Sports stats



NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Racing Rearranges Lineup in Defeat to NC Courage

June 23, 2021 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC vs. the North Carolina Courage
Racing Louisville FC vs. the North Carolina Courage
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: ISI Photos)

A highly rotated Racing Louisville FC lineup and highly motivated Lynn Williams didn't make for a favorable combination Wednesday night at Lynn Family Stadium.

The North Carolina Courage striker Williams scored both goals in a 2-0 victory for the visitors just hours after she was named as an alternate rather than full roster member of the U.S. Women's National Team's Tokyo Olympics squad.

Meanwhile, Racing changed most of its starting lineup amid a congested stretch of three games over seven days. The run began with Sunday's victory over the Houston Dash and finishes Saturday with a trip to play the Chicago Red Stars.

"There's growing pains as we go through all this, but quite honestly, with all the rotation and changes, I'm quite proud of the team," said head coach Christy Holly. "...There's no easy game in this NWLS. It's vitally important to us that we look at this week and try to manage it as economically as we can.

"There's no way that players can play 90 minutes in every single game at the highest level of their performance, so we wanted to make sure we give everybody the opportunity to perform while also protecting them and ensuring that they're able to move forward and have a big impact in the game in Chicago this weekend."

A defeat only slightly damped a larger celebration surrounding Wednesday evening in the Butchertown neighborhood. With 6,334 in attendance Racing hosted its pride night, aligning with the LGBTQ+ community with a number of charitable kickbacks toward local nonprofits.

Given the lineup rotation, Racing was up against it from the beginning in a game the Courage ultimate out-shot the hosts 13-4 and held 62% of possession. Williams also made her mark twice in the first half despite another Player of the Game performance in goal from Michelle Betos, who numbered six saves.

In the 27th minute, star North Carolina midfielder Sam Mewis turned Racing over in its own half and dished to Wililams, who cut inside and delivered a strong strike into the upper-right corner of the net. Six minutes later, a short corner pass from Carson Pickett landed right on Williams for a headed goal to double the lead.

But, unlike the last time these sides met, the final score didn't spiral out of control from there. NC Courage handed Racing a 5-0 defeat back on May 28.

"North Carolina is a very very good team, so I think the pressure we were able to put on them in the second half, the chances we were able to create, those are really exciting," said midfielder Lauren Milliet. "There's definitely stuff that we can do that is avoidable, so I look at that as positive. It's what we give them. I'm really happy with the performance. I think we put in a really good shift, and I'm excited for what's to come."

Racing's 11 marked the first club starts for forwards Cheyna Matthews and Jorian Baucom, along with defender Sinclaire Miramontez. Overall, just five members of Sunday's lineup opened Wednesday's game in lavender and white.

Regular starters such as Emily Fox and Yuki Nagasato subbed on for the final 30 minutes, while defender Addisyn Merrick - on the return from a back injury - made her first appearance of the year having played the final nine minutes plus stoppage time.

"I was really excited," Merrick said. "I keep telling myself - I tend to get overexcited and rush things - to just stay calm and find the first pass and work myself into the game. Before the game Gemma (Bonner) actually gave me two pieces of advice: Just do what you're good at and defend before you do offense to build yourself into the game. Early on I had a good little tackle in the corner, and that helped me get comfortable, so I'm excited to keep playing."

Now 2-3-1 on the season, Racing continues its inaugural NWSL campaign with a 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday against Chicago at SeatGeek Stadium. The game will stream exclusively on Paramount+.

Game Summary: Racing Louisville FC vs. North Carolina Courage

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Weather: 82 degrees, mostly sunny

Player of the Match: Michelle Betos

Attendance: 6,334

Scoring

Racing Louisville FC (0, 0, 0)

North Carolina Courage (2, 0, 0)

Goals

North Carolina Courage:

27' Lynn Williams (assisted by Sam Mewis)

33' Lynn Williams (assisted by Carson Pickett)

Stats Summary: Racing Louisville FC / North Carolina Courage

Shots: 4 / 19

Shots on Goal: 2 / 8

Fouls: 3 / 4

Offside: 0 / 2

Corner Kicks: 2 / 7

Saves: 6 / 2

Lineups

Racing Louisville FC: 1 - Michelle Betos, 14 - Nealy Martin (70' 16 - Julia Ashley), 15 - Brooke Hendrix, 18 - Kaleigh Riehl, 12 - Sinclaire Miramontez, 20 - Cheyna Matthews (59' 9 - Ebony Salmon), 3 - Erin Simon (59' 11 - Emily Fox), 2 - Lauren Milliet, 22 - Katie McClure (81' 26 - Addisyn Merrick), 33 - Jorian Baucom, 7 - Savannah McCaskill (59' 17 - Yuki Nagasato)

Subs not used: 8 - Freja Olofsson, 4 - Gemma Bonner, 23 - Katie Lund, 13 - Emina Ekic

North Carolina Courage: 99 - Katelyn Rowland, 13 - Ryan Williams, 6 - Abby Erceg, 7 - Diane Caldwell, 4 - Carson Pickett, 10 - Debinha (77' 21 - Cari Roccaro), 5 - Samantha Mewis (67' 16 - Hailie Mace), 8 - Denise O'Sullivan, 34 - Angharad James (67' 19 - Havana Solaun), 9 - Lynn Williams (78' 25 - Meredith Speck), 27 - Brittany Ratcliffe (59' 23 - Kristen Hamilton)

Subs not used: 2 - Taylor Smith, 3 - Kaleigh Kurtz, 1 - Casey Murphy, 29 - Rylee Baisden

Discipline Summary

Racing Louisville FC: Yuki Nagasato (yellow) 65'

Referee: Alyssa Nichols

Assistant Referees: Kali Smith, Mike Nickerson

Fourth Official: Michael Samour

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics




Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC vs. the North Carolina Courage
Racing Louisville FC vs. the North Carolina Courage
(ISI Photos)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from June 23, 2021


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