It’s Championship Saturday in Utah, with three college soccer teams competing for a conference championship in No. 14 BYU, No. 20 Utah State and Utah Valley all 90 minutes (or extra time, and possibly penalty kicks) away from a tournament title in the Big 12, Pac-12 and Big West, respectively.
Add a fourth with Utah Royals FC kicking off the NWSL Playoff semifinals at Saturday morning on the road at No. 3-seeded Washington Spirit (10 a.m. MT, CBS).
It’ll be a full Championship Saturday for soccer fans along the Wasatch Front, starting with a Royal brunch and ending well after the all-too-premature-thanks-to-daylight-savings sunset.
Plus, another championship bout Sunday.
Here’s a look at the weekend’s slate.
NWSL: #7 Utah Royals at #3 Washington Spirit (10 a.m. MT, CBS)
Mandy McGlynn said it best when the Utah Royals goalkeeper huddled her team together and beat second-seeded San Diego Wave FC 1-0 in a defensive masterclass.
“Why the (expletive) not us?” the veteran goalkeeper and U.S. international yelled loud enough for a broadcast microphone to pick up the (intentional) cuss word.
Now they’ll get a chance to prove it against Trinity Rodman and a Spirit side that put four past Portland in a 4-1 quarterfinal victory.
The small-market Royals aren’t a team built on major stars and maximizing the NWSL’s newly created High Impact Player rule (though perhaps that could change with the success of the 2026 campaign). There is no Trinity Rodman or Catarina Macario in Utah’s lineup.
Instead, the Royals rely on the power of friendship, a close-knit locker room with players who know their role, a 31-year-old manager with a system that prioritizes defense and a high press, and a goalkeeper in Mandy McGlynn who keeps a chip on her shoulder after breaking in with the U.S. women’s national team for six caps since 2024.
It would be disingenuous to not consider Mina Tanaka, the Japanese midfielder with a team-high nine goals and five assists on the year, a “star.” Canadian international Cloé Lacasse, Mexican-American goal scoring ace Kiana Palacios, and recently capped U.S. center back Kate Del Fava have a chance to be the same.
But the Royals’ ethos certainly flies against the NWSL’s common perception of roster building. And so far, it’s working.
So why the (expletive) not Utah? And more importantly, why not now?
Big West championship: #1 Utah Valley vs. #2 UC San Diego (5 p.m. MT, ESPN+)
Let’s start on the Wasatch Front, where Big West regular-season champion Utah Valley will host second-seeded UC San Diego in the championship final of the conference tournament at UCCU Stadium in Orem.
The Wolverines (14-4-3) enter the match on an eight-match winning streak that includes 13-straight unbeaten, buoyed by Big West Offensive MVP Sadie Beardall’s conference-high 13 goals and eight assists.
Nixan Jackson is the engine of UVU’s offense with a reverse-Beardall of eight goals and 14 assists, including the equalizer in the Wolverines’ 2-2 draw at Triton Soccer Stadium in La Jolla, California back on Sept. 26.
That was one of two matches in Big West play where Utah Valley didn’t take all 3 points (9-0-2), despite out-shooting the Tritons 31-13 including an 18-8 advantage in shots on goal. UC San Diego goalkeeper Charlotte Wilfert made a school-record 15 saves in the draw.
If you can’t make it to UCCU Stadium at 5 p.m. (we highly recommend it), you can watch on ESPN+.
Big 12 championship: #1 BYU vs. No. 4 Baylor (6 p.m. MT, ESPN+)
The 14th-ranked Cougars are back in the Big 12 tournament final for a second straight year — but unlike last season’s eighth-seeded champion — as the favorite.
After clinching the Big 12 regular-season title in head coach Jennifer Rockwood’s final regular-season home match, BYU put together back-to-back penalty-shootout thrillers from goalkeeper Chelsea Peterson to get back to the final round at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas (home of MLS NEXT Pro side North Texas SC).
On the other side are the Bears, the No. 7-ranked team in the country with a 17-3-1 record that dispatched Texas Tech 2-1 in extra time Wednesday night.
Both teams are safely in the NCAA Tournament field, though a win for BYU could grant it tournament hosting rights for two games in Rockwood’s Last Dance. Will that be all the motivation BYU needs to run it back for a Texas two-step in the conference tournament?
Pac-12 championship: #1 Utah State vs. #2 Boise State (5:30 p.m. MT, Pac-12 YouTube)
The 20th-ranked Aggies survived a penalty shootout of their own to advance 6-5 past Gonzaga in the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament semifinals at chuck and Gloria Bell Field in Logan.
Next up for Manny Martins’ side is a rematch of last year’s Mountain West tournament final against No. 2 Boise State after the Broncos clinched a Pac-12 regular-season co-championship off Utah State (13-3-4) with matching 6-1-1 conference records.
The Aggies are likely safe in the NCAA Tournament field. Could a win — and a pretty d*** cool shield to add to the trophy case — clinch hosting rights on Saturday night?
If you don’t pack Bell Field in Logan, get to the Pac-12 YouTube channel to watch this one.
If that’s not enough Championship Soccer for you …
Weber State punches ticket to Big Sky championship match
Sayler Schlosser scored her third goal of the season midway through the second half Friday to help top-seeded Weber State advance to the Big Sky tournament championship match with a 1-0 win over Idaho in Missoula, Montana.
The Wildcats, who won the conference regular season with an 11-6-2 record, advanced to face second-seeded Northern Colorado.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT Sunday on ESPN+.
