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What to Watch for When Racing Takes on San Diego on NWSL Decision Day

October 14, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: David Mucker)

Racing Louisville can qualify for the NWSL Playoffs for the first time in club history when it takes on the San Diego Wave at 5 p.m. ET Sunday as part of the league's inaugural Decision Day.

Every game kicks off at the same time, with eight teams still fighting for the four remaining postseason slots. Racing needs a win over the Wave and help from results elsewhere to make the league's top six, while Portland and San Diego have already clinched playoff byes and home-field advantage in the semifinals.

Sunday's match will be streamed on Paramount+. CBS Sports Network will host a live whip-around show that will cover goals and highlights from each of the six games as they unfold. CBS Golazo Network will show the Angel City-Portland game, which could have direct bearing on Racing's playoff status should Louisville win.

Racing (6-6-9, 27 points) is aiming to ride the momentum from its thrilling 3-2 comeback victory last Friday over the Orlando Pride that featured Nadia Nadim's first goal of 2023 and second-half heroics from Kirsten Davis. A road win over second-place San Diego (10-7-4, 34 points) would go a long way toward securing postseason soccer, though Racing would need a few other match results to fall in the right direction to ensure a playoff berth.

This is the first year Louisville is in contention for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season after setting new club bests for goals scored, goals conceded and wins. The team earlier this year won its first NWSL knockout match, a 1-0 win over OL Reign in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup semifinals, and reached its first NWSL cup final.

A month after that Challenge Cup run, Racing needs to conjure some last-day magic. The task is a tall one: Louisville has one win in its 10 road games this season, and San Diego is vying for the NWSL Shield, given to the team that finishes first in the regular season standings. The Wave average a league-best 19,758 fans for home games at Snapdragon Stadium.

Sunday's match in San Diego is the return game in this year's home-and-home series between the teams. Racing and San Diego tied, 0-0, on June 9 in Louisville, reflective on the history between the clubs. Only one goal has been scored in the previous three meetings - Savannah DeMelo's free kick in a 1-0 win over San Diego last spring.

San Diego played North Carolina Courage to a 0-0 draw last week, and the hosts need a win to keep pressure on the Portland Thorns in the race for the Shield.

Follow along ...

For Starting XI 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 streamed live on Paramount+ with the CBS Sports Network whip-around broadcast showing highlights from each of the six NWSL contests, and international viewers may watch for free on NWSLSoccer.com.

Storylines ...

Vote for Jae! Racing captain Jaelin Howell is up for the Nationwide Community Impact Award, representing Racing in the NWSL's annual community service project competition. Howell and Racing partnered with Down Syndrome of Louisville to host the first-ever Racing BFF Dance and Rock Your Socks clinic, two events led by Howell and attended by members of the DSL and Racing communities. Howell, 23, paired with DSL long before Racing picked her as its representative in the competition, which gifts winners with significant grant money. You can vote Jaelin at www.NWSLsoccer.com/FanVote.

Determined Davis: Forward Kirsten Davis set career marks this season for Racing, tallying five goals and two assists across all competitions. Three of those goals have come in clutch situations for the lavender and mint: a crucial late-game equalizer to salvage a point at home against Angel City; the game-winner in Seattle to send Louisville to the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup final; and another equalizer on Friday to bring Racing level against Orlando in a must-win game for the club's playoff hopes. The 24-year-old is second on the team in scoring.

Nadim nets her 10th: Forward Nadia Nadim scored her first goal of 2023 on Friday, reclaiming her place atop the club's all-time scorers list and becoming the first player in club history to score double-digit goals for Louisville. Nadim scored three goals in 2021, her first year with Racing, and followed that up with six in 2022 after coming back from an ACL tear. The star forward rehabilitated a second torn ACL this past year before returning to action on July 7. She scored from the penalty spot on Friday, her 11th NWSL goal from a penalty in 12 tries.

A Thembi Time First: Electric forward Thembi Kgatlana notched another first in her time with Racing, registering her first regular-season assist in lavender in Friday's win over Orlando. The South Africa star already had an assist in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, but she hadn't claimed one in league play yet. Kgatlana has two goals for Racing since returning to play from a torn Achilles in May.

Goal by Own Goal: For the second time this year, Racing Louisville's opponent scored an own goal, with Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse punching Carson Pickett's corner into her own net and setting a new mark for Louisville. The two own goals is a new high for Racing opponents, edging past last year's total of just one. Savannah DeMelo's penalty against Chicago on May 12 bounced off goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and back into the goal, accounting for the first own goal of the year.

Global Racing: Racing Louisville is the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continents on its roster, and four different confederations were represented by goal involvements in the Sept. 2 regular-season win over first-place Portland. The signings of Nigeria's Uchenna Kanu and South Africa's Thembi Kgatlana as well as Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges pushed Racing's roster from four continents on the roster to six this past offseason.

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics




Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
(David Mucker)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from October 14, 2023


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