Colorado’s Kennedy McCarthy earns Week 9 Player of the Week honors after delivering another all-around performance: 5 goals, 3 assists, 416 total yards in a dominant showing that further cemented their breakout season.
Now the playoff picture tightens heading into Week 10. Seattle Tempest, San Diego Super Bloom, Bay Area Falcons and Colorado Alpenglow all have a chance to clinch their spot in the championships this weekend, while Arizona Sidewinders and Oregon Soar fight to stay alive.
WUL Week 9 Player of the Week:
Kennedy McCarthy (Colorado Alpenglow)
Kennedy McCarthy (CO) is all smiles after another all-around performance in Week 9.
Colorado’s Kennedy McCarthy finished Week 9 with 5 goals, 3 assists, 1 block, and a staggering 416 total yards while only posting .5 errors all game. Every Colorado run seemed to start — or end — with McCarthy touching the disc.
After becoming the first player in WUL history to post a 3G/4A/4B game back in Week 2, earning her first Player of the Week win, McCarthy delivered another all-around masterpiece in Week 9 — this time overwhelming opponents with big catches under pressure and precise hucks into the wind.
McCarthy has tallied huge numbers in her first WUL season with 14 goals, 12 assists, 10 blocks, and 1650 total yards so far this year.
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WUL Week 10 Preview
SEA @ OR (GAME OF THE WEEK)
Seattle Tempest heads into Portland carrying the clearest playoff path of any team in the league: win, and they officially clinch a spot at 2026 Championship Weekend.
But Oregon Soar stands directly in the way — and for Oregon, the stakes are high. A loss would eliminate Soar from postseason contention entirely, turning Saturday into a full survival game in front of their home crowd.
Tempest enters the matchup still looking to respond after last week’s 20-16 loss to San Diego Super Bloom tightened the race at the top of the standings. Even in the loss, Seattle’s offense continued to produce behind Cheryl Hsu’s massive throwing workload and the cutting duo of Jamie Kauffman and Meg Manning. The Tempest offense remains one of the most explosive units in the league when it finds rhythm early.
Oregon Soar, meanwhile, has spent much of the season proving they can hang with contenders for long stretches. The challenge now becomes sustaining consistency against a Seattle team that knows exactly what’s on the line. If Oregon can generate early pressure and sustain their runs of efficiency, they have a chance to disrupt the playoff picture in a major way.
If Seattle Tempest handles business, they become the first team to officially lock in Championship Weekend — and Colorado Alpenglow automatically qualifies as well, regardless of the outcome of their game later in the day.
CO @ SD
Saturday evening’s showdown between Colorado Alpenglow and San Diego Super Bloom could easily feel like a Championship Weekend preview before either team officially gets there.
Colorado enters the weekend looking like one of the league’s most complete teams after rolling past Utah Wild in Week 9 behind dominant defensive pressure and efficient downfield offense. Rose Bransford, Kennedy McCarthy, Abby Thorpe, and Ari Nelson have powered an offense that can overwhelm teams quickly once Colorado starts generating break chances.
But San Diego Super Bloom arrives with plenty of momentum of their own after delivering one of the biggest statement wins of the season against Seattle Tempest in Week 9. Super Bloom showed poise under pressure throughout that game, extending possessions, limiting mistakes, and capitalizing on key break opportunities late.
A San Diego win clinches a Championship Weekend berth outright and keeps pressure on the race for the top overall seed heading into the final weeks. Colorado’s path is slightly more flexible — if Seattle Tempest wins earlier in the day, the Alpenglow clinch regardless of this result against SD.
Still, neither team will approach this matchup cautiously. With two explosive offenses and major postseason implications attached, this has all the ingredients to become one of the biggest games of the regular season.
BAY @ AZ
Everything is on the line when Bay Area Falcons travel to face Arizona Sidewinders in the final game of Saturday’s loaded Week 10 slate.
For Bay Area, the equation is simple: win and clinch a spot at 2026 Championship Weekend. After keeping their postseason hopes alive with a strong win over Los Angeles Astra in Week 9, the Falcons now control their own path heading into one of their biggest games of the season.
Bay Area’s defense has become increasingly dangerous over the last several weeks, led by playmakers like Lily Steponaitis, while the offense continues to lean on the throwing prowess of Robyn Fennig and scoring production of Malina Wiebe and Bridget Wipfler.
Arizona Sidewinders, however, still have a chance to reshape the playoff race. A loss would officially eliminate Arizona from contention, but a home upset would throw the standings into chaos heading into the final stretch of the season.
Depending on earlier results, Bay Area could also end up helping San Diego Super Bloom clinch alongside them if the Falcons win and Colorado defeats Super Bloom earlier in the evening.
By the time this game ends, the entire Championship Weekend field could already be decided — unless Arizona or Oregon have one more surprise left.
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