**LOUISVILLE, Ky.** – Racing Louisville FC extended its unbeaten run to five straight games across all competitions (W3 D2) after defeating Gotham FC, 2-0, at Lynn Family Stadium. Goals from Savannah DeMelo in the 23 ^rd minute and Thembi Kgatlana in the 46 ^th minute sealed the result, with Louisville now in 8 ^th place with 15 points while Gotham remains in 6 ^th place with 18 points, each from 12 games played.
The hosts were on charge from the very beginning of the match, with Gotham FC goalkeeper Abby Smith called into action after just seven minutes to stop forward Thembi Kgatlana from scoring early. Kgatlana had been played down the left side of the field and worked her way into the box where she was on the ball and able to close in on goal. However, Kgatlana’s low shot was unable to get past Smith, who did well to get low and see the shot away for a corner kick.
A little over 10 minutes later, Smith was forced to produce another save as Kgatlana again got in behind on the left and cut inside near the edge of the box. After taking a few touches laterally, Kgatlana was able to fire on goal only for Smith to be in perfect position to collect as she caught the ball with both hands.
However, Racing was able to break open the scoring in the 23 ^rd minute as Savannah DeMelo cleaned up a wild loose ball sequence with a neat finish near the penalty spot to put her side in front. Kgatlana was released out wide to the left again where she whipped in a powerful cross that Smith was forced to parry back into play. In doing so though, the ball ended up near DeMelo at the penalty spot where she had an initial effort blocked. That sequence then led to the ball bouncing around a pair of players before ending up back near DeMelo, and the midfielder stood up and rolled a precise effort to the bottom right corner that Smith was unable to keep out.
Hungry for more, Louisville bombed forward once more in the first half with Smith saving another Kgatlana effort from close in as the Louisville forward was given free rein in attack. Moving ahead on the left, Kgatlana worked her way into the box and toe poked an effort that Smith pushed away from goal toward the opposite side to clear any chance of a second before the halftime break.
Unfortunately for Gotham, its ability to keep Louisville at bay did not even last 60 seconds into the second half as Kgatlana got her goal, doubling her team’s lead 32 seconds into the second half. Kgatlana received a pass from just outside the box to the left when she dribbled in toward the edge of the area and fired a shot on goal. Taking a slight deflection on its way in, Kgatlana was able to score her first goal in Louisville colors and help her team go further in front.
The closest Gotham would come to getting back into the match came in the 59 ^th minute as defender Kelley O’Hara struck the post so hard with a headed effort that the broadcast microphones picked it up. Following a corner kick, midfielder Kristie Mewis swung in a ball that fell deep at the back post to O’Hara, who was unmarked. From a just a few yards out, her rocket of a header clanged off the post and back into play with Louisville eventually able to see it away.
The rest of the second half was manageable for the hosts, allowing Racing to pick up another big result in the league against a good Gotham side. Racing will carry its momentum into a meeting with also on-fire squad North Carolina next weekend, while Gotham will look for a first win in five as it faces Chicago next Sunday.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights