Racing Louisville Gets Critical Rematch with Angel City

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Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville Gets Critical Rematch with Angel City

September 13, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville is back at Lynn Family Stadium with a chance to inch closer to a playoff spot when it takes on Angel City FC at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday in a rematch of a five-goal June thriller.

Saturday is also Racing's annual Pups at the Pitch night. Fans may bring their dogs to the match, with proceeds going to the Kentucky Humane Society. The first 1,500 fans entering through Gate 4 with their pups will also receive a complimentary Feeders Supply dog bandana.

The third all-time meeting between the teams at Lynn Family Stadium will be nationally broadcast on ION and streamed for free on ionnwsl.com. Sports Talk 790 AM will carry the radio broadcast, which will be additionally available online at 790louisville.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.

Racing (4-8-7, 19 points) is coming off a narrow loss at Bay FC, 1-0, in its most recent match, falling to 11th position in the NWSL table but still just four points out of eighth place, the final playoff spot.

The Louisvillians now return home in need of points to make up ground in the postseason race, with the chance to avenge a 3-2 loss at Angel City earlier this year. Racing last won at home on Aug. 24, a 3-1 decision over the Chicago Red Stars in their first match after the Olympic break.

On June 19, Racing and ACFC combined for an entertaining affair in Los Angeles, where Louisville rallied from two goals down to even the scoreline. Angel City forward Sydney Leroux won the match with a breakaway goal in the final five minutes.

Racing is 1-2-2 all-time against Angel City, with its last match in Louisville ending in a 1-1 draw thanks to a Kirsten Wright equalizer from a Maddie Pokorny assist. At the time, the match had Racing's largest home attendance.

Becki Tweed's Angel City (6-10-3, 21 points) enters the weekend in ninth place, trailing the Chicago Red Stars by just two points for the final playoff berth.

ACFC has won two of its last three matches. The most recent game, however, ended in a 3-2 home loss to Seattle Reign despite taking an early lead inside the first 10 minutes.

Forward Alyssa Thompson, just 19, is on a tear up front for the California side, scoring a combined four goals in her last three appearances.

Follow along ...

For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.

The game will be broadcast on ION - viewers can search for the channel number in their area by typing in their ZIP Code here - or streamed free at ionnwsl.com. You can listen to the match on Sports Talk 790 AM, online at 790louisville.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.

Storylines ...

Cruel summer: Taylor Flint has been one of the top NWSL signings of the offseason and continues to show why. The Nevada native leads the league in aerial duels won, interceptions and tackles won and ranks third in blocks - all despite missing a game and a half through injury. She was named to the NWSL Best XI for March/April. Flint's goal against Seattle - a header from close range - brought her goal tally to two in 2024, with her other score coming off a penalty at Angel City on June 19. That puts her one off her career-high (3). In the last match at Bay, the defensive midfielder led the team in duels won and passes completed.

It's Milliet Time: Racing defender Lauren Milliet is the definition of dependable. The Colorado native made her 72nd consecutive start - and 87th straight appearance - on Saturday at Bay. She is 10 minutes away from reaching the 7,100-minute mark in lavender. The 27-year-old has played in all but 47 minutes since the start of the 2022 season, including an ironwoman campaign in 2023. No field player in the NWSL has started more consecutive games or played more minutes than Milliet since the start of the 2022 season, and this year she ranks sixth in the NWSL in progressive passes.

Uniquely Racing: Racing Louisville is a team with several standout notes. This is the only NWSL team to have NAIA products on its roster, and the club has two in forwards Bethany Balcer and Uchenna Kanu. Both were decorated players at the collegiate level, with Balcer winning national player of the year honors twice and a national championship at Michigan's Spring Arbor University and Kanu breaking the NAIA single-season scoring record. The club also has the most Michiganders (Balcer, Marisa DiGrande, Courtney Petersen and Taylor Flint) and most Texas Tech alumni (Janine Beckie, Madison White and Kirsten Wright) on its roster.

Newcomers abound: New addition Bethany Balcer started her Racing Louisville era in grand fashion, delivering an assist in Racing's 3-1 win over Chicago on Aug. 24. Fellow newcomer and Canadian international Janine Beckie started her first Racing match at Bay on the right wing following consecutive appearances off the bench. Recently acquired defender Courtney Petersen also saw the pitch late on against Bay, coming on for her debut in lavender in the 89th minute for Beckie. Colombian Ángela Barón will make her Louisville debut the next time she steps on the pitch.

Marisa's (Di)Grand(e) moment: The first free agent signing in Racing Louisville history, Marisa DiGrande added a new milestone to her time at the club with her first goal in the Chicago win. It was DiGrande's first score since October 2022. The Michigan native has made 16 appearances in her debut season in Louisville, including 13 starts, with two assists in addition to the go-ahead goal at Lynn Family Stadium against Chicago.

Dynamic DeMelo: With only 55 NWSL matches under her belt, Savannah DeMelo is already reaching record books and setting the pace on Racing Louisville milestones. The 26-year-old is tied for the team lead with five goals to go with two assist this season, pushing into the club's all-time lead for goals (14) and assists (6). Her next goal and assist would give her a new single season best in either category. The USC grad is the NWSL's leader in free-kick goals among current players and tied for third all-time.

Air Kiwi: Veteran defender Abby Erceg moved into third in the NWSL record books in career minutes played, surpassing Gotham's McCall Zerboni as she also climbed past 16,000 minutes. The center back has started every game and played every minute for Racing since joining the club via trade ahead of the 2023 season. She has two goals and two assists in 40 league games with Racing, including an assist on Taylor Flint's goal against Seattle. She'd set a new career high in goal involvement with at least one more goal or assist in the final seven matches.

Bahr none: How about that for an NWSL debut? For the first time in eight years, a player registered an assist and a goal in their NWSL debut, with Racing's Elexa Bahr matching Houston's Rachel Daly in 2016 with the feat. Bahr scored a magnificent opening goal in the season-opening draw vs. Orlando on March 16, chipping the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. She added an assist a few minutes later on Uchenna Kanu's well-taken goal in transition.

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