Racing Louisville Hits the Road for Away Tilt at North Carolina

Sports stats



NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville Hits the Road for Away Tilt at North Carolina

July 6, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville forwards Elexa Bahr and Reilyn Turner along with defender Abby Erceg
Racing Louisville forwards Elexa Bahr and Reilyn Turner along with defender Abby Erceg
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: Jordan Prather/NWSL)

Racing Louisville aims to snap a four-match winless stretch in a 4:30 p.m. Sunday match at North Carolina.

The first meeting this year between the teams will be nationally broadcast on CBS Sports Network. You can listen to the match on Sports Talk 790 AM, online at 790louisville.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.

Racing Louisville (3-5-7, 16 points) dropped out of playoff position and into ninth place in the NWSL standings after losing its third game in four outings last weekend, a frustrating 1-0 decision at home to Bay FC. It's the second four-match run without a win for the Louisvillians, who bounced back from the previous lull with back-to-back shutout wins over Chicago and Houston.

To get there, this year's iteration of Racing will have to do something no previous Louisville teams have done - beat North Carolina. Racing is 0-9 across all competitions against the Courage, including three losses last year between the regular season and the NWSL Challenge Cup final.

North Carolina (7-7-1, 22 points) returns home from a 1-0 statement win at Washington, the league's third-place team. It was the Courage's first road victory this season. The other 21 points for coach Sean Nahas's teams have come at WakeMed Park in Cary, N.C., where the Courage are 6-0-1 with 13 goals and just two allowed. Five opponents have been shut out there.

Louisville has eight points from road games this season - one win and five draws - with seven goals in its last four games away from Lynn Family Stadium. Reilyn Turner scored a late equalizer for 10-player Racing in the 1-1 draw at Seattle, the team's most recent road trip.

The good news for Racing: The team should have a fuller complement of players available for the match after the recent return of Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges from a knee scope procedure and the end of defender Arin Wright's one-match suspension. Standout midfielder Taylor Flint also returned to training after suffering a concussion in the 1-1 draw at Seattle on June 23.

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 match will be nationally broadcast on CBS Sports Network. You can listen to the match on Sports Talk 790 AM, online at 790louisville.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.

Storylines ...

Jae's milestone: Club captain Jaelin Howell's next appearance will be her 50th NWSL game, all with Racing Louisville. The midfielder recently returned from a calf injury that kept her out for six weeks, coming off the bench for three straight games before starting the last two and logging 90-minute shifts. She played both central midfield and center back at Seattle in her first full 90 since her injury, filling in on the back line after Arin Wright's ninth-minute red card. The Colorado native has been a foundational piece of Racing's team, starting 43 regular season matches and registering three assists.

Former Courage players return: Racing Louisville has three former North Carolina Courage players on its roster, including former Courage club captain and two-time NWSL champion Abby Erceg, who is now Racing's vice-captain. Carson Pickett starred at North Carolina for two years, leading the NWSL in assists over that period. Right back Lauren Milliet was drafted by the Courage in 2019 and made 10 appearances across all competitions for North Carolina.

Lund's milestone: Katie Lund made the 250th save of her career on June 19 at Angel City, a feat only 10 other goalkeepers in league history have reached. She also became one of only seven NWSL goalkeepers to record that number of saves for one team. One of the top goalkeepers in the league for three seasons running, Lund's next shutout would put her in lone possession of 11th all-time in clean sheets.

DeMelo leading the way: Savannah DeMelo has five goals and an assist, leading Racing in goal contributions. She became the first Racing player to score in three consecutive home matches in the win over Houston on June 7. The club's all-time leading scorer and assists co-leader has 14 goals and five assists in lavender and is one away from a new season-best (would be six) in the third year of her professional career. DeMelo, who earned NWSL Best XI honors for May, is the NWSL's leader in free-kick goals among current players, with three, which is tied for third all-time.

Enchanted to meet you: Taylor Flint scored her first NWSL penalty - and her first goal for Racing - in the 3-2 loss to Angel City on June 19. She was named to the NWSL Best XI for March and April, and through 14 games, Flint ranks first in the NWSL in aerial duels won, interceptions and tackles won and sixth in possession recoveries among non-goalkeepers despite missing the June 29 game against Bay with a concussion. The 25-year-old has created 11 scoring chances and started every game she's been available.

Carson picks it: One of the NWSL's best passers over the past few seasons, Carson Pickett put her name on the scoresheet at Angel City, scoring the second goal of her career with a left-footed effort. The 30-year-old is having another standout season, leading the league in chances created (35) and ranks second in passes into the penalty area. Pickett's first regular season assist in a Racing jersey came on Reilyn Turner's goal against Utah on April 20. Pickett has two goals and 18 assists in 171 career NWSL appearances across all competitions. The Florida native joined the illustrious 150 NWSL appearance club on June 7 against the Dash.

Erceg's longevity: Veteran defender and club vice-captain Abby Erceg moved into third in all-time NWSL minutes (16,271) played after logging 90 minutes in Racing's most recent match against Bay, surpassing McCall Zerboni. In her 10th season in the NWSL, the New Zealand national team legend has won three NWSL championships in her career while playing in four Olympics and four World Cups. She ranks first in the NWSL in blocks and eighth in clearances this year.

Rei of sunshine: California native Reilyn Turner has made an immediate impact as a first-year player. With Racing chasing an equalizer in the second half vs. the Reign, Turner came on to lead the line. In 33 minutes, the rookie forward not only finished with a team-high in shots (2), but she also netted an acrobatic stoppage time equalizer to extend Seattle's winless run to seven games and salvage a point for 10-player Racing. That moved her into sole possession of second on the team in goal involvements (5).

Searsiously special: A week after earning NWSL Goal of the Week honors for her shot-cross in Kansas City, rookie forward Emma Sears again claimed the recognition for an outstanding strike at Chicago on May 25. The 23-year-old now has three goals this season, and she added an assist to her ledger with a dime to Carson Pickett at Angel City.

Kanu making an impact: So far this season, Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu has four goals in 10 appearances to tie for 13th in the NWSL golden boot race. Her brace in the opening six minutes against Portland on March 30 was the fastest from the start of a game in league history. She is one of three players with four goals in fewer than 11 appearances this season.

Bahr none: 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 the opening goal and assisted a second in the season-opening draw vs. Orlando on March 16.

Global Racing: Racing Louisville became the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continental confederations on its roster in 2023, and that hasn't changed this year. Louisville's 26-player roster consists of two players from Oceania Football Confederation; one from Asian Football Confederation; two from Confederation of African Football; one player from Union of European Football Associations; two from CONMEBOL (South America); and the remaining 18 from the U.S. (Note: U.S.-born forward Elexa Bahr competes for the Colombian national team.)

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics




Images from this story

Racing Louisville forwards Elexa Bahr and Reilyn Turner along with defender Abby Erceg
Racing Louisville forwards Elexa Bahr and Reilyn Turner along with defender Abby Erceg
(Jordan Prather/NWSL)		   

• Discuss this story on the National Women's Soccer League message board...

National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 6, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central