LOUISVILLE, Ky. –
Racing Louisville FC fought back from two goals down against the Washington Spirit to earn a two-all draw, as a tale of two halves saw the Spirit score their two in the opening half before Louisville’s comeback was completed with goals in the 46 th and 65 th minutes. The comeback marked only the second time in club history that Louisville had earned a point following a two-goal deficit, the other also coming against the Washington Spirit in June 2022.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. –
Racing Louisville FC fought back from two goals down against the Washington Spirit to earn a two-all draw, as a tale of two halves saw the Spirit score their two in the opening half before Louisville’s comeback was completed with goals in the 46 th and 65 th minutes. The comeback marked only the second time in club history that Louisville had earned a point following a two-goal deficit, the other also coming against the Washington Spirit in June 2022. The hosts Louisville got the better looks on goal in the game’s opening moments, with midfielder Savannah DeMelo and forward Uchenna Kanu heavily involved in their side’s attacking momentum. In the 15 th minute, a long ball into the box from defender Carson Pickett was chased down on the right side and eventually sent back in the penalty area where Pickett found herself on it again. This time, Pickett squared a short pass for DeMelo, who was breaking into the penalty area. However, DeMelo got just too far under it to keep her effort on frame and the chance broke. Seconds later on the other end, though, Washington got the game’s scoring started as forward Ashley Hatch scored the first of her two first half goals from close in. Defender Dorian Bailey lifted in a cross from the right side toward Hatch in the middle, whose first touch was fantastic and helped create space between her and her marking defender. From there, Hatch settled the ball and poked her effort past Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund to go one-up. Two minutes later, Washington kept the heat on the Louisville defense as forward Trinity Rodman forced a good save out of Lund, who was able to prevent her side from going down a second goal at the time. Rodman, who scored the club’s lone goal in their season-opening win last week, received a pass and drove ahead toward the Louisville defense. Eventually cutting onto her right foot, Rodman clipped an effort toward the top right corner that forced Lund into a leaping save. A brief couple of chances for Louisville at the other end were then interrupted by a second goal for Washington and a second goal for Ashley Hatch in the 32 nd minute. In a similar position in front of the goal, this time Hatch took a pass from her teammate Rodman and quickly got the ball under her feet. Just a few yards out, Hatch then rolled her effort home to help cushion the Spirit’s lead ahead of halftime. Immediately into the second half, Louisville answered back with a header from defender Abby Erceg following a Wang Shuang corner kick to pull one back for the hosts. Racing had come out with more intensity and pressure and won the set piece chance. Then, it was Erceg who leapt above the rest of the pack and buried her close-range header to score her first goal of the season for Louisville. It was also Racing’s first goal of the regular season after last weekend’s scoreless draw with Houston. Back the other way a few minutes later, Washington had another look on goal through substitute Nicole Douglas, who sparked an attack following a Louisville giveaway deep in their own territory. Douglas, whose first effort was initially blocked before a follow up was repelled by Lund. Continuing to trade chances, Louisville’s Kirsten Davis had an attempt from a tight angle saved by Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury in the 57 th minute before Hatch had another look at goal in the 60 th minute that Lund initially bobbled and then collected. Momentum really swung back in Louisville’s favor in the 65 th minute when newcomer Ary Borges scored an unbelievably beautiful goal in her first game at Lynn Family Stadium to even the scoring. A deep cross into the middle of the penalty area saw the ball drop just inside the 18-yard box left of center of the goal. Motioning away her teammates, Borges ripped a laser of a left-footed effort that sailed into the top right corner past Kingsbury to bring the score even at two apiece. Into stoppage time, midfielder Paige Metayer, who had been booked for a challenge in the 83 rd minute, was then shown a second yellow resulting in a red card and dismissal leaving Louisville with a player advantage for the final few ticks. In the end, it was a battle for the hosts Racing Louisville to come back from a two goal deficit and earn a 2-2 draw as Hatch’s first half brace was cancelled out by Erceg’s header just into the second half and Ary Borges’s rocket effort in the 65 th minute.
