Racing Louisville FC on Monday announced its roster for the upcoming USL W League season, which kicks off May 18 and runs through June 29.
The squad, which is run by the Racing Academy and will play on the nation’s premier pre-professional women’s soccer circuit, features 41 players from a variety backgrounds, from the Racing Academy to area colleges. The Racing W League team will be led by coach Callie McKinney, a Bellarmine University assistant and former University of Louisville midfielder who also coaches U-16s in the Racing Academy.
“I am thrilled with the team we have put together for this summer,” McKinney said. “The team has come together well, with a mix of some top-level college players and Racing Academy players. These young women are very talented and will fit well within the style of play that follows the first team. These are all players who aspire to play at the next level and are coming to get important experience and exposure with the first team and develop for their college seasons. As for the Academy players, it will be an invaluable experience to train and play games with the players from these top colleges. Overall, this team will be a special and great group to coach.”
Racing’s roster is headlined by Ella Sanchez, the reigning Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and Ballard High and Racing Academy standout who recently competed at the U-17 World Cup. Makayla DeMelo, a Loyola Marymount midfielder and the younger sister of Racing star Savannah DeMelo, will also play for Racing’s W League squad this summer
In all, the roster splits down the middle between academy and collegiate prospects, with 25 college players. Fourteen different colleges will be represented. Sixteen Racing Academy players will play on the squad, along with four University of Louisville players and two from the University of Kentucky.
Home W League games will be open to the public and free to attend at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, 801 Edith Road. Select away games will be streamed live via ElevenSports.com.
Racing in 2022 became the first W League member with a National Women’s Soccer League team at the top of its developmental pyramid.
This season, the league has established four regional conferences – Central, Eastern, Southern and Western — a move that will alter the 2023 playoff structure. Racing and the rest of the Valley Division will compete in the Central Conference.
Each team will play 10-12 matches against divisional opponents over the course of the regular season. Upon the start of the playoffs, conferences will be used to regionalize matchups with player welfare in mind. More information of the W League playoffs will be released later, and fans can get the latest updates by bookmarking RacingLouFC.com/WLeague.
Racing Louisville’s 2023 W League roster (club/college)
Goalkeepers (5): Amber Brandon (Racing Academy), Sam Castaneda (IPFW), Hanna Hargrave (Wright State), Hannah Hayden (Racing Academy), Ameerah Maamry (Racing Academy)
Defenders (11): Michela Agresti (Boston College), Tate Blincoe (Racing Academy), Zara Chavoshi (Wake Forest), Breanna Dardano (Racing Academy), Molly Feighan (Virginia Tech/St. John’s), Allie George (Virginia Tech), Audrey King (Racing Academy), Rachel Kutella (Missouri), Grace Pettet (Missouri), Kaitlyn Rowlett (Eastern Kentucky), Adison Welsh (Racing Academy)
Midfielders (13): Sam Agresti (Boston College), Makayla DeMelo (Loyola Marymount), Caroline Donovan (Samford), Coriana Dyke (Penn State), Haley Flynn (Racing Academy), Ag Gibson (Racing Academy), Mallory Glass (Kentucky), AJ Hendrick (Racing Academy), Betsy Huckaby (Racing Academy), Molly Richards (Racing Academy), Ella Sanchez (Racing Academy), Autumn Weeks (Louisville), Savina Zamborini (Louisville)
Forwards (12): Caitlin Chase (Racing Academy), Brooke Dardano (Louisville), Caiya Hanks (Wake Forest), Amber Jackson (Louisville), Marley Kahle (Racing Academy), Payton Linnehan (Penn State), Lilly Lund (Racing Academy), Emily Murphy (North Carolina), Avery Patterson (Wake Forest), Ava Robertson (Racing Academy), Jordyn Rhodes (Kentucky), Campbell Wallace (Racing Academy)
