Racing Louisville FC wraps up its two-game away stretch at 8 p.m. Friday, traveling to Shell Energy Stadium for a meeting with the Houston Dash.
Bev Yanez’s squad heads to Texas after what attacker Janine Sonis said was the club’s “best performance of the season” last Sunday at Providence Park.
Racing Louisville (1-3-2, 5 points) tallied three goals in the first half, with two occurring in a quick seven-minute stretch. However, the visitors were held to a draw by Portland Thorns FC, who equalized through a Jayden Perry penalty in the 10th minute of second half stoppage time, resulting in a 3-3 final scoreline.
It was a breakout performance for a Racing attack that went into last weekend with three goals in five games. The club created 12 chances — five more than the Thorns — while amassing the highest expected goals total for an away NWSL match in club history (3.00).
The output up front was produced amid a contest that saw 41 fouls, which is the most for a single game in NWSL history.
Bringing that sort of attacking momentum into Friday is crucial, as Louisville has scored just one goal away at the Dash across six matches.
Houston (2-3-1, 7 points) picked up an important 1-0 home win last Friday over Utah Royals FC behind Delanie Sheehan’s Goal of the Week contender. The result snapped the club’s two-game skid and moved it up into 10th position in the table, just ahead of Racing in 12th.
Head coach Fabrice Gautrat, since taking the reins ahead of this season, has begun to shift the Dash to a more possession-based team. Houston has risen from the NWSL’s bottom two in possession last season to the top five this year.
Follow along…
- The game will be streamed on the free NWSL+ app or via plus.nwslsoccer.com. Fans can also listen to the match on Sports Talk 790AM or 790louisville.com.
- For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
Story lines…
Fischer flourishing: Kayla Fischer has proven to be a key to Racing’s offensive production as Louisville’s primary striker. The 2023 NWSL Draft pick registered her second-ever game with a goal and an assist on Sunday, becoming the second player in club history with multiple regular season matches with a goal and an assist. Through the first 540 minutes of the campaign, Fischer leads the team in multiple statistical categories: shots (19), shot-creating actions (19) and successful take-ons (6).
Engine room maestra: In her first start in over a month, Savannah DeMelo was one of Racing’s main sparks en route to a three-goal game at Portland. The midfielder, who is the club’s all-time leading scorer, netted her 15th NWSL goal against the Thorns just nine minutes into the match. It was the second-earliest goal DeMelo has scored in her career behind a 2023 penalty at Angel City FC in the third minute. The 27-year-old totaled four shots and two big chances — each tied for the team lead at Portland.
No slump in sight: So far this season, Emma Sears seems poised to avoid a sophomore slump. The 24-year-old wide forward out of Ohio State is Louisville’s leading scorer with three goals — just two fewer than she registered during her entire standout rookie campaign. Sears’ headed finish at Portland last week was among the league’s four nominees for Goal of the Week. She is also among the league leaders in shots on target, ranking tied for fourth with eight alongside reigning league MVP Temwa Chawinga.
Crafty Canadian: Back in the starting lineup for the first time since March 22, Janine Sonis recorded her first assist of 2025 against Portland, her former club. The Canadian international set up Sears with a brilliant cross from the left flank in the 39th minute for Racing’s third goal of the first half. Sonis also created two chances, tied for the second most on the team, and finished with a team high 62 touches.
Record breaker: A Racing Louisville original, Lauren Milliet, now stands alone in the league’s record books. Last Sunday, the defender became the first player in NWSL history to feature in 100 consecutive regular season matches for the same club. She attained the milestone just two weeks after reaching 100 total NWSL appearances. This year, Milliet is the club’s leader in passes completed (157) and one of three to play every minute of Racing’s first six matches.
Series history: Across all competitions, Racing has met Houston on 13 occasions — tied for the most matches against a single opponent in club history. Louisville, which is 3-6-4 in those games, won the most recent meeting last year at Lynn Family Stadium, 2-0, led by a goal and an assist from DeMelo. Regarding the encounters in Texas, three out of the last four have finished in scoreless draws.
New-look Dash: In addition to the introduction of Gautrat as head coach, Houston has brought in 10 new players since the beginning of December via free agency and trades. Half of them have played in each of the club’s contests so far. Those include rising U.S. Women’s National Team star Yazmeen Ryan, 10-year NWSL veteran Danielle Colaprico and the club’s current leading goal scorer, Maggie Graham. Ryan, despite not finding the back of the net yet in 2025, ranks fifth in shot-creating actions across the NWSL (21). The rookie, Graham, became the first player in league history to score two goals off the bench in her first two regular season appearances on March 23.
