Louisville, Ky. (March 15, 2025) — The North Carolina Courage earned a hard-fought point on the road with a 1-1 draw against Racing Louisville FC in the pouring rain Saturday night at Lynn Family Stadium. A brilliant second half helped the Courage take a point into their home opener next Saturday night.
Racing Louisville struck first on a corner kick just shy of the quarter-hour mark. The insert found the back post and was centered for Emma Sears to hit home to open the scoring. Arin Wright was credited with the assist.
Casey Murphy made a pair of point-blank saves throughout the rest of the first half, and the Courage had a couple of dangerous looks, but the 1-0 scoreline carried into halftime. Louisville held a 9-6 advantage in shots through the first 45 minutes.
The Courage continued the pressure in the second half and were rewarded just after the hour mark. A great build led to an initial chance and the loose change was on a platter for Riley Jackson to follow up and burry the equalizer in the 69′.
North Carolina came knocking for a go-ahead goal, but several nice builds went by the boards. The Courage out-shot Louisville, 8-3, in the second half and over 71% of the ball in the final period, showing a great build into the match and a ton of promise for 2025.
Match Notes:
- Jaedyn Shaw made her NC Courage debut against Louisville. The match also marked her 50th NWSL regular season appearance. Hannah Betfort and Shinomi Koyama both also made their team debuts as a substitute.
- Kickoff was preemptively delayed three hours to 8:08 p.m. ET to avoid interference by storms in the Louisville area.
Up Next:
The Courage make their 2025 home debut, taking on Seattle Reign FC on Saturday, March 22, at 7 p.m. ET at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Following the match, the Courage will celebrate Jessica McDonald as the second member of the club’s Ring of Honor. Tickets for the match are available here.
NCC (4-3-3): Casey Murphy; Feli Rauch, Malia Berkely, Kaleigh Kurtz, Ryan Williams; Riley Jackson (Shinomi Koyama – 90′), Denise O’Sullivan ©, Jaedyn Shaw (Aline Gomes – 80′); Tyler Lussi (Hannah Betfort – 67′), Ashley Sanchez (Cortnee Vine – 80′), Manaka (Brianna Pinto – 90′)
Subs Not Used: Marisa Jordan, Meredith Speck, Maycee Bell, Charlotte McLean
LOU (4-3-3): Katie Lund, Courtney Petersen, Arin Wright ©, Ellie Jean, Lauren Milliet, Taylor Flint, Ary Borges (Marisa DiGrande – 56′), Janine Sonis (Katie O’Kane – 85′), Kayla Fischer (Sarah Weber – 66′), Emma Sears, Savannah DeMelo
Subs Not Used: Ella Hase, Allie George, Maddie Pokorny, Jordyn Bloomer, Maddy Anderson
Score:
NCC: 1
LOU: 1
Goals:
NCC: R. Jackson – 69′
LOU: E. Sears – 13′ (Wright)
Cautions:
NCC: T. Lussi – 63′
LOU: –
Ejections:
NCC: –
LOU: –
Venue (Location): Lynn Family Stadium (Louisville, Ky.)
