As temperatures continue to surge across the United States, so too is Racing Louisville FC’s form.
There is no better time for Racing to be hitting its stride as it hosts one of the season’s biggest occasions — Down the Stretch Night — at 6:30 p.m. Saturday against NWSL newcomer Boston Legacy FC at Lynn Family Stadium.
As Louisville rounds the corner into the season’s final 12 games, “Down the Stretch” night marks the club’s charge toward the finish line in the quest for a playoff berth. A season-high crowd is expected to be on hand, with the first 2,000 fans able to grab an exclusive t-shirt giveaway, take in a pregame flyover and much more.
For tickets and more information on the game promotions, visit RacingLouFC.com/stretch.
Louisville (5-11-2, 17 points) heads into back-to-back home contests on a heater, having won three of its last four games. Last week, Racing took its first-ever road win over the Orlando Pride, 3-1, as Emma Sears starred with a second-half brace. The result moved Saturday’s hosts within seven points of the final playoff place and two behind 14th-place Bay FC.
Racing is one of just three teams that have amassed at least 10 points from the last five games, along with Seattle Reign FC and the league-leading Gotham FC.
A win for Louisville Saturday would be a history-making one, as it would clinch the club’s first-ever three-game regular season win streak.
Saturday, with what’s expected to be a large crowd behind it, Louisville has the perfect stage to finally seal that club milestone against one of the league’s two expansion teams.
Boston is a city known for setting a high bar for its professional sports teams, but the Legacy (5-8-5, 20 points) struggled out of the chute in NWSL. The club began its inaugural season with five straight defeats, three at home.
The club, led by Portuguese manager Filipa Patão, has since adjusted to life in the league, sitting only four points off the playoff line in 12th position. A five-match unbeaten streak immediately following that aforementioned tough start played a key role in the turning of the tide.
Even in its first campaign, Boston has shown it can go toe-to-toe with sides higher up in the NWSL standings. Three of the club’s last four games have been against teams in the current top seven of the table. While the Legacy went 1-2-0 in those games — beating Kansas City Current for its lone win — both losses came by just a single goal. The second of those defeats came last week, when Boston nearly overcame an early 3-0 deficit in a seesaw 4-3 home loss to Portland Thorns FC.
Follow Along
- The contest will air nationally on ION. 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 …
So nice, she had to do it twice: Heading into last Friday, Racing’s Emma Sears hadn’t found the back of the net since May 8. The forward made sure the goal drought came to an end at the Orlando Pride, bagging her second career brace to confirm Louisville left Florida with all three points. The strikes were Sears’ 18th and 19th goals of her Racing career, moving her past Savannah DeMelo and into sole possession of the club’s all-time scoring lead. Sears left no doubt on both finishes, cutting inside on the wing for a left-footed goal to double the Louisville lead, before getting in behind the backline with her speed to confirm the brace. If it wasn’t for a VAR review that deemed her offside, she would have left Orlando with the club’s first-ever hat trick.
A young history maker: It was a special night for Audrey McKeen last time out in Orlando. The 17-year-old rookie, who became the club’s youngest-ever signing in January, registered her first professional goal to open the scoring for Louisville in just her second start for the club. The goal was historic in many ways. It made her the youngest goal scorer in Racing history, while placing her in the company of nine others to find the back of the net before age 18 in the NWSL. She is also Louisville’s third rookie to score in its last four contests, joining Maja Lardner and Mirann Gacioch.
Dishing it out: Serving in now more of an attacking role, club original Lauren Milliet added to what was a record-breaking night for Racing in Orlando. Milliet set a single-game career high with two assists against the Pride, moving into first place on the club’s all-time assists list with nine. The Colorado native found Sears in stride down the right wing on each occasion, increasing her goal contribution total for the season to five. She is one of just four Louisville players this year to reach that mark.
A bit rocky on the road: Though Boston is a top-half side at home, life hasn’t been as straightforward on the road. BLFC has won just one of its seven away games to date during its inaugural campaign, with the lone victory coming at Racing’s most recent opponent — the Orlando Pride. The expansion side has yet to net multiple goals in an away clash this year. For context, the Legacy have played just seven road games — fewest in the NWSL — while Racing sits among six clubs to have already logged at least 10 away outings this season.
Prepare for a battle: Physicality has been a defining feature of the way BLFC has played throughout its first season. Boston leads the league in yellow cards (35), fouls committed (246), and is even tied at the top in red cards (3). A team has hit 20-plus fouls in a game only five times this season — and the Legacy account for three of them, per Opta. For context, no club racked up as many such contests in the entirety of last season.
