Off an international break, Racing Louisville FC returns to NWSL play at 5 p.m. Saturday when it hosts the Washington Spirit at Lynn Family Stadium.
This match was originally set to mark Thunder at Lynn Family Stadium, which was canceled due to excessive rainfall and ensuing flooding in the area. However, it’s game on for Racing Louisville and Washington in the Butchertown neighborhood with gates to open at 3:30 p.m.
Racing (1-1-1, 4 points) secured its first win of 2025 — a 1-0 victory at Chicago Stars FC — last time out on March 30. For the second consecutive year, Emma Sears scored the club’s winning goal in the first half of a triumph in Chicago.
Coach Bev Yanez’s team put a disappointing result at Bay FC behind it to move up to ninth in the league table. Louisville created a season high four big chances while limiting its opponent to three shots on target — the fewest it has allowed this season — en route to a clean sheet.
Maintaining that form defensively will be vital coming up against a Spirit team that scored 51 goals last year, second-most in the NWSL.
Jonatan Giráldez-led Washington (2-1-0, 6 points) bested Bay by a 2-0 scoreline in its most recent fixture in front of over 12,000 fans at Audi Field, bouncing back from the year’s first defeat to the Kansas City Current.
The Spirit’s two wins have them familiar place early in the season: the playoff picture. Since the league launched in 2013, they’ve reached the championship game three times, including last year.
Follow along…
- The match will be streamed on the free NWSL+ app or via plus.nwslsoccer.com as well as Paramount+. Fans can also listen to the match on Sports Talk 790AM or 790louisville.com.
- 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.
Storylines…
Sears showing class: Louisville’s two goals so far this season have come from the same source: Emma Sears. In addition to the winner at Chicago, the Ohio State University product scored the opener March 15 versus the North Carolina Courage. Sears’ efficiency in the final third stands out when compared to the rest of the league. The winger’s 83.3% shots-on-target percentage ranks first in the NWSL among players with to have attempted at least three shots.
Undeniable force: Few have been more influential in their team’s respective engine rooms this year than Racing midfielder Taylor Flint. The 26-year-old, who is in her second season with Louisville, played a key role in the club’s first win at Chicago. She was nominated for the league’s Week 3 Player of the Week after setting up Sears for the goal and finishing with a game high 12 duels won. Flint has numbered 42 successful duels, the highest total in the league. No other player has more than 30.
Impactful rookie class: Racing’s youngsters have made quite an impression through the season’s opening three weeks. A trio of rookies — Sarah Weber, Katie O’Kane and Ella Hase — have all started at least one game. The trio has also combined to create three chances, with Hase particularly standing out in the fullback position. The former Duke University star led Racing in tackles won (5) and finished second in final third entries (9) behind Lauren Milliet in the Chicago victory.
Formidable Fischer: Despite only taking up the center forward position regularly at the professional level last season, Kayla Fischer has already posed significant challenges for opposition defenses in her role as Racing’s striker. Fischer led Louisville in shots and touches inside the opponent’s box for the second straight match against Chicago. She also ranks tied for second in the league in fouls drawn with nine, trailing only Houston Dash defender Natalie Jacobs at 11.
Milestones beckon: Goalkeeper Katie Lund and defender Lauren Milliet are inching closer to historic career marks. Lund, who ranks tied for second in the league for saves from outside the box (4), is one save away from reaching the 300 for her career. She’d be the sixth shot stopper to achieve this feat with one club. Milliet, on the other hand, needs three more appearances to become the first Racing player to reach 100 for Louisville. The two veterans are also two of six players to appear in every minute for Louisville this season.
Defensively versatile: In her first full season at the club, defender Courtney Petersen has stepped up, impressing in a position that has not been her primary one at the professional level: center back. After being deployed at left back in the home opener, Petersen has shifted into the center of Racing’s backline for the past two fixtures. Even as a defender, the 27-year-old led the team in chances created (4) and total crosses (8) against Bay FC. Since shifting to a defensive role, she has either led or been tied for the team lead in shot-creating actions.
Series history: Historically, Washington owns the advantage in this matchup with just one loss from 10 meetings across all competitions. However, Racing’s lone win in the series did come at Lynn Family Stadium back in 2021. Louisville has also posed far more of a threat in the final third at home versus the Spirit, out-shooting the visitors by a combined five shots across the last three meetings on home soil.
