Racing Completes Comeback to Secure Hard-Earned Win at Houston

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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Racing Completes Comeback to Secure Hard-Earned Win at Houston

May 3, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Louisville City FC's Jordyn Bloomer celebrates with teammates
Louisville City FC's Jordyn Bloomer celebrates with teammates
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Amid a long weather-beaten Friday night at Shell Energy Stadium, Racing Louisville FC claimed its first comeback road victory in nearly three years when Emma Sears scored midway through the second half to secure a 2-1 win over the Houston Dash.

Two separate delays due to lightning in the area made for a demanding test for both sides. After an almost two-hour weather delay, Houston opened the scoring through the versatile Avery Patterson just nine minutes in. Mother Nature came into play again, pausing the match in the 17th minute for around 50 minutes. When play resumed, Louisville turned the game around by scoring two unanswered goals: the first came three minutes after the restart from Kayla Fischer, while Sears' winner arrived in the 71st minute.

Racing, now 2-3-2 through the first seven games of the season, jumps up to 10th place in the NWSL on eight points - just behind ninth-place Bay FC on goal differential. Louisville's first win at Houston across all competitions means it is now only one point back of the final playoff spot, eighth position, which is currently occupied by Portland Thorns FC.

The Racing attack, which broke out last week in Portland with three goals, continued to gain confidence. The night's two goal scorers, Sears and Fischer, who accounted for half the team's total shots, have now both found the back of the net in consecutive contests.

Head coach Bev Yanez was proud of her team's display, especially considering the circumstances.

"The first 10 minutes (we) were a bit flat," said head coach Bev Yanez. "Obviously, with all the circumstances, always ask the group to be as adaptable as possible and prepare for that in any sense ... The conversations we were able to have in the locker room, some clips we were able to show (and) continue to reiterate that our aggression and intensity, specifically in our press, will cause problems...

" (I'm) very excited for the group to walk away with three points on the road. I thought it was a fantastic performance. Obviously, we walked away last game from Portland feeling like we put in a good shift, but to walk away with three points in this match feeling very similarly post those first few minutes of the match is a good feeling for the group."

The Dash came out strong following the delay to kickoff, with Patterson scoring on just the game's second shot in the 9th minute. The 22-year-old expertly smashed home a right-footed strike for her second career goal.

However, Yanez's team came out of the locker room after the second delay with a newfound energy. The equalizer came in the 20th minute as Fischer, Louisville's ultra-active No. 9, drove at the Houston defense before masterfully equalizing with her weak foot from distance.

Fischer continued her activity up front, putting the Dash under constant pressure with the home side attempting to build out of the back. The jolt from Racing's striker led the club's charge for a second late in the first period. While it didn't come, the visitors tallied seven of the half's final eight total shots.

As both teams searched for a go-ahead goal in the second period, it was Sears who found it, striking on the counterattack to snatch the winner in the 71st minute.

The standout sophomore was led by DeMelo's delivery, who made an accurate one-touch pass to the winger in stride, allowing her to convert the strike past Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell.

"That's actually something that we worked on this week in training," said Sears. "She (DeMelo) has such great abilities on the ball ... slipping through seams in the backline, so I knew that is where the ball was going. I think that we've done a really good job building on that relationship and building on that connection."

Hunting for its own equalizer this time, Houston tested the backline of Louisville. Jordyn Bloomer, though, in her first NWSL start for the club, was up for the task. Racing's shot-stopper registered five saves on the night, including three in the final 45 minutes.

"I think the energy from today's game especially shows that going down in the first 10 (minutes) is not ideal, but our bounce back is impeccable," Bloomer said. "To be able to prove to ourselves that we can do that and we can close out a game when it's tight and it's 2-1. ... This is going to be really, really big to keep rolling forward with."

Louisville looks to make it two consecutive wins at 8 p.m. next Friday as it begins a two-game homestand against fourth-place Gotham FC at Lynn Family Stadium. The encounter, which will be nationally broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, is Mom's Night Out, kicking off Mother's Day weekend. For tickets and more information, fans can visit RacingLoufc.com/gotham.

Game Summary: Houston Dash vs. Racing Louisville FC

Date: May 2, 2025

Venue: Shell Energy Stadium

Kickoff: 8 p.m.

Weather: 71 degrees, rainy

Scoring

Houston Dash (1, 0, 1)

Racing Louisville FC (1, 1, 2)

Goals:

Houston Dash

8' Avery Patterson (Ryan Gareis)

Racing Louisville FC

20' Kayla Fischer

71' Emma Sears (Savannah DeMelo)

Lineups

Houston Dash: 1 - Jane Campbell (c); 20 - Christen Westphal (78' 4 - Natalie Jacobs), 25 - Katie Lind, 14 - Paige Nielsen; 21 - Ryan Gareis (46' 22 - Michelle Alozie), 8 - Delanie Sheehan, 24 - Danielle Colaprico (63' 10 - Bárbara Olivieri), 15 - Avery Patterson; 11 - Yazmeen Ryan, 23 - Maggie Graham, 6 - Messiah Bright (79' 7 - Evelina Duljan)

Subs not used: 35 - Abby Smith; 9 - Diana Ordóñez, 12 - Kiki van Zanten, 13 - Sophie Schmidt, 17 - Sarah Puntigam

Head Coach: Fabrice Gautrat

Racing Louisville FC: 24 - Jordyn Bloomer; 11 - Courtney Petersen, 3 - Arin Wright (c), 5 - Ellie Jean, 2 - Lauren Milliet; 26 - Taylor Flint, 14 - Marisa DiGrande (66' 20 - Katie O'Kane), 7 - Savannah DeMelo; 16 - Janine Sonis, 13 - Emma Sears, 9 - Kayla Fischer (66' 42 - Sarah Weber)

Subs not used: 71 - Maddy Anderson; 4 - Elli Pikkujämsa, 6 - Ella Hase, 12 - Allie George, 15 - Ángela Barón, 19 - Jordan Baggett, 29 - Uchenna Kanu

Head Coach: Bev Yanez

Stats Summary: Houston Dash / Racing Louisville FC

Shots: 12 / 12

Shots on Goal: 6 / 5

Expected goals: 0.81 / 0.73

Possession: 61.3% / 38.8%

Fouls: 13 / 11

Offside: 4 / 1

Corners: 6 / 2

Discipline Summary

Houston Dash:

52' Christen Westphal (yellow)

72' Maggie Graham (yellow)

Racing Louisville FC:

62' Marisa DiGrande (yellow)

Match referee: Marie Durr

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics




Images from this story

Louisville City FC's Jordyn Bloomer celebrates with teammates
Louisville City FC's Jordyn Bloomer celebrates with teammates
(Tim Warner/Getty Images)		   

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