Feature written by Turner Hawkins
Friday was a beautiful fall evening in Louisville–and the perfect scene for yet another clutch moment from Racing Louisville’s Kirsten Davis.
Coming on as a substitute in the 58th minute with Racing trailing Orlando Pride, 2-1, in a must-win home finale at Lynn Family Stadium, Davis joined Louisville’s effort to stay alive in the hunt for a club-first playoff berth.
Twelve minutes later, Davis delivered once again for the lavender and mint. Racing’s Carson Pickett found Thembi Kgatlana on a trademark sprint down the left flank with a beautifully curled 50-yard pass. Kgatlana crossed the ball first time to the streaking Davis, who lunged ahead and slid in the equalizing goal in her team’s ferocious rally.
It was the third time Davis has scored a go-ahead or game-tying goal this year.
“I know when I see Thembi running, I’ve got get my butt into the box and be ready if she plays it to me,” Davis said. “Going into the game we knew it was win or go home for us this season, but in the second half, we were really able to take advantage of that, knowing that if we lose or tie, we’re out.”
In her second year as a pro, the 25-year-old Davis is having a breakthrough campaign, with five goals and two assists in 20 starts across all competitions. She has also doubled her progressive passes and nearly tripled her shot-creating actions, both signs of a major step forward in attacking productivity.
“She has an innate desire to learn and get better, and her growth over the last two years has been so fun to watch,” said defender Lauren Milliet, who has played with Davis the past two seasons and lauded her as a teammate on and off the field. “Her ability to shoot with both feet, coupled with her improved hold-up play and willingness to run in behind, makes her an all-around threat in the attack. The sky is the limit for her.”
Davis earned the “clutch” moniker attached to her name even ahead of Friday’s big goal.
A month ago in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup semifinal at OL Reign in Seattle, Davis’s defensive pressure led to her scoring the game-winning goal to give Louisville its first NWSL knockout stage win and reach its first NWSL-sponsored cup final.
Three weeks before that, Davis nodded in a late equalizer from a Maddie Pokorny cross to salvage a 1-1 draw against Angel City at Lynn Family Stadium in front of a club-record crowd. The point earned from that game has proven to be important with Racing still the playoff chase into this coming weekend’s slate of Decision Day games.
“The fact that I can trust her to play the balls – I know that she will get there, she knows that I will play the ball, she doesn’t stop running – I think it’s a good understanding,” Kgatlana said.
That understanding played a big part in Friday’s moment for Kgatlana and Davis, and Racing hopes it helps again when more crucial situations pop up in the future.
Davis is known for her tireless energy and running, and thanks to the forward’s efforts against Orlando, her team is still in the running for the playoffs, too.
