Racing Louisville went on quite the run through the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, winning its first NWSL knockout tournament game in Seattle to reach the Cup final.
In the process, Racing matched a Challenge Cup record by winning its first four games of the tournament’s group stage and defeated OL Reign for the first time in club history in the semifinal. Eight different players tallied goals in Racing’s eight Cup games, including Kayla Fischer and Uchenna Kanu, who both scored for the first time in a Louisville jersey. Jordan Baggett, Ary Borges, Thembi Kgatlana, Paige Monaghan and Carson Pickett also registered their first assists for Racing in Challenge Cup games.
Here are five of our favorite moments from Racing’s milestone-making run to the Challenge Cup final:
5. On Wednesdays, Parker Goes for Goal
Racing forward Parker Goins, in her second year with the club, scored with her head in back-to-back midweek Challenge Cup fixtures against the Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars as part of the club’s perfect 4-0 start to the group stage. Her looping header against Chicago in the 71st minute provided the insurance goal in a 2-0 May 31 victory, and she headed in an excellent service from defender Carson Pickett for the third goal against Houston on June 14. Goins, a third-round draft pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, set career marks this year with three goals across all competitions.
4. Ary + Thembi = Game-Winner
In the May 17 group stage opener against Kansas City, Ary Borges entered as a substitute in the 84th minute and scored two minutes later, combining with forward Thembi Kgatlana for an important insurance goal in a 3-2 win. Borges’s late run into the box met Kgatlana’s pass, beating Current goalkeeper AD Franch with a chip to the far post. After a late goal from Current, Borges’s effort proved to be the game-deciding one.
3. Kayla and Uche Open Their Accounts
Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu opened her goal-scoring account in lavender and mint with an emphatic finish off a tidy Paige Monaghan lay-off in the 44th minute of the 2-0 win over Chicago on May 31. Joining Racing Louisville after a standout season with Liga MX Femenil champions Tigres, Kanu celebrated what was clearly an emotional first with Monaghan at the corner flag.
Rookie midfielder Kayla Fischer played her first 90-minute shift for the club in the 3-0 win over Houston on June 14. She marked the occasion by netting her first professional goal. After a couple of big chances in the first half, Fischer received an incisive cross from midfield partner Ary Borges, finishing with the instep of her right foot over the outstretched hands of Houston goalkeeper Emily Alvarado.
2. Katie “Clean Sheet” Lund
Racing Louisville’s 26-year-old goalkeeper used her Challenge Cup appearances to continue her impressive 2023 season. While it is difficult to pin down a singular moment that defined this year’s Cup run for Racing’s No. 1, Lund was the only keeper in the league to start every Cup match for her side and set a Cup final record with nine saves. She kept four clean sheets in the competition and earned All-Tournament honors.
1. Kirsten Davis hits the game-winner
In a nail-biter of a Challenge Cup semifinal in Seattle, forward Kirsten Davis grabbed the game by the scruff, scoring the game-winning goal in the 28th minute and delivering a Player of the Match performance. The second-year Racing player netted her second career goal vs. OL Reign by settling a misplayed Reign pass, pushing the ball to her right foot and smacking a clean finish to the far post to score. The goal delivered Racing its first win in an NWSL-sponsored knockout tournament and a shot at its first NWSL trophy.
Bonus: DeMelo Leads the Line
Savannah DeMelo has been the offensive pace setter for Racing Louisville all season, Challenge Cup included. Three of the MVP candidate’s eight goals this year came in Cup play, earning her All-Tournament honors along with Lund, Abby Erceg and Jaelin Howell. The midfielder finished the competition with three goals and an assist in five appearances, including a memorable brace against Kansas City on May 17.
