Nadia Nadim scored for the second time in as many games Sunday, and that proved enough for Racing Louisville FC to walk away from its latest away contest with a point.
The 2021 NWSL expansion club played NJ/NY Gotham FC to a 1-1 draw at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., picking up a bit more momentum at the right time of year.
The ladies in lavender entered off a victory last weekend over Kansas City and made Sunday’s game the first of five in 15 days. The schedule congestion continues with a rare midseason opportunity to win a trophy via The Women’s Cup, an inaugural tournament welcoming FC Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain to Louisville.
“We started out great and kind of lost our way a little bit,” Racing coach Christy Holly said Sunday. “…Coming to Gotham and taking a point away from home from one of the top teams in the league — it’s really a reflection on where we are and where we’re going. But we do have to pin things up and make sure we don’t concede goals in the latter part of the game.”
At about the same time Bayern and PSG put wheels down in the Derby City, Nadim netted her 30th NWSL regular-season goal. The Danish international finished a 13th-minute cross from fellow forward Ebony Salmon, completing a nice bit of team buildup in transition.
According to NWSL statistician Jen Cooper, Nadim is the fifth-fastest player to reach the 30-goal milestone, doing so in 64 appearances. Only Christen Press (48 games), Megan Rapinoe (57), Amy Rodriguez (61) and Kim Little (62) accomplished the feat earlier.
Nadim’s goal — or any sort of Racing conversion — was deserved amid an early flurry for the visitors.
In the seventh minute, Salmon recovered a half clearance near the top of the box and launched a shot off the cross bar. A minute later, Nadim had a header saved. And in the 26th, Gotham FC goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan came off her line to deny a point-black try by Salmon.
“It’s a good start with the goal,” Nadim said, “but then we have to be calm with the ball. We want to be a winning team, and a draw is not good enough.”
Sheridan was making her first club appearance since winning a gold medal with Canada at the Tokyo Olympics. Another Gotham FC standout stole the show in the second half.
Ifeoma Onumonu, who had been a menace for Racing’s back line seemingly all game, equalized in the 83rd minute when she received the ball with her back to goal, turned and rifled in a shot.
“I think Gotham made adjustments,” said Racing defender Emily Fox. “I think they were kind of shocked in the first half, but they obviously made adjustments to it, and they’re a great team. They’re in third place for a reason. We’re obviously disappointed with a tie… but we’re going to go back home, have conversations.
“We play five games in 15 days so we need to move on, learn from our mistakes and keep going.”
Both sides were efficient to get a goal, with Racing managing three shots on target and Gotham FC two. The clubs were similarly even on most other areas across the stat sheet.
With the point, Racing improved to 4-6-3. The ladies in lavender still sit ninth on the table but are only four points out of a playoff spot and hold a game in hand on most rivals higher in the standings.
Next, Racing is on to the aforementioned The Women’s Cup, hosting the Chicago Red Stars at 7:30 p.m. It’s the back half of a Lynn Family Stadium doubleheader beginning with Bayern vs. PSG at 5 p.m. The final and third-place game follow on Saturday.
Game Summary: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville FC
Venue: Red Bull Arena
Kickoff: 5 p.m.
Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy
Player of the Match: Nadia Nadim
Attendance: 2,200
Scoring
NJ/NY Gotham FC (0, 1, 1)
Racing Louisville FC (1, 0, 1)
Goals
Gotham:
83’ Onumonu (Kawasumi)
Racing Louisville:
13’ Nadim (Salmon)
Stats Summary: Gotham FC / Racing Louisville
Shots: 11 / 10
Shots on Goal: 2 / 4
Fouls: 6 / 9
Offside: 5 / 3
Corner Kicks: 4 / 0
Saves: 3 / 2
Lineups
NJ/NY Gotham FC: 1 – Kailen Sheridan, 24 – Estelle Johnson, 12 – Gina Lewandowski, 8 – Erica Skroski, 27 – Gaetane Thiney (45’ 11 – Lee So-Dam), 19 – Elizabeth Eddy (77’ 9 – Nahomi Kawasumi), 3 – Caprice Dydasco, 16 – Allie Long, 7 – McCall Zerboni (66’ 6 – Jennifer Cudjoe), 25 – Ifeoma Onumonu, 18 – Delanie Sheehan (66’ 2 – Brianna Pinto)
Subs not used: 15 – Sabrina Flores, 5 – Nicole Baxter, 13 – DiDi Haracic, 14 – Kenie Wright, 17 – Domi Richardson
Racing Louisville FC: 1 – Michelle Betos, 4 – Gemma Bonner, 3 – Erin Simon (61’ 12 – Sinclaire Miramontez), 18 – Kaleigh Riehl, 11 – Emily Fox, 7 – Savannah McCaskill, 5 – Cece Kizer (86’ 13 – Emina Ekic), 8 – Freja Olofsson, 10 – Nadia Nadim, 17 – Yuki Nagasato (73’ 2 – Lauren Milliet), 9 – Ebony Salmon (61’ 20 – Cheyna Matthews)
Subs not used: 16 – Julia Ashley, 19 – Taylor Otto, 22 – Katie McClure, 14 – Nealy Martin, 23 – Katie Lund
Discipline Summary
Racing:
67’ Bonner (yellow)
90+6’ Riehl (yellow)
Referee: Brad Jensen
Assistant Referees: Tyler Wyrostek, Ian Mangione
Fourth Official: Jennifer Dumaine
