but as for Girma this is a great opportunity for her to show her skill against many powerful European teams as she takes the stage in the Champions League and plays teams like Barcelona, Lyon, and other powerhouses in women’s soccer.

Madison Keys wins the Australian Open

This week was the final week of the Australian Open and this year there was a new winner crowed in the women’s final. US tennis player Madison Keys pulled off an upset in the final match after she defeated the No.1 seed Aryna Sabalenke in a 3-set thriller on Saturday. Madison who was ranked #19 defeated five ranked opponents on her way to winning her first-ever Grand Slam, with four of those opponents being ranked higher than her. On Saturday the stage was set as Keys had to defeat 2-time defending Australian Open Champion Aryna Sabalenke, Keys was able to win the first set 6-3 but lost the second set 2-6 but in the final set, she was able to win with a strong forehand hit to win the match 7-5 and the Championship. Keys is just the third US player to win a Grand Slam tournament since 2020, joining Sofia Kenin (Australian Open 2020) and Coco Gauff (Australian Open 2023).

South Carolina takes down Undefeated LSU

This past week, many people had the South Carolina Vs LSU game marked on their calendar because of how much was riding on this game, like LSU's undefeated record on the season and SC's 17-unbeaten streak against LSU in SEC play. It was originally scheduled for Thursday, but due to a crazy snowstorm hitting the southern states, the game was postponed to Friday night so that LSU could travel safely. Friday night finally arrived, and the game tip-off with both teams going back and forth the whole first half. The first half of the game was intense, with neither team able to get more than a 4-point lead, with the teams heading into the half only separated by 1 point. One of the key components was the depth of the South Carolina bench and how it would factor into the game because LSU does not have the same depth. This key was spot on because, in the second half, it showed as South Carolina’s bench outscored LSU's Bench 31-2. In the fourth quarter, South Carolina went on a 9-0 run and never looked back, it was hard for LSU to keep up as they were only rotating three to four players in and out while Dawn Stayley was rotating her whole bench. As the fourth quarter dwindled down, it proved to be just too much for LSU, who started to look fatigued. At the final buzzer, the scoreboard read 66-56 as the South Carolina Gamecocks gave LSU their first loss of the season, leaving UCLA as the only undefeated team in the country in women’s college basketball.