Racing Louisville is eyeing consecutive home wins as it welcomes the in-form North Carolina Courage to Lynn Family Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. ET kick off Saturday.
Saturday’s match has major NWSL postseason implications, with Louisville three points out of the final playoff spot and North Carolina making a late push for a top four spot and a first-round home playoff game.
Louisville’s return home game with the Courage will be nationally broadcast on ION and streamed for free on ionnwsl.com. Talk Radio 1080 AM will carry the radio broadcast, which will be additionally available online at talkradio1080.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.
Racing Louisville (5-8-7, 22 points) staged a comeback last week in another pivotal match, topping fellow playoff pursuant Angel City, 2-1, at Lynn Family Stadium. New additions Bethany Balcer and Janine Beckie each notched their first goals in lavender, securing the win after going down a goal inside the first 20 minutes.
Most importantly, the three points pushed Louisville back within arm’s length of eighth place, currently held by Bay FC. It was Louisville’s first win of the year after conceding the opening goal.
Against North Carolina, Racing will know what’s at stake by the time the teams kick off. Bay hosts first-place and undefeated Orlando on Friday night. Seventh-place Chicago, four points ahead of Louisville, hosts San Diego at 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday. And sixth-place Portland, five points ahead of Racing, plays at Angel City on Monday night.
To climb higher, Racing must find a way to crack the code that is the Courage. In 11 matches across all competitions, Louisville has yet to get the best of North Carolina, falling in eight successive league matches dating back to 2021. The Courage outscored Racing, 24-4, in those eight meetings.
In July’s first regular season contest between the teams, North Carolina scored three unanswered second-half goals to claim a 3-1 win in Cary. Three weeks later in the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, Racing drew North Carolina, 1-1, at Lynn Family Stadium before falling in a penalty shootout.
North Carolina (10-8-2, 32 points) has earned all three points in five of its last seven matches. Last week, though, the Courage settled for a 1-1 draw with Bay FC.
Follow along …
- For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
- The game will be broadcast on ION – viewers can search for the channel number in their area by typing in their ZIP Code here – or streamed free at ionnwsl.com. Talk Radio 1080 AM will carry the radio broadcast, which will be additionally available online at talkradio1080.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.
Storylines …
Newcomers come through: Recently acquired attacking stars Bethany Balcer and Janine Beckie delivered when Racing needed them the most vs. Angel City. Balcer drew Racing level with her first goal in lavender, which was nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. Beckie smashed home the match winner in the 68th minute after intercepting a misplayed pass by the goalkeeper and nutmegging a defender. Courtney Petersen, who Louisville traded for on August 30, also made quite an impact in her first start at left back. She competed over 86 percent of her passes and tied Lauren Milliet for the team lead in possessions won.
Heady play: Racing Louisville leads the league in headed goals, with seven, and extended its lead with Bethany Balcer’s finish against Angel City. The headers have come from six different sources – Uchenna Kanu has two, as did former forward Reilyn Turner. Balcer, Ary Borges, Taylor Flint and Parker Goins all have scores from the head. Abby Erceg was originally credited with another header goal in the 3-3 draw at Kansas City, but it was later changed to an own goal header.
Rock solid Lund: Racing’s Player of the Match vs. Angel City was deservedly claimed by goalkeeper Katie Lund. The Texas native came up big, saving four ACFC shots, including two critical ones at the start of the second half. It was the second successive match where Lund reached the four save threshold. The 27-year-old progressed up the all-time saves list with the display, moving her to ninth in history for NWSL goalkeepers in saves.
Cruel summer: In her first season in Louisville, Taylor Flint has become one of the league’s most productive defensive midfielders. The Nevada native leads the league in aerial duels won, interceptions and tackles won and ranks third in blocks – all despite missing a game and a half through injury. She was named to the NWSL Best XI for March/April. Flint’s goal against Seattle – a header from close range – brought her goal tally to two in 2024, with her other score coming off a penalty at Angel City on June 19. The 25-year-old led the team in duels won (9) in the win vs. Angel City, while winning back possession on seven occasions.
It’s Milliet Time: Lauren Milliet made her 73rd consecutive start – and 88th straight appearance – on Saturday vs. Angel City. The 27-year-old has played in all but 47 minutes since the start of the 2022 season, including an ironwoman campaign in 2023. No field player in the NWSL has started more consecutive games or played more minutes than Milliet since the start of the 2022 season. This year, she is one of seven players with at least 100 progressive passes.
Uniquely Racing: Racing Louisville is a team with several standout notes. This is the only NWSL team to have NAIA products on its roster, and the club has two in forwards Bethany Balcer and Uchenna Kanu. Both were decorated players at the collegiate level, with Balcer winning national player of the year honors twice and a national championship at Michigan’s Spring Arbor University and Kanu breaking the NAIA single-season scoring record. The club also has the most Michiganders (Balcer, Marisa DiGrande, Courtney Petersen and Taylor Flint) and most Texas Tech alumni (Janine Beckie, Madison White and Kirsten Wright) on its roster.
Marisa’s (Di)Grand(e) moment: The first free agent signing in Racing Louisville history, Marisa DiGrande captured a new milestone in her time at the club with her first goal in the Chicago win. It was DiGrande’s first score since October 2022. The attacking midfielder has made 17 appearances in her debut season in Louisville, including 14 starts, with two assists in addition to the go-ahead goal at Lynn Family Stadium against Chicago.
Dynamic DeMelo: Despite appearing in fewer than 60 league games, Savannah DeMelo is already reaching record books and setting the pace on Racing Louisville milestones. The 26-year-old is tied for the team lead with five goals to go with two assist this season, pushing into the club’s all-time lead for goals (14) and assists (6). Her next goal and assist would give her a new single season best in either category. The USC grad is the NWSL’s leader in free-kick goals among current players and tied for third all-time.
Air Kiwi: Veteran defender Abby Erceg continued to climb up the minutes ladder this season. She moved into third in the NWSL record books in career minutes played, surpassing Gotham’s McCall Zerboni as she also climbed past 16,000 minutes. The center back has started every game and played every minute for Racing since joining the club via trade ahead of the 2023 season. She has two goals and two assists in 42 league games with Racing, including an assist on Taylor Flint’s go-ahead goal against Seattle. She’d set a new career high in goal involvements in lavender with at least one more goal or assist in the final six matches.
Bahr none: How about that for an NWSL debut? For the first time in eight years, a player registered an assist and a goal in their NWSL debut, with Racing’s Elexa Bahr matching Houston’s Rachel Daly in 2016 with the feat. Bahr scored a magnificent opening goal in the season-opening draw vs. Orlando on March 16, chipping the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. She added an assist a few minutes later on Uchenna Kanu’s well-taken goal in transition.
