Hours before kickoff on Saturday against Houston, Racing Louisville FC lost four starters between COVID-19 protocols and illness. But that did not stop the team from entering the game with a spirited mindset.
The same could be said about Wednesday’s match against San Diego, with Racing still operating a few regular starters short and taking on the league’s first-place team.
From those two matches came two of Racing’s best performances this year, a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Houston followed by a well-earned 1-0 win over San Diego.
“I think the mentality in the locker room is getting better and better,” Fox said after the Houston match. “Starting the season, we had a new coach, a new staff and a lot of rookies. We are all there for each other. People who don’t normally start started, and they proved they are just as good and deserve a chance to start.”
Erin Simon, who appeared in 21 matches last season, had yet to play in the regular season while working her way back from injury. The defender found out she was starting in place of center back Gemma Bonner two hours before Saturday’s match. She followed a strong performance against Houston with an equally solid outing against San Diego.
Same goes for Addisyn Merrick, used at both right and center back this season, as she slotted in for Julia Lester at center back to pair with Simon over the past two games. She was excellent in both, defending with calm and distributing and dribbling well from her position.
The center back duo proved tough to break down in both games, with 22 possessions won, 11 duels won and two interceptions en route to one goal conceded and a shutout vs. San Diego.
Veteran forward Jess McDonald, who scored the equalizer in Racing’s 1-1 draw with Houston, lauded the center back pairing for its professionalism.
“(Simon) has been a hard player to play against in training,” McDonald said. “I hate playing against her, which is a compliment. She deserved the start, as you could see. She’s a brick wall, and I commend her for performing the way she did. Same with Addie Merrick – coming in, she didn’t know that she was going to start, either. For the two of them to play really well together, that just shows you the level of professionalism with these young players, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.”
Under similar circumstances on Wednesday, Racing showed that same fighting spirit, earning a victory against a San Diego team that became the first NWSL squad in league history to win its first three regular-season matches. Racing’s same defensive grouping held San Diego to four shots on target and zero big chances, posting the first clean sheet of the regular season.
“If you didn’t know that they’re not the usual starters, you wouldn’t know because of how well they played,” Fox said following Wednesday’s win. “They did amazing. They are one of the big differences in our results that are happening.”
This week wasn’t the first time Racing’s players and coaches have spoken about the 2022 group’s fighting spirit and attitude. Much of Racing’s roster consists of young players new to the league, with seven rookies out of college and four others who are new to the NWSL. Even among the so-called veterans, Racing has five players who are only in their second seasons as professionals.
That, McDonald said, works to the team’s advantage. The youth on the team provides a spark that McDonald said gives Racing the energy to constantly “go at” opponents.
“I love the energy that we have,” McDonald said. “We don’t let up, and we keep going at teams. So, if we go down, F-it, let’s freaking go. We have nothing to lose now. So why not go for a goal? We tie it up, and we’ll go for another one. Why not?”