**Louisville, Kentucky** – Racing Louisville FC and the Washington Spirit settled for a 1-1 draw to kick off Week 13’s action on Friday night, with Louisville’s Nadia Nadim scoring early in the second half before Washington’s Ashley Hatch equaled the scoring with a goal of her own just past the hour mark.
In the 11 ^th minute, Racing forward Kirsten Davis rounded the goalkeeper and was in a one-on-one with a Washington defender, but she was only able to direct her shot into the side netting as the match remained scoreless early on.
Then, in the 23 ^rd minute, forward Nadia Nadim then tested Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury as she recovered possession inside the Spirit box and fired toward the right side of the goal only to see Kingsbury repel the effort out for a harmless corner as the hosts inched nearer to an opening goal.
Washington would find their own chances though with forward Trinity Rodman producing her side’s best chance in the 24 ^th minute. A long ball forward on the breakaway launched Rodman into a forward run on the left side. In possession and gaining ground, Rodman then cut inside on the defense and lined up a right-footed shot, though the effort sailed high and wide after she had tested the Louisville defense.
Not three minutes later, Rodman then had an even better opportunity on goal denied by a great save from Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund, who is fresh off a record 12-save performance. A deep ball in from the Spirit’s Anna Heilferty toward the back post saw Rodman crash in on the delivery. However, her powerful header toward the goalmouth was pushed over the bar by Lund with the Louisville defense doing enough to eventually clear the chances.
Louisville would still apply pressure on the Washington goal throughout the remainder of the first half, most notably via a free kick effort in the 38 ^th minute. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo, who has made a name for herself from set piece situations, attempted to fool the defense with a low driven ball from the right side to the near post for defender Gemma Bonner. However, Bonner was unable to make proper contact with the delivery to direct it on goal and the chance fell wide.
At the halftime interval, the match remained scoreless though both sides would feel comfortable arguing they should have at least one goal to each’s respective names.
Into the second half, Racing Louisville would end up opening the scoring in the 52 ^nd minute as the forward Nadim, who had been knocking on the door all evening, was able to slot past Kingsbury for the game’s first goal. In possession on the right side of the box, teammate Kirsten Davis picked out Nadim at the top of the box as the move continued. Nadim then took a touch that at first appeared too heavy until she was able to catch up to the ball and curl it around Kingsbury’s right side as Louisville went one-up.
Washington had a great chance to equalize just four minutes later again through Rodman, but ultimately her shot landed wide of goal. Teammate Ashley Sanchez spotted the forward run from the Spirit’s #2 and sent the ball toward the right side of the box. Getting on it, Rodman then attempted to lift a shot over the onrushing Lund but could not get the ball to stay low enough to find the back of the net as the shot went wide.
However, in the 64 ^th minute the Spirit were able to find a goal of their own as forward Ashley Hatch, who has led the team in scoring the entire season, was able to beat Lund from not more than a couple of feet outside the box with a direct drive to the bottom left corner. Hatch, who had come on as a halftime substitute for Heilferty, received a pass from teammate Jordan Baggett on the edge of the area and despite firing from distance, the ball was able to squeeze by Lund as Washington scored an all-important leveler.
In the 74 ^th minute, Washington nearly then took the lead for the first time on the night only for the goalkeeper Lund to again produce an unbelievable save to keep Trinity Rodman from finding the back of the net. On the breakaway, Rodman steamed forward and played a quick one-two with attacker Ashley Sanchez that saw Rodman receive the return pass a few yards from goal on the right side. Lining up an absolute belter, the forward’s powerful effort was met by a stand-up save from Lund who was able to deny Rodman for the third time on the evening to keep the score level.
Louisville refused to settle for a point without putting in the effort for a winner though, and Nadim nearly set Lynn Family Stadium alight with a towering header toward goal in the 85 ^th minute. A ball in from the right side of the field toward the middle of goal saw the forward pounce on the opportunity as she got in front of her defender and headed toward goal. However, the ball was always rising and her effort landed over the crossbar and out of play as the final minutes of the match closed in.
When the dust settled, Louisville and Washington had to be content with taking a point each as the match ended 1-1 with goals from Nadim and Hatch canceling each other out on Friday night. The point earned marks two consecutive draws for both sides.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights