Checking in on state pro players
Dominic Briggs opens his account in Iceland, plus updates from the U.S. and England
Dominic Briggs (Oconomowoc) scored the first goal of his professional soccer career Saturday, helping host Víðir draw with UMF Víkingur Ólafsvík 1-1 in a 2. deild karla (third division) season opener in Iceland.
Briggs opened the scoring in the 14th minute, but Víkingur equalized in second-half stoppage time to earn a point.
Briggs signed with Víðir during the offseason, joining his twin brother Cameron Briggs (Oconomowoc) and Paolo Gratton (Madison West/UW-Milwaukee) on the roster. Cameron Briggs was Víðir’s player of the year in 2024 as the side finished second in the 3. deild karla (fourth division) to earn promotion to the third tier.
Víðir lost to Höttur/Huginn 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in the Lengjubikar (League Cup) B Division final on April 29. Cameron Briggs and Gratton played the full 90 minutes for Víðir, while Dominic Briggs was an unused sub.
Read more: Briggs bros takeover (Waukesha Freeman), Jan. 29, 2025
Besta deild kvenna
Also in Iceland, Elaina LaMacchia (Cedarburg/UW-Milwaukee) earned her first shutout of the season in the women's top flight as Fram blanked visiting Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar 2-0 Saturday.
U.S.
MLS NEXT Pro
JT Harms (Whitefish Bay) earned his first clean sheet as a pro, making five saves as North Texas SC posted a 1-0 victory over MNUFC2 on Friday afternoon in Blaine, Minn. Ari van Mol (Cross Plains), an Academy player who's committed to UW for Fall 2025, was on the bench for MNUFC2.
NWSL
Jordyn Bloomer (Hartland Arrowhead/UW) stopped five of six shots she faced in her first league start, helping Racing Louisville edge the host Houston Dash 2-1 on Friday.
Bloomer started in place of Katie Lund, who had started the past 79 league matches and played 7,110 consecutive minutes but missed out due to a hip injury. The 27-year-old Bloomer made three starts in cup competitions in her first three seasons with Racing.
England
Women's Championship
Julia Roddar (UW) played the full 90 minutes as the London City Lionesses earned promotion to the Women's Super League for the first time with a 2-2 draw against host Birmingham City in a season finale Sunday.
The draw allowed the Lionesses (13W-3L-4D) to finish two points ahead of runner-up Birmingham City and earn the lone promotion spot to England's top league for the 2025-2026 season.