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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville Hosts Return Game vs. Seattle

August 30, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville midfielder Taylor Flint
Racing Louisville midfielder Taylor Flint
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: NWSL)

Racing Louisville is back in playoff position and fighting for more when it hosts the Seattle Reign at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium.

The match will be broadcast over the air 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. Fireworks will follow the final whistle.

Racing (4-6-7, 19 points) reset the race for one of the eight coveted spots in the NWSL playoffs with a commanding 3-1 home win over Chicago last weekend. The result catapulted Louisville into eighth place and pulled seventh-place Chicago and sixth-place North Carolina, which also lost last weekend, closer in the packed bottom half of the playoff picture. Coach Bev Yanez's squad is six points out of sixth and four out of seventh.

Saturday's game is the return match of a late June draw on the West Coast. Racing defender Arin Wright was sent off in the ninth minute of that game - with newly added forward Bethany Balcer scoring the ensuing penalty kick for her old team against her now-current team. Former Racing forward Reilyn Turner notched the late equalizer for the 10-player visitors just before the final whistle.

Balcer, acquired via trade with Seattle last week, helped set up Racing's first goal against Chicago, giving her an assist in her lavender debut. Uchenna Kanu, Kayla Fischer and Marisa DiGrande scored for the hosts, who also saw new addition Janine Beckie make her debut as a substitute in the second half.

In Seattle, the Reign edged North Carolina, 1-0, with a stoppage-time winner. Technically it was marked down as an own goal for North Carolina goalkeeper Casey Murphy, though the late header from Emeri Adames did most of the work before bouncing off the post and then Murphy.

This will be first time Balcer plays her old team - and the first time former Racing midfielder Jaelin Howell squares off against her former club.

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 ...

Debuts in style: New addition Bethany Balcer started her Racing Louisville era in grand fashion, delivering an assist on the game's opening goal in last weekend's 3-1 win over Chicago. Her 12th-minute delivery found Uchenna Kanu on the back post for a tap-in after Racing completed 18 passes before hers, setting a new high for build-up passes before a goal this season in the NWSL. Fellow newcomer Janine Beckie came on for the game's final 21 minutes after training just one day last week, and the Canada national team standout's quality was immediately clear. She generated one shot and helped Racing kill off an important victory.

Cruel summer: Taylor Flint has been one of the top NWSL signings of the offseason. The 25-year-old leads the league in aerial duels won, interceptions and tackles won and ranks second in blocks - all despite missing a game and a half through injury. The Nevada native was named to the NWSL Best XI for March/April and has continued her impressive form through the season, with one goal, one assist and 14 chances created in 16 appearances. Her first NWSL regular season assist with Racing came on Kayla Fischer's goal last weekend vs. Chicago, and Flint's line-breaking pass to Lauren Milliet set up Uchenna Kanu's opener.

It's Milliet Time: Defender Lauren Milliet is the club's all-time appearances leader and keeps building on her numbers. The Colorado native made her 70th consecutive start - and 85th straight appearance - on Saturday vs. Chicago. The 27-year-old has played in all but 47 minutes since the start of the 2022 season, including an ironwoman campaign in 2023, when she started all 22 games and registered 90 minutes played in each. She has played all but one minute in 2024 so far.

Fischer note: Kayla Fischer became the second Racing Louisville player in the club's young history to record a goal and an assist as a substitute, joining former forward Emina Ekic, per Opta Stats. The goal vs. Chicago was Fischer's first regular season score and third across all competitions. The Ohio native has thrived since moving into a new role as a center forward.

Kanu believe this? Racing Louisville forward Uchenna Kanu came back from the Summer Olympics and already returned to her early-season form. The Nigerian international scored her fifth goal of the year in the win vs. Chicago after netting four goals in the first month of the season, including two at Portland while scoring the fastest brace from kickoff in league history. Kanu also rang up goals against Orlando and Utah. She's tied for the team lead in scoring.

DiGrande's grand 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 14 appearances this year, including 11 starts, with two assists in addition to the goal.

DeMelo's dangerous: With only 54 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 one assist this season, pushing into the club's all-time lead for goals (14) and tying her with Lauren Milliet as the club's assists leader (5). Her next goal would give her a new career-best in a single season. 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 over 186 games. 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 an assist in 39 league games with Racing.

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.

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 despite roster turnover this offseason. 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: Elexa Bahr and Ángela Barón were born and raised in the U.S. but compete for the Colombian national team.)

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Racing Louisville midfielder Taylor Flint
Racing Louisville midfielder Taylor Flint
(NWSL)		   

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