Ary Borges will start for Racing Louisville FC for the first time in two months as the club finishes a three-game road swing at the San Diego Wave on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
Borges’ last start in lavender came in Racing’s 2-0 win over the Orlando Pride on June 20. She has come off the bench twice for Louisville since returning from international duty for Brazil at the Copa América. The 25-year-old started twice in the tournament, on July 16 and 25, and made a third appearance off the bench.
Borges’ inclusion in the lineup Sunday is the only change for Racing, following a 2-2 draw at the Washington Spirit last week.
Savannah DeMelo, whose one-goal performance at Washington earned her an NWSL Player of the Week nomination, and Taylor Flint start alongside Borges in the midfield. Marisa DiGrande, who started each of the past two weeks, is available off the bench.
A youthful front three starts together for the third straight game. Rookie Ella Hase will play to the left of fellow rookie Sarah Weber at center forward, with second-year pro Emma Sears on the right.
The backline remains unchanged for the fourth game in a row. Courtney Petersen will play on the left, with Janine Sonis continuing to fill in for the injured Lauren Milliet on the right. The center back pairing of captain Arin Wright and Ellie Jean starts together for the 14th time this season.
Goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer will make her 11th career start, all coming this season. She’s led Racing to a 5-3-2 record since taking over as the club’s starting net minder on May 2 following an injury to Katie Lund.
On the bench, Racing will have two goalkeepers backing up Bloomer: Madison White and Cristina Roque. Kayla Fischer and DiGrande are the only available substitutes who have scored this season.
Team Sheet at San Diego Wave
24 – Jordyn Bloomer
11 – Courtney Petersen
3 – Arin Wright (c)
5 – Ellie Jean
16 – Janine Sonis
26 – Taylor Flint
8 – Ary Borges
7 – Savannah DeMelo
6 – Ella Hase
13 – Emma Sears
42 – Sarah Weber
Substitutes: 33 – Cristina Roque, 77 – Madison White; 9 – Kayla Fischer, 14 – Marisa DiGrande, 15 – Ángela Barón, 20 – Katie O’Kane, 31 – Katie Scott, 32 – Avery Kalitta, 88 – Bethany Balcer
