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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville Readies for Portland in Vital Home Finale

October 18, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: Connor Cunningham/Racing Louisville FC)

Two playoff contenders collide Saturday when Racing Louisville hosts a significant regular season home finale at 7:30 p.m. at Lynn Family Stadium against the Portland Thorns.

This Saturday's match could be decisive for both teams' playoff aspirations. With two matches left to play, Portland is six points ahead of Racing in the standings, sitting in seventh place to Louisville's ninth. Bay FC is wedged in between, three points behind Portland and three ahead of Racing. The NWSL's top eight qualify for the postseason.

A Thorns victory would clinch their 10th playoff appearance and potentially eliminate Louisville, while a Racing win could help Bev Yanez's team vault into eighth place on goal difference should North Carolina win at Bay later Saturday evening. A draw in Louisville and a Bay win would eliminate Racing from contention, while two draws or Bay and Louisville defeats or wins could extend the race to the final weekend of the campaign.

Louisville's home finale 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 (6-11-7, 25 points) dropped its third consecutive match this past Sunday at Washington. But the result had the same impact as the previous week: Louisville's playoff position went unaltered. Of the clubs outside the top seven, the Louisvillians still possess the best goal differential (minus-5).

If Louisville is to bounce back, the offense must get going. Racing has just one goal in its past three games, getting outscored, 7-1, in its defeats. At Washington, Emma Sears netted her fifth goal of the season, setting a new season-high for a Racing rookie.

It has been nearly seven months since Racing and Portland clashed in league play. Louisville stormed out of the gates, taking a 2-0 lead in the opening six minutes thanks to Uchenna Kanu's fastest brace from the opening whistle in NWSL history. A Sam Coffey goal in the ninth minute of second half stoppage time completed Portland's comeback.

Portland (9-11-4, 31 points) took down the first-place Orlando Pride last Friday, ending both its seven-game winless drought and Orlando's 24-match unbeaten run that stretched back to last season. On Tuesday, the Thorns finished up the group stage of the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup with a 6-0 thrashing of Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite.

Midfielder Olivia Moultrie has been a spark in the Thorns' midfield, notching two goal contributions in the last four matches and leading the team in shot-creating actions during their recent league victory.

Portland has held the upper hand against Louisville over the series history, but Racing has four points from the past two meetings, including a 2-1 win late last season.

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. Sports Talk 790 AM will carry the radio broadcast, which will be additionally available online at 790louisville.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.

Storylines ...

Sears stands alone: With her goal at Washington, Emma Sears set a new Racing rookie mark for goals scored with five. The fearless first-year player is also Louisville's joint top scorer this season, along with Savannah DeMelo and Uchenna Kanu. Sears leads the team in shots on target (18), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (4.12) and progressive carries (75) and ranks among the league's best in several dribbling and chance creation categories.

Team of the Year slam dunk: Midfielder Taylor Flint's breakout campaign with Racing has thrust her into the spotlight as a prime contender for the NWSL Best XI honors. Her statistics tell a clear story: She has been the most effective defensive midfielder in the league. Despite being absent for two and a half games, Flint still leads the NWSL in aerial duels won, aerial duels win percentage, interceptions, tackles won and successful take-on percentage. She also ranks third in blocks, fourth in passes into the final third and 11th in progressive passes. She has two goals and an assist this season and was named to the NWSL Best XI for March/April.

It's Milliet Time: A model of consistency, Lauren Milliet extended her remarkable streak to 77 consecutive starts and 92 straight appearances this past Sunday. 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 2022. So far this season, she is one of nine players with at least 110 progressive passes and ranks in the top 32 in passes completed and total passes into the penalty area.

Marisa's milestone: Marisa DiGrande joined the league's 100 appearance club this month. The 27-year-old former Northwestern standout, Racing's first free agent signing in club history, came into the league via the 2019 NWSL Draft and has recorded at least 1,000 minutes in each season since. In her debut campaign in lavender, DiGrande has two assists and the game-winning goal on Aug. 24 vs. Chicago.

Records meant to be broken: Racing is closing in on new club season highs. The Louisvillians have already set a club mark for goals in a season, with 31, and need three more points in the final two matches to secure the most points in club history. A win in the final home game of the year this weekend vs. Portland would also set a new high for home wins in a campaign with six.

Attendance highs: Racing's attendance is up 10.5% from last season, with the club averaging 6,573 fans per home match. The team set a new club attendance record on April 20 with 11,365 on hand to watch a 5-1 rout of Utah. Saturday's game will help Racing mark a new high in total attendance for a season.

Heady play: Racing Louisville's aerial prowess was on full display this season. Bethany Balcer nodded home the team's seventh headed goal of the campaign in a win over Angel City - the most headed goals of any NWSL team. The headers have come from six different sources - Uchenna Kanu has two, as did former forward Reilyn Turner. Balcer, Ary Borges, Taylor Flint and Parker Goins all have scores from the head.

Newcomers showing out: Newcomers Bethany Balcer, Janine Beckie and Courtney Petersen have emerged as key drivers to Racing's late-season playoff push. Balcer fired in the deciding penalty vs. North Carolina and has two goals and an assist in her first eight games with her new team. Beckie came up clutch in scoring the clinching goal in the 68th minute against Angel City in a battle between two playoff hopefuls. Petersen has made five appearances, including four starts out wide, since moving to Louisville.

Air Kiwi: Abby Erceg recently overtook Seattle's Jess Fishlock to claim the second spot in NWSL career minutes played. The New Zealand native currently stands at 17,079 career minutes and has started every game and played every minute for Racing since joining the club via trade from North Carolina ahead of the 2023 season. She has two goals and two assists in 45 league games with Racing.

Dynamic DeMelo: Since joining the club through the 2022 NWSL Draft, the now 26-year-old Savannah DeMelo has quickly established herself as a standout player. She is the leader of the pack for multiple club high marks. DeMelo is the club's all-time leader for goals (14) and assists (6). Her next goal and assist would give her new single-season bests in either category. The California native is the NWSL's leader in free-kick goals among current players and tied for third all-time.

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 forwards in 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.

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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Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
(Connor Cunningham/Racing Louisville FC)		   

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