Coming off a tough result midweek, rookie Mirann Gacioch and Kayla Fischer each struck in the second half to lift Racing Louisville FC to a 2-1 victory over Chicago Stars FC Saturday afternoon at Lynn Family Stadium.
Gacioch and Fischer, two products of the Ohio State University, scored within a seven-minute span in the second half, proving enough for a crucial win as Chicago’s Nádia Gomes pulled one back late on.
The result was Racing’s (4-11-2, 14 points) second win in its last three matches, moving it up past the Stars and into 15th place in the NWSL table. It was also Louisville’s third home win of the season — each one featuring multiple goals from the hosts. The last came on May 8, a 3-1 win over Portland Thorns FC.
With three points to close out a tough stretch of schedule congestion, Racing now heads into a more favorable run of fixtures with some much-needed momentum on its side. Louisville’s next four games come against teams currently outside the playoff picture, giving it an opportunity to make up some ground.
“I think this is big for us, to get six points out of a potential nine points with three games in seven days,” said head coach Bev Yanez. “We told the group from the start we needed everybody. I believe they did just that tonight. They executed really well. We went up 2-0, which gave us a lot of confidence. At the end, we did our best in every way, shape and form.
“[We] did everything that we possibly could to make sure we closed out the match. It got a little nerve-wracking, but we took care of business. We walked away with the three points and that’s ultimately what we wanted.”
Racing, despite not netting a goal in the opening period, proved to be the more threatening side out of the gate, winning the first half shots battle 8-1. The rewards in the final third, though, would come in the second half.
Club captain Arin Wright played the role of distributor on the opening goal, finding Gacioch with a clipped ball from out wide. The rookie made no mistake with the service, smashing it home for her first professional goal in the 55th minute. She becomes the third Louisville first-year player to score this year, joining Maja Lardner and Macy Philippus.
“[It was] just a great ball by Gill (Arin Wright),” said Gacioch. “I remember locking eyes … then it just came straight to my head. I just had to go up and pop it off my head. She (Wright) made it really easy for me. Favorite part was definitely just the celebration after, getting to feel that energy from the crowd.”
The hosts wasted little time doubling the lead. Just seven minutes later, in the 62nd minute, Fischer converted for her fourth goal of the season, capitalizing on some unselfish play from Emma Sears and a Chicago giveaway. Fischer now has a goal contribution in three of her last four appearances.
Down two goals, the Stars refused to fold, clawing their way back into the match. Portuguese forward Gomes cut the lead to one with an 80th-minute strike from range. But despite a late push, the visitors couldn’t find an equalizer, and Racing held on for an important three points.
“Just one game at a time,” said Wright. “We can’t go too far ahead. We’re still not very high in the table, so it’s going to be one game at a time for us. Focus on one, snag those points, move to the next.
“… For us as players, one game at a time, keep doing what we’re doing, focus on the good things. No reason to dwell on what happened on the front end of the season, and we just move forward.”
It’s back on the road again next week for Louisville, as it heads to Florida — the Sunshine State — for a Friday meeting with the Orlando Pride at the rebranded Inter.co Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET. Consecutive home contests against Boston Legacy FC and Seattle Reign FC will follow the trip south.
Game Summary: Racing Louisville FC vs. Chicago Stars FC
Date: August 1, 2026
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
Weather: 81 degrees, mostly cloudy
Attendance: 5,148
Scoring
Racing Louisville FC (0, 2, 2)
Chicago Stars FC (0, 1, 1)
Goals:
Racing Louisville FC
55′ Mirann Gacioch (Arin Wright)
62′ Kayla Fischer (Emma Sears)
Chicago Stars FC
80′ Nádia Gomes
Lineups
Racing Louisville FC: 24 – Jordyn Bloomer; 4 – Makenna Morris (80′ 21 – Rachel Hill), 5 – Ellie Jean (53′ 8 – Courtney Petersen), 3 – Arin Wright (c), 15 – Mirann Gacioch, 12 – Quincy McMahon, 26 – Taylor Flint (80′ 42 – Sarah Weber), 20 – Katie O’Kane, 2 – Lauren Milliet, 13 – Emma Sears (71′ 88 – Audrey McKeen), 9 – Kayla Fischer (71′ 16 – Maja Lardner)
Subs not used: 1 – Maddie Prohaska; 6 – Ella Hase, 19 – Avery Ciorbu, 23 – Macy Philippus
Head coach: Bev Yanez
Chicago Stars FC: 27 – Katie Atkinson; 29 – Leila Ouahabi (68′ 23 – Micayla Johnson), 3 – Sam Staab, 25 – Aaliyah Farmer, 14 – Taylor Wood (46′ 4 – Jenna Bike), 7 – Julia Grosso (46′ 34 – Tessa Dellarose), 77 – Maitane López (77′ 31 – Anna Gasper), 16 – Manaka Hayashi, 11 – Nádia Gomes, 10 – Brianna Pinto (c) (68′ 20 – Bea Franklin), 8 – Jameese Joseph
Subs not used: 1 – Alyssa Naeher; 6 – Kathrin Hendrich, 9 – Mallory Swanson, 15 – Elise Evans
Head coach: Martin Sjögren
Stats Summary: Racing Louisville FC / Chicago Stars FC
Shots: 17 / 6
Shots on Goal: 3 / 3
Expected goals: 1.99 / 0.30
Possession: 37.2% / 62.8%
Fouls: 4 / 13
Offside: 6 / 4
Corners: 7 / 0
Discipline Summary
Chicago Stars FC:
40′ Leila Ouahabi (yellow)
Match referee: Muhammad Kaleia
