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Racing Louisville FC’s Lauren Milliet, originally drafted in 2019 by the North Carolina Courage, arrived to her former club amid its run of three straight shields and consecutive NWSL Playoffs championships — a slew of trophies earned much thanks to a stacked midfield.

Two prominent players who have since moved on from the Courage, Sam Mewis (Manchester City) and Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), rank among the best in the world at what they do. Attacking midfielder Debinha might well be the best in the world in her role. And Denise O’Sullivan, perhaps built more in the mold of a player like Milliet, has stretched her pro career going on a decade.

Speaking after Racing’s recent 3-2 defeat to North Carolina, Courage coach Paul Riley said it’s best for a talented player such as Milliet to move on after two years without a normal starting role. Milliet made 10 appearances for the Courage while learning under those aforementioned midfielders.

“It was time to make her own career now,” Riley said.

Milliet is doing just that with Racing having started each of the club’s NWSL Challenge Cup games, emerging as a box-to-box midfield presence. The Durango, Colo., native is seemingly getting better each appearance, too.

In Sunday’s scoreless draw at NJ/NY Gotham FC, Milliet numbered multiple tackles, blocks and interceptions defensively. She also paced her club with four shots attempted, trying to jumpstart the attack with some tries from distance.

“I definitely learned a lot from the midfield from the NC Courage,” Milliet said.

There, she featured more as a No. 10, working with her back to the goal. In a more central role for Racing, Milliet has focused on playing the ball quickly through defensive lines to create chances. Sometimes, as with Sunday, she finds herself in a position to finish some, too.

“Obviously, I’d like to put them on frame, not to the moon,” Milliet said with a laugh. “…I wanted to be a little bit more selfish. We talked a lot about shooting this week. I found myself on the top of the box a few times and thought I’d take a rip. It is what it is. Next time I’ll try to put it a little bit lower.”

Milliet, who has totaled 353 minutes on the pitch for Racing, is a 90-minute performance away from eclipsing her season total last year with the NC Courage across the inaugural Challenge Cup and Fall Series.

“I think she’s come in and she’s done absolutely fantastic,” said Racing’s head coach, Christy Holly. “One of the big things we wanted to try and continue to add to her game is the defensive awareness…She’s finding herself present at both ends of the field. I couldn’t be more proud of the growth she’s shown.”

Racing defender Kaleigh Riehl, as with Milliet, was selected by the club in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. Riehl described Milliet as “an engine” for the club.

“She’s always fighting, and she’s scrappy,” Riehl added. “She’s a big part both defensively and offensively for us. She does a lot of the dirty work that is often overlooked. I have so much trust in her that she’s always going to be there and help us out.”

Riley’s side faced Milliet for 83 minutes last month. After the final whistle, the coach made it a point to tell his former player how proud he is of what he’d just seen.

“She’s still improving and continues to improve,” Riley said. “She looks like a bonafide NWSL midfielder now, and that’s what we want.”

Thomas Costello covers the NWSL for Beyond Women’s Sports, which offers stories throughout the world of women’s professional and collegiate athletics. Follow Thomas on Twitter @1ThomasCostello and Beyond Women’s Sports @BeyondWSports.

Racing Louisville FC’s final Challenge Cup outing didn’t carry tournament implications for the club, but Sunday’s game at NJ/NY Gotham FC presented a final opportunity to fine tune ahead of the regular season opener May 15. Here’s what we learned from the 0-0 draw.

This back line can slow a potent offense

For Racing’s first clean sheet to come against Gotham FC signals huge growth. Louisville went on the road against the East Division’s top Challenge Cup team and held its shape, anticipating movements of the former Sky blue FC.

In the first half, Carli Lloyd and Midge Purce did have opportunities on frame, but more often pressure from Racing’s back line forced them into lower quality chances. The Gotham forwards combined to shoot seven times but put only two tries on target. Purce plays wide, but has a tendency to move more centrally and get on goal. Racing met her move early in the match, and she didn’t go back to it.

Even though the defensive four received a blow with full back Emily Fox’s substitution for injury in the 56th minute, they held their composure late. Lloyd, who has numbered 301 U.S. Women’s National Team caps, took her final shot in the 95th minute, one that caromed off the head of a Racing midfielder and secured the shutout.

“We were very organized at the back,” said Racing’s coach, Christy Holly. “The team was very structurally organized and disciplined in their decision making defensively in the final third.” Defensive performances aren’t limited to players with defender next to their name on the team roster. They’re the first to say that the players in front of them played a big role.

“I think that really starts with our forward pressure and then making it predictable for us,” added defender Kaleigh Riehl. “They make our job so much easier when they do that.”

The forward pressure came in the form of blocking passes, with 11 of the team’s 17 interceptions claimed by midfielders and forwards.

Midfielder Lauren Milliet arguably shined the brightest defensively with four tackles, two blocked passes, a blocked shot and three interceptions. A couple of those interceptions came in dangerous attacking areas, where Milliet knew what the opposition was thinking even before it initiated a pass.

“She always puts so much effort in and an engine in there,” Riehl said. “She’s box to box the entire game. She’s always fighting and she’s scrappy.”

That growth is a sign of things to come. Milliet worked hard in the offseason to become the player that she is in 2021.

“I had the tendency last year to play my back to the goal,” Milliet said. “Coming through this year I was really working on getting my body open so I could play quickly through the lines.”

She accomplished this goal against Gotham.

Louisville has more than just leadership in goal

Gotham FC’s draw was enough to earn a spot in Saturday’s Challenge Cup final versus Portland Thorns FC. But Racing didn’t make it easy to get through, especially goalkeeper Michelle Betos.

Louisville’s captain stopped all four shots that came her way, including a 62nd-minute chance that quickly. The biggest being her final one, in the 62nd minute seconds after Riehl came up with a block about five yards from goal. The rebound went to Gotham FC defender Caprice Dydasco, and Betos followed with a fully-extended diving save to her left.

“Miche is rock-solid back there,” Milliet said. “It’s honestly super nice to have such a high quality, veteran back there, and she’s a freaking dynamo at saving and she’s a great voice for us.”

The performance — Betos’ first clean sheet for Racing — followed a performance last week against NC Courage that landed her the NWSL’s Save of the Week.

Betos making big saves has to instill confidence in a young side. While she has had goals get into her net during the Challenge Cup, Betos still puts herself into opportunities to make saves. This isn’t a goalkeeper who watches a ball go past herself. She plays with the same tenacity and energy as the side in front of her, and her impact stretches outside of the soccer pitch too.

“She’s top notch,” Milliet said. “We can learn a lot from her — leadership-wise, soccer-wise — and she’s a great person as well.”

Betos’ performances only figure to improve as Racing inserts more key pieces into its defense, such as injured center back Addisyn Merrick and the English veteran Gemma Bonner, who recently signed from Manchester City.

Racing’s stronger going into the regular season

Sure, the Challenge Cup served as a proper NWSL competition. A trophy will be handed out this weekend to either Portland or Gotham FC. But this also served the purpose of four preseason games for the expansion side Racing ahead of its 24-game campaign that opens at Lynn Family Stadium.

Racing’s offensive output and possession didn’t meet Holly’s expectations Sunday, but the club influenced the outcome by adjusting on the fly. Gotham FC’s attack featured far less creativity thanks to changes made by Racing. This ability to learn and grow at a face pace raises Racing’s ceiling in 2021.

The roster also remains a work in progress. Bonner will join once she obtains a visa, and Holly has teased other signings. Those moves may take time to negotiate, but the group on the field has already showed it can go toe to toe with anyone in the league.

The strength in mentality, once paired with stronger tactical play, moves Louisville out of the conversation of stereotypical expansion team and into a contender to make the NWSL’s expanded six-team playoffs.

“Trust ourselves and have confidence in ourselves,” is what Riehl said Racing will work on. “We hear that we’re a young team and all of this, but we can really compete with the best teams in this league and I think we have showed that. We need to be a little more consistent with that and truly believe ourselves.”

Racing Louisville FC on Sunday finished a run through the NWSL Challenge Cup by earning its first shutout and second point in the franchise’s young history.

Racing held NJ/NY Gotham FC — which with a point of its own clinched the East Division in this preseason tournament — to a scoreless draw at New Jersey’s Montclair State University.

For Gotham FC, the result means advancement to play the Challenge Cup’s West winner, Portland Thorns FC, Saturday on CBS in the final . Racing Louisville meanwhile gets a weekend off before opening the NWSL’s regular season May 15, hosting Kansas City at Lynn Family Stadium.

In three prior group stage Challenge Cup games, Racing managed a draw and two defeats, both by a goal. That the club kept Gotham FC scoreless Sunday pleased Christy Holly. Still, the coach walked away calling this “our worst performance of the Challenge Cup.”

“I don’t think we executed anywhere near what we were looking for in terms of possession or defensively,” Holly said. “So that was quite frustrating. We got into halftime and had really good conversations — really productive conversations. It was great to see the girls then apply that in the second half and have some success come from it.

“I think the big thing is understanding that we’re going to have bad days where we genuinely don’t play well and getting out of here with a point is good.”

Voted Woman of the Match, goalkeeper Michelle Betos made four saves, three of those during a first half in which Racing was fortunate to preserve its clean sheet.

U.S. Women’s National Team legend Carli Lloyd had a trio of nice looks, including a slow-rolling try on target in the 15th minute, a shot across her body swung just wide in the 27th and a 34th-minute transition try in the box where Lloyd managed only light contact on the shot.

Gotham FC’s attack packed noticeably less punch over the second 45 minutes, though Racing’s back line was conscious of Challenge Cup trends. The club had surrendered goals past the 84th minute in its prior three outings.

“We’ve been stressing to be compact and to really cover for each other,” said defender Kaleigh Riehl, who played last season for Gotham FC, then known as Sky Blue FC. “I think we did that today, and I think it’s big for us.

“The last few games we’d given up a goal at the very end. It was (about) being more focused, talking through those moments and making sure we finished the game with a clean sheet.”

Racing was held mostly quiet in the first half, the 44th minute aside when forward Emina Ekic cut in from the right wing and fired a big left-footed shot that commanded a save.

Out of the locker room, what was perhaps Louisville’s best offensive chance also dealt a defensive blow. Working from left to right, defender Emily Fox was taken down in the Gotham FC box. Racing didn’t get the whistle for a penalty, and Fox needed to be substituted off.

Working from box to box, midfielder Lauren Milliet tried four shots Sunday, and a 70th-minute Savannah McCaskill corner redirected off defender Brooke Hendrix’s head nearly led to a goal.

That’s all part of the learning process for a young Racing side, which Milliet said can stand to work on its tempo.

“When to speed it up, when to slow it down — when to play through the lines and when to just keep the ball moving quickly,” she said. “…I think there’s just a lot we can work on, and I think there’s a lot of positives we can take from this.”

Game Summary: Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville

Venue: Montclair State University

Kickoff: 12:37 p.m.

Weather: 77 degrees, sunny

Woman of the Match: Michelle Betos

Scoring

Gotham FC (0, 0, 0)

Racing Louisville (0, 0, 0)

Stats Summary: Gotham FC / Racing Louisville

Shots: 13 / 11

Shots on Goal: 4 / 2

Fouls: 8 / 7

Offside: 4 / 3

Corner Kicks: 2 / 4

Saves: 2 / 4

Lineups

Racing Louisville: 1 – Michelle Betos, 11 – Emily Fox (14 – Nealy Martin), 18 – Kaleigh Riehl, 15 – Brooke Hendrix, 5 – Cece Kizer, 2 – Lauren Milliet, 8 – Freja Olofsson (66’ 19 – Taylor Otto), 3 – Erin Simon, 13- Emina Ekic (73’ 33 – Jorian Baucom), 17 – Yuki Nagasato (27 – Vanessa Kara), 7 – Savannah McCaskill

Subs not used: 21 – Shelby Money, 23 – Katie Lund, 16 – Julia Ashley, 24 – Noelle Higginson, 20 — Cheyna Matthews

Gotham FC: 13 — Dijana Haracic, 12 — Gina Lewandowski, 28 — Imani Dorsey, 3 — Caprice Dydasco (78’ 15 — Sabrina Flores), 22 — Mandy Freeman, 9 — Nahomi Kawasumi, 11 — Lee So-Dam (78’ 25 — Ifeoma Onumonu), 6 — Jennifer Cudjoe (64’ 17 — Dominique Richardson), 10 — Carli Lloyd, 23 — Margaret “Midge” Purce (88’ 20 — Evelyne Viens), 4 — Paige Monogan (46’ 16 — Allie Long)

Subs not used: 21 — Amanda McGlynn, 8 — Erica Skroski, 24 — Estelle Johnson, 19 Elizabeth Eddy

Discipline Summary

Gotham FC: Cudjoe (yellow) 28’

Referee: Karen Abt

Assistant Referees: Tiffini Turpin, Zeno Cho

Fourth Official: Christian Centeno

On Friday, Michelle Betos earned Racing Louisville FC’s first individual NWSL award when voted the league’s Save of the Week winner.

On Sunday, she continued the momentum with a four-save performance at NJ/NY Gotham FC, preserving the club’s first clean sheet in a scoreless draw.

Gotham FC had scored as many as four goals in a single game during the NWSL Challenge Cup, and Racing conceded after the 84th minute in its three prior appearances. Both those trends hit a halt Sunday at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Voted Woman of the Match, Betos, who made 12 saves throughout the Challenge Cup, is also Racing’s captain. Going back to 2015, she was named the NWSL’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

More from Sunday’s game…

— Racing’s lineup went without a change going back to Monday’s 3-2 loss to the North Carolina Courage. Throughout the Challenge Cup, the only rotation that has happened is between center backs Nealy Martin and Kaleigh Riehl.

— Working in a box-to-box midfield role, Lauren Milliet led Racing with 4 shots taken.

— Racing’s attack was dealt a blow when Emily Fox exited the game after a 52nd-minute collision in the Gotham FC box. To that point, the defender was passing with 95% accuracy working up the left side.

— Exiting the Challenge Cup, with Racing’s regular season to begin May 15, team leaders are Cece Kizer with 2 goals, four players (Kizer, Emily Fox, Freja Olofsson and Erin Simon) with 1 assist and Yuki Nagasato with 6 shots attempted.

What coach Christy Holly said…

“I have to keep a real clear perspective here. If we came out of this without the clean sheet and without the gritty performance and without the understanding piece that there’s growth in what we’re doing, then it wouldn’t have been a productive day. As we continue growing and continue to produce better collectively as a team, I think that win will happen. As we maximize our potential and take care of our roles on the field, the results will come.”

What midfielder Lauren Milliet said…

(Betos) is rock-solid back there. It’s honestly super nice to have such a high quality veteran back there. She’s a freaking dynamo at saving, and she is a great voice for us. We do have that leadership with her back there. She’s top notch. We can learn a lot from her leadership-wise and all around soccer-wise. Great person as well.”

What defender Kaleigh Riehl said…

“We hear that we’re a young team and all of this, but we can really compete with the best teams in the league. I think we’ve showed that. I think we just need to be a little more consistent in that and truly believe in ourselves — but yeah, we can compete with the best.”

Racing Louisville FC is looking to end its first NWSL competition on a positive note with a trip to New Jersey, concluding a run through the preseason Challenge Cup tournament at NJ/NY Gotham FC.

The 24-game regular season is scheduled to start May 15, giving the expansion side one final chance to tune up for its inaugural campaign.

Thus far, Racing has earned a point from its Challenge Cup-opening draw with the Orlando Pride before dropping one-goal decisions to the Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage. The club is mathematically eliminated from making the May 8 tournament final but can still gain plenty from Sunday’s game, namely its first-ever victory.

Building off its recent rebrand, the former Sky Blue FC finds itself at the top of the Challenge Cup’s East Division (pending Saturday night’s NC Courage-Orlando Pride result). Either way, Gotham FC will control its destiny going into this final group stage game.

Racing will meet Gotham at Montclair State University’s Soccer Park at Pittser Field with a limited number of fans in attendance. The game will also stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Twitch internationally.

Coach Christy Holly says…

“It is definitely a little bit different because of the Derby this weekend,” with Racing making an early trip to New Jersey. “We got to train (Thursday) and it is an abbreviated week already with a game on a Monday. We trained (in New Jersey on Friday). You are on the back of travel. You are not able to get into that many tactical concepts that you want to employ during the game. A lot more of the work will be done theory-based through video. I think that is how we will maximize the time between various different meetings between the players.

“I can’t speak highly enough of every single player in this organization. Ultimately, we want to train and have good habits and have that transfer into our game performance.”

Follow along

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. Also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.

Stream the match on Paramount+ and internationally on Twitch with play by play from Mike Watts and color commentary by Kalyn Kyle.

Notes to know

Know the Foe: Just before the Challenge Cup opened, Sky Blue FC announced it would be known as NJ/NY Gotham FC as part of a rebrand that appears to have energized the whole organization. Off the field, Gotham FC is enjoying publicity from new colors and kits. On it, the team has gone unbeaten with two wins and a draw.

Gotham is home to many well-known national team members, including forwards Carli Lloyd and Midge Purce, whose two goals are pacing her team in Challenge Cup play. This week, the club also acquired midfielder Allie Long, who joined the club in a trade from OL Reign.

Should Gotham FC advance, it would mark the franchise’s first final since winning the Women’s Professional Soccer playoffs in 2009.

Holly’s History: Before becoming Racing Louisville’s first coach, Christy Holly spent five years with Sky Blue FC — three as an assistant and two more as head coach from 2016-2017. His teams went a combined 14-17-7, and Holly’s accomplishments included selecting 2016’s Rookie of the Year, Raquel Rodriguez. Between his Sky Blue and Racing jobs, Holly worked as an opposition analyst for U.S. Soccer.

Tri-State Connections: Racing’s links to Gotham FC don’t end with Holly. During the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, the club selected from Sky Blue FC defender Kaleigh Riehl. Additionally, forward Savannah McCaskill started her professional career in 2018 in New Jersey, where she made 26 appearances, scored three goals, and was an NWSL Rookie of the Year finalist before joining the Chicago Red Stars in June 2019.

Five players on Racing’s current roster call New York or New Jersey their home state, too. Goalkeeper Shelby Money, defenders Julia Ashley and Erin Simon as well as forward Vanessa Kara all hail from The Garden State, while goalkeeper Michelle Betos is from New York City.

Kizer Steps Up: Through her first three matches in lavender, forward Cece Kizer has tallied two goals an assist, with one apiece in Monday’s 3-2 defeat to the NC Courage. Before joining Racing through last year’s expansion draft, Kizer had made 22 NWSL appearances for the Houston Dash, coming on as a substitute in all but two of those. She has started at striker for Racing in its prior three Challenge Cup games.

Instant Impact: It took forward Jorian Baucom just one touch to impact Monday’s match against the Courage. After subbing on in the 74th minute for forwarding Yuki Nagasato, Baucom found the back of the net in the 75th minute, flicking in a cross from Kizer that equalized. It marked Baucom’s first NWSL goal and fifth professionally for a player who earned a contract out of a preseason trial.

Defensive Consistency: Freja Olofsson, a Swedish midfielder signed by Racing last December, was billed as a box-to-box presence. She has made herself known especially defensively early on for Racing. Against the Courage, Olofsson gained possession a game-high 13 times. And through Racing’s first three games, she’s the only player to gain possession 10 or more times each outing.

Save of the Week: Goalkeeper and captain Michelle Betos earned Racing’s first-ever on-the-field accolade when she won NWSL Save of the Week. Her kick-save to stop striker Lynn Williams of the North Carolina Courage from finding the back of the net. This marks Betos’ first individual accolade since she won Goalkeeper of the Year in 2015 when she was with Portland Thorns FC. 

League Debutantes: By coming on in the 70th minute Monday, defender Julia Ashley became the eighth Racing player to make her NWSL debut during the Challenge Cup. Ashley, selected sixth overall in the 2019 NWSL Draft, played overseas that year before injuries held her out of competition in 2020.

Additionally, defender Kaleigh Riehl made her Racing debut when she found herself in the starting lineup Monday. Riehl made it to Louisville after two Challenge Cup appearances last year for Sky Blue before a loan spell with Paris FC in France’s top division.

Three players on Racing’s roster — goalkeepers Katie Lund and Shelby Money, along with midfielder Noelle Higginson — are awaiting their first minutes as pros.

Sunday’s Venue: While Red Bull Arena remains Gotham FC’s official home stadium, the club has hosted Challenge Cup games at Montclair State University’s 5,000 capacity MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field. The facility has a turf field, making this Racing’s first game on an artificial surface. Regular season trips to Gotham FC will consist of games on the grass at Red Bull Arena.

Schedule’s Set: On Tuesday, the NWSL unveiled a 2021 regular season schedule consisting of 24 games — 12 home, 12 away — for Racing. The club will see each of the league’s other nine teams at least twice, hosting them all once or more. The season runs through this summer’s Olympics and concludes Oct. 31 with a trip to, coincidentally, Gotham FC. The top six advance to newly expanded playoffs calumniating with a championship game the weekend of Nov. 20.

Recent Additions: As Holly continues to build his roster, two recent developments have added to his arsenal. First, forward Cheyna Matthews joined training with Racing months removed from the birth of her second child. The same scenario played out in 2019, when she returned to represent Jamaica in the World Cup. Then on April 23, Racing announced the signing of Manchester City defender Gemma Bonner, who will join the club upon receiving her visa.

Injury report

• Addisyn Merrick – Out
• Katie McClure – Out
• Cheyna Matthews – Questionable
• Emina Ekic – Questionable
• Jorian Baucom- Questionable

Milestone watch

• Michelle Betos is one appearance from making her 50th in NWSL regular season play.

• Savannah McCaskill is two goals away from her 10th across all NWSL competitions.

• Yuki Nagasato is two goals away from her 15th across all NWSL competitions.

• Erin Simon is one appearance from her 60th as a professional.

Going back to the summer of 2019, then as a national team replacement player for the Houston Dash, Jorian Baucom has seen Cece Kizer’s talent first hand.

As is the case for a number of Racing Louisville FC players, signing with an expansion club has allowed Kizer a larger platform to show it.

Having numbered two goals and an assist through three NWSL Challenge Cup games, the forward out of Ole Miss leads Racing in both statistical categories, adding one apiece earlier this week when Louisville played the North Carolina Courage to a 3-2 defeat at Lynn Family Stadium.

“She knew that she had a point to prove in coming here,” Baucom said of Kizer. “People look at her as a leader on and off the field. She comes in, she’s hungry for goals, and it’s clear as day in her play so far — being three games in — that she’s done what she came here to do.

“I’m proud of her.”

Kizer, who remains Ole Miss’ program leader for goals (48) and points (119), went 13th overall to the Dash in the 2019 NWSL Draft. Later that year, she was called into a U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team camp as well.

But despite logging a number of minutes as a substitute, Kizer never broke into Houston’s lineup as a regular starter — not like he has as Racing’s center forward in all three of its games thus far.

“We love Cece,” said coach Christy Holly, who selected Kizer in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. “We think she is a little bit of a hidden gem. I don’t know how hidden she is, but very underrated. There is definitely a lot of growth in her game ahead of her.

“She has such a fantastic attitude. She had her own injuries at the tail end of last season and the start of this season. There is no doubt in the quality that she has. The contributions that she has shown thus far are not surprising. I actually think there is more to Cece. We are looking forward to tapping into that.

“Very proud of her. Very excited for her.”

Amid a rainstorm, and with a rainbow beginning to form over the south goal at Lynn Family Stadium, Kizer got behind the Orlando Pride defense on April 10 to score Racing’s first-ever goal.

Back at Lynn Family Stadium on Monday, she also opened scoring against the Courage, directing a header in for a 24th-minute goal and capitalizing on a desire to be “more dynamic in the box.”

“Christy kept saying we need someone to step up and put the ball in the back of the net — and stop taking so many touches and hit the box because in this league it’s very hard to do,” Kizer said. “Players are going to be on top of you. That’s just coming from experience and watching film and learning throughout the season.

“We have the potential to score goals. We need to keep getting numbers in the box and finish our opportunities.”

Kizer did that once more, via an assist to Baucom, in the 75th minute Monday. Racing equalized when Kizer received possession out wide left, looked in the box and saw both Baucom and fellow forward Katie McClure.

“I figured one of them was going to put it in,” said Kizer, who saw Baucom flick her first NWSL goal past the Courage’s keeper.

While Racing went on to give up a game winner late, the expansion club played the Courage, a perennial league power, especially close.

“It’s a testament to our mentality,” Kizer said. “We just want to have this relentless mentality like North Carolina has really been known for. Obviously going up against of one of, if not the best team in the league, we wanted to come out and prove who were where.

“…I think that we proved a lot on the field, and we have a lot learn from it. We hope to carry this momentum that we have. We need to work on being more disciplined in the final minutes of the game.

“Again, having that relentless mentality in the box and finding goals and carrying ourselves high. We know we’re a good team and have potential. We’re young. We’re still getting experience, but we’re very excited for how this season has gone so far.”

Racing Louisville FC hosted 3,742 fans Monday night at its game against the North Carolina Courage, about 50 of whom were at Lynn Family Stadium in part to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The game served as Kentucky’s first vaccine pop up site at a sporting event, and Gov. Andy Beshear stopped by to mark the occasion.

“I am so proud of this organization and this team for everything they are doing to help Kentuckians,” Beshear told reporters. “They’ve been in our commercials. They’ve been here doing this pop up vaccination clinic.

“…This is where we have to get. We have to get to a place where it’s convenient no matter what you’re doing. There’s an opportunity to get vaccinated. I’m proud of this program.”

In addition to the 50 or so who made vaccine appointments, Lexington-based Wild Health accepted some walk up vaccination patients.

Those who received a dose also got free admission. If fans already had a ticket, they were offered a voucher to a future Racing game.

With vaccines widely available now to those ages 16 and up, Beshear said Kentucky has entered an “incentive phase” of the process.

“This is just showing how much this team cares about the community and how they’re willing to put their resources behind it,” he said. “It’s time to get creative. We have to defeat this virus, and so we will do whatever it takes. We’re asking business and we’re asking organizations to step up and find a way to get more involved.”

The National Women’s Soccer League on Tuesday announced a 24-game Racing Louisville FC schedule that will see all nine other NWSL teams visit Lynn Family Stadium in 2021.

Racing — which is in the midst of the preseason Challenge Cup tournament — will kick off its inaugural campaign at home on Saturday, May 15, against fellow NWSL newcomer Kansas City. The former Utah Royals FC franchise relocated to Kansas City this season and carried over most of last year’s roster, including captain and former U.S. Women’s National Team striker Amy Rodriguez.

Plenty of domestic and international power will pass through Lynn Family Stadium for the first time this year with Kansas City, the Houston Dash and Washington Spirit visiting twice. Racing will have an away day at each NWSL club at least once and make two trips to play the North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride and NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Season tickets — including a number of perks, among them an exclusive team scarf and merchandise discounts — are available by visiting www.racingloufc.com/racingloufc or calling (502) 568-2489.

“We are very excited to have the schedule now,” said Racing’s head coach, Christy Holly. “It is something that we can build into all of our preparation date by date where we will be, who we are facing and the type of games that we will be preparing for. Most importantly, we are excited to have the fans in our stadium.”

“Louisville is a city that people have overlooked. The energy, enthusiasm and passion that our fans have brought is something that our players live off, and I think the opposition team will get a good appreciation of what we are trying to do.”

Included in Racing’s schedule is day one of The Women’s Cup, an in-season tournament that will see European giants FC Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain playing in Louisville. Racing hosts the Chicago Red Stars as part of a Wednesday, Aug. 18, doubleheader featuring Bayern vs. PSG. Winners will play one another Saturday, Aug. 21, along with a third-place game.

Most Racing games in 2021 fall on weekends, aside from a few Wednesday dates. Those exceptions include home and away games against the North Carolina Courage on June 23 and Oct. 6, The Women’s Cup opener and an Aug. 25 visit to Kansas City.

The NWSL regular season runs through the Olympic Games rescheduled from last year. Racing plays twice during that window, hosting the Washington Spirit on July 25 and traveling to play OL Reign on July 31.

The last of 26 games falls on Oct. 31 at Gotham FC. After that, the NWSL’s top six teams advance to expanded playoffs taking place in November. The NWSL Championship game will land on the weekend of Nov. 20.

With a full broadcast schedule pending, all games will be available on CBS, CBS Sports Network or the Paramount+ streaming service. Fans outside the United States can see games live on Twitch.

Game times below are tentative and may change based on broadcast assignments. Fans can visit www.racingloufc.com/racingloufc/2021-schedule to sync the club’s game days to calendars.

2021 Racing Louisville FC regular season schedule
(Home games listed in bold with all times Eastern)

May 15: Racing Louisville FC vs. Kansas City (5 p.m.)

May 21: Racing Louisville FC vs. Washington Spirit (7:30 p.m.)

May 28: North Carolina Courage vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m.)

June 5: Portland Thorns FC vs. Racing Louisville (10:30 p.m.)

June 20: Racing Louisville FC vs. Houston Dash (3 p.m.)

June 23: Racing Louisville FC vs. North Carolina Courage (7:30 p.m.)

June 26: Chicago Red Stars vs. Racing Louisville FC (2 p.m.)

July 3:  Racing Louisville FC vs. Portland Thorns FC (7:30 p.m.)

July 9: Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m.)

July 25:  Racing Louisville FC vs. Washington Spirit (3 p.m.)

July 31: OL Reign vs. Racing Louisville FC (10 p.m.)

Aug. 8:  Racing Louisville FC vs. Kansas City (3 p.m.)

Aug. 15: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville FC (5 p.m.)

Aug. 18:  Racing Louisville FC vs. Chicago Red Stars (7:30 p.m.)

Aug. 25: Kansas City vs. Racing Louisville FC (8 p.m.)

Aug. 29: Houston Dash vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m.)

Sept 4: Racing Louisville FC vs OL Reign (7:30 p.m.)

Sept. 11: Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m.)

Sept. 26: Racing Louisville FC vs. Houston Dash (3 p.m.)

Oct. 1: Racing Louisville FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC (7:30 p.m.)

Oct. 6: North Carolina Courage vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m.)

Oct. 9: Washington Spirit vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m.)

Oct. 16: Racing Louisville FC vs. Orlando Pride (7:30 p.m.)

Oct. 31: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville FC (2 p.m.)

Thomas Costello covers the NWSL for Beyond Women’s Sports, which offers stories throughout the world of women’s professional and collegiate athletics. Follow Thomas on Twitter @1ThomasCostello and Beyond Women’s Sports @BeyondWSports.

Racing Louisville FC played its second and final home Challenge Cup game Monday at Lynn Family Stadium. Although it ended 3-2 in favor of the visiting NC Courage, Louisville supporters have positives to pull from the contest.

Kizer good for more than goals

In Louisville’s inaugural match, the franchise’s first goal scorer put Racing up early in an April 10 game against the Orlando Pride. Back second out versus Washington, she didn’t make it into the box score but put pressure on the Spirit defense. NC Courage saw a complete performance by Kizer.

“We love CeCe. We think she’s a little bit of a hidden gem,” Racing coach Christy Holly said. “There’s no doubt in the quality that she has. I think there’s even more to Cece. We’re looking to tap into that.”

The Ole Miss alum got Racing onto the scoreboard in the 24th minute. She converted a perfectly-placed cross by Erin Simon, giving Louisville the lead.

Throughout the night, Kizer made threatening runs into the box and sent dangerous crosses into the Courage penalty area. The most dangerous one arrived in the 75th minute. Down a goal, Kizer sent in a pass to substitute Jorian Baucom to level the match.

“Leader on and off the field. She comes in and she’s hungry for goals,” Baucom said of Kizer. “She’s doing what she came here to do.”

Kizer’s status as a “hidden gem” is becoming much more visible. In three matches she has tallied her first two NWSL goals and an assist.

Racing’s building its offense

Entering Monday, Racing had scored two goals off a counter attack and set piece. Against the Courage, the club’s patience grew around the 18-yard-box.

Early on, Louisville managed to keep the ball in its offensive half, with a second line of players ready to pounce on deflections. It was defender Erin Simon, from that second line, who created the first goal of the match.

When NC Courage took the second half lead, Racing responded with more sustained attacking. Holly shared with the media that he thinks the team can do much better in the offensive area, but all Challenge Cup he’s also stressed incremental improvements. Some of that was evident Monday.

Another subtle change saw top 2021 NWSL Draft pick Emily Fox with more freedom to move. Fox has an assist and a number of defensive highlights from her first three games as a pro, but against the Courage the right back tended to dribble into the central and switch the field on the Courage.

Depth could be a strong point

The 2021 NWSL calendar is still in its early stages with Racing three games into a season that will include at least 25 more — one more Challenge Cup outing before the full campaign starts on or around May 15.

When Racing needed a boost trailing against the Courage, it replaced tired legs with young subs who showed their value.

In the 70th minute, forward Katie McClure and defender Julia Ashley came on. Both created chances for Racing within minutes. Ashley, making her NWSL debut, sent a creative pass into the penalty area and McClure had a chance to tie soon after appearing.

Seconds into her second appearance with Louisville, 74th-minute substitute Baucom scored a game-tying goal

“When I come on it’s to be a game changer,” Baucom said. “Make the most out of these minutes. Work by butt off.”

Although Ashley was credited for the 84th-minute, game-winning own goal for the Courage, it happened when she hustled to make a defensive play. On a tough angle, Ashley tried to clear the ball off the goal line. It was destined to go in with or without Ashley’s touch.

Even that negative has an underlying positive, showing how Holly’s side plays both sides of the ball and competes for the entire 90 minutes. Having strong performances off the bench could be a signature for Racing this season.