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NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Bounces Back in the Second Half to Draw Racing Louisville FC

April 16, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) drew Racing Louisville FC 2-2 at home tonight in a back-and-forth match that saw goals by ACFC forward Katie Johnson and midfielder Savannah McCaskill.

The match got off to a difficult start for Angel City, when defender M.A. Vignola committed a foul in the box and the center official pointed to the spot. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo stepped up to take the penalty and buried it in the upper left-hand corner to open the scoring in the third minute.

Louisville came close to notching a second goal in the 13th minute when DeMelo beat her mark at the top of the 18 to send a shot just inside the left post- but keeper DiDi Haračić dove and just got a hand on the ball to deflect it onto the post itself.

Two minutes later, Angel City nearly got one back. Forward Claire Emslie ran onto a long diagonal pass from midfielder McCaskill, sprinted into space on the right side of the penalty area, and took a crack from distance, but her shot went just wide of the far post.

The two teams continued to trade attacks as the game went on, with neither side gaining control of the center of the pitch.

In the 32nd minute, Louisville doubled their lead as Kirsten Davis received the ball from forward Kirsten Davis near the penalty arc, took a touch to beat her mark, and sent her shot into the left side of the net.

On the last play before the halftime whistle, defender Paige Nielsen made a solo effort, dribbling into the box from the right and beating several defenders, but she sent her shot wide.

After the halftime break, Angel City came out on the front foot, producing a handful of chances, but it was Louisville that came close to scoring first. In the 60th minute, DeMelo sent a free kick to the far corner of the six-yard box, where forward Jessica McDonald was making a weak-side run. McDonald got her head on the ball, but sent it wide.

Angel City broke through in the 68th minute after they were awarded a free kick a few yards to the left of the penalty area, near the endline. McCaskill sent the kick to the near post, where forward Johnson redirected the ball with her torso to beat keeper Katie Lund.

ACFC put together a number of chances over the next 10 minutes, finally equalizing in the 87th minute. Forward Alyssa Thompson sent a cross into the near side of the penalty area, where an attempted clearance by a Louisville defender landed at the feet of McCaskill, who was lurking near the center of the 18. McCaskill turned to strike a clean half-volley past a diving Lund and into the net.

In the 90th minute, the home team nearly pulled ahead when Thompson ran onto a short diagonal pass from Johnson and sprinted past the Louisville back line, but her left-footed shot hit the post and bounced out to Lund.

Angel City's next match is a midweek Challenge Cup game at home against OL Reign on Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m. on CBSSN.

POST-MATCH QUOTES

Katie Johnson, ACFC Forward

On positive takeaways from the match:

"We definitely showed the grit our team has, and that we will fight to the end. We never gave up. That's a really important characteristic and value to have for a team that we can build off of."

On playing in her hometown:

"Having my family and friends here makes my off-field experience a lot more enjoyable. It makes me happier and more excited to be on the field. It definitely feels like a full circle moment for me having grown up in this area. When I was younger, I would always wish there was a professional team here, so it feels really special for me to be here. Everything happens for a reason, and I believe that I was meant to be here."

On the updated Challenge Cup format:

"It's definitely going to be different. It's in the middle of the season, and the games will have a different look and feel. At the beginning of the season, you're still trying to form bonds and relationships with players. Now that it's going to be mixed in. Depth will be important for us, too."

Savannah McCaskill, ACFC Midfielder

On first half:

"You never want to give up a penalty kick that early. We wanted to keep the ball and stay compact, but that's not what we did in the first half. Instead, we came out on our back foot, and weren't really prepared for what they were going to throw at us. Going into the second half, we knew we had to be better."

On upcoming games this week:

"We get to play at home for the next two games, which is huge. Whenever you have a three-game week like this, it's really important that you get to sleep in your own bed. That seems silly and simple, but not having to travel, getting to do your daily routine, and not having to worry about all the external factors is huge. After the game, we spoke about making sure that we recover properly and do whatever we need to do in order to show up again on Wednesday. The mindset is three points."

On energy throughout the match:

"We just didn't show up like we needed to in the first half. From an individual and a collective standpoint, the energy wasn't there, and we didn't do what we needed to do, both on and off the ball. Everyone saw in the second half, fatigue wasn't an issue. We had the energy, we had everything that we needed to go and get two goals back. That's just something that we have to focus on as a group going forward, that it's not a fatigue issue."

Freya Coombe, ACFC Head Coach

On the differences between the halves:

"We didn't get started with any energy. Savannah [McCaskill] just said that we were completely on the back foot. Fair play to Louisville, they had all the energy, won the tackles, looked like the brighter team, and punished us. They punished us for being second best, but in the second half we dominated all the categories.

"We were able to win balls, had better shape behind the ball to be able to stop those transitional moments. We were a little bit more patient rather than sending balls into an empty box. We were able to possess the ball a little more and look for those moments to attack and that was key."

On McCaskill's performance:

"Savannah led the categories in terms of statistics which included shots on target, crosses attempted, completed passes in the final third, completed passes, successful dribbles and second in chances created, as well as a goal. That's one hell of a performance."

On Thompson's performance:

"She did well, obviously she had a mini adventure previously in the lead up to this which was fantastic for her, we're very supportive of that. It was important for us to manage her minutes coming back in because she had a journey and played the 90+ minutes for the US Women's National Team. She's always looking dangerous when she comes in."

"Again, her ability to get front up, get forward facing and be able to advance the ball is brilliant, and she had a couple of opportunities to put shots on target. You always have to change how you defend her. You can see the double coverage on her and it's the same as when people defend Bukayo Saka from Arsenal. You have to commit an extra number and that opens up an opportunity somewhere else, so she often plays unselfishly in that regard."

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