Racing Louisville FC head coach Bev Yanez said it was, “Back to basics” for her team this week following a pair of road losses.
Friday night’s win, though, was anything but basic.
Katie O’Kane scored her first career brace and Emma Sears came off the bench to bag a third as Louisville upended the league-leading Portland Thorns 3-1 at Lynn Family Stadium.
The win is Racing’s (2-5-1, 7 points) second of the season, both coming at home. Racing is unbeaten in three games in Butchertown this year.
“We can’t change the past, but what we can change is our direction moving forward,” Racing head coach Bev Yanez said. “It isn’t anything that’s different for us, it’s just getting back to us.”
The victory came in dominant fashion, particularly in the second half.
The high press, Racing’s hallmark en route to the club’s first playoff appearance in 2025, was back at its full-throttle best, pinning Portland in its defensive third 38% of the time, according to Opta.
The press limited Portland to 14 shots while also jump-starting Racing’s attack. Racing finished with 20 shots on the night, including eight in the second period.
“It showcases … if we go back to the basics and we go back to what we know we are, and we provide that more, that we can get the job done,” Yanez said.
Portland got on the board first, taking advantage of Sophia Wilson’s speed to expose Racing on the counter in the sixth minute on a feed from Olivia Moultrie for her league-leading fourth assist.
But it was all Racing after that.
O’Kane got on the end of a scramble in the box in the 14th minute to even the score, tallying her second career goal with a right-footed strike.
The second-year pro’s third career goal was one to remember.
From a dead ball left of the penalty area, O’Kane bent the free kick into the far top corner, eluding the outstretched fingertips of Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold in the 76th minute. It gave Louisville the lead — and another highlight home goal this year.
“(Goalkeeper coach) Serge (Gonzalez) had talked to me at halftime and he was like, ‘If we get another one like those … shoot it.’ … So I did,” O’Kane said.
Sears, who came off the bench for the first time this season in the 61st minute, provided the exclamation point in stoppage time. Sears sprinted to win the ball through the press, then wrong-footed Arnold on a right-footed finish six minutes into stoppage time.
Sears’ goal was the fourth Racing has scored in the last 15 minutes of a game, more than any other team in the NWSL this season.
“This whole week, we talked again and again about getting back to who we were,” Quincy McMahon, who made her third start for Racing in the win, said. “The work rate, the mentality, the finishes, all of that, just emulated who we want to be and all we’ve worked on.”
From here, Racing returns to the road, traveling to Utah to face the Royals on May 17.
Racing’s next home game will be one of two to close out the first half of the season, before June’s break for the men’s FIFA World Cup, co-hosted in the United States.
Billed as Summer Kickoff Day at Lynn Family Stadium, visit RacingLouFC.com/summer for tickets and more information.
Game Summary: Racing Louisville FC vs. Portland Thorns FC
Date: May 8, 2026
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
Weather: 72 degrees, sunny
Scoring
Racing Louisville FC (1, 2, 3)
Portland Thorns FC (1, 0, 1)
Goals:
Racing Louisville FC
16′ Katie O’Kane (Lauren Milliet)
76′ Katie O’Kane
90’+6 Emma Sears
Portland Thorns FC
6’ Sophia Wilson (Olivia Moultrie)
Lineups
Racing Louisville FC: 24 – Jordyn Bloomer, 12 – Quincy McMahon, 8 – Courtney Petersen, 3 – Arin Wright (c), 2 – Lauren Milliet, 26 – Taylor Flint, 20 – Katie O’Kane, 9 – Kayla Fischer (83′ 10 – Macey Hodge), 6 – Ella Hase (83′ 88 – Audrey McKeen), 42 – Sarah Weber (71′ 16 – Maja Lardner), 4 – Makenna Morris (60′ 13 – Emma Sears)
Unused substitutes: 1 – Maddie Prohaska; 15 – Mirann Gacioch, 19 – Avery Ciorbu, 21 – Rachel Hill, 23 – Macy Blackburn
Head coach: Bev Yanez
Portland Thorns FC: 18 – Mackenzie Arnold, 25 – M.A. Vignola (87′ 24– Jayden Perry), 4 – Carolyn Calzada, 16 – Sam Hiatt (c), 2 – Reyna Reyes (88′ 11 – Maddie Padelski), 6 – Cassandra Bogere (52′ 10 – Deyna Castellanos), 21 – Jessie Fleming, 66 – Reilyn Turner (45′ 26 – Mimi Alidou), 13 – Olivia Moultrie, 19 – Pietra Tordin (64′ 23 – Marie Müller), 9 – Sophia Wilson
Unused substitutes: 35 – Morgan Messner; 5 – Isabella Obaze, 29 – Mallie McKenzie, 41 – Renee Lyles
Head coach: Robert Vilahamn
Stats Summary: Racing Louisville FC / Portland Thorns FC
Shots: 20 / 14
Shots on Goal: 5 / 4
Expected goals: 1.59 / 1.47
Possession: 48% / 52%
Fouls: 12 / 14
Offside: 0 / 0
Corners: 5 / 1
Discipline Summary
Racing Louisville FC:
41′ Kayla Fischer (yellow)
73′ Taylor Flint (yellow)
Portland Thorns FC:
76′ Sam Hiatt (yellow)
Match referee: Muhammad Hassan
