Racing Louisville fell to the Houston Dash 4-0 in a heartbreaking loss on Sunday.
This was the first game for Louisville since Nadia Nadim tore her ACL in the match against Orlando. Adding insult to injury, neither Gemma Bonner or Kayleigh Riehl played due to injury precaution, leaving Racing without either of their regular center backs. The absence of these three players was glaring from the outset. While not as big a name, Riehl has been a steady partner to Bonner with whom she shares good chemistry and communication.
Unfortunately, chemistry and communication were exactly what was missing on Sunday – and not just in the backline. Racing has struggled to connect throughout the season, which is understandable for a new team. Still, the team looked especially disconnected on Sunday. They played slowly out of the back and tried too hard to force plays. As a result, Houston just needed to sit back and wait for the inevitable mistake to pounce and, ultimately, score.
It was clear the players knew how important this match was as several looked despondent afterward, and understandably so. While Racing is not statistically eliminated from the playoff race, this loss essentially puts them out of competition. They currently need 10 points to reach sixth place which will be nearly impossible to accomplish with only five games remaining – especially for a team that’s gone 0-4-1 since the Women’s Cup.
This was also likely to be one of the easier games Racing faced in the remainder of their season. Previously, they’d beaten the Dash at home and lost 1-0 while away in Houston. These were two decent showings where Racing played more confidently even if the results weren’t perfect both times. Even the loss was more excusable as it was the last of five games in 15 days in August and it was away. That makes such a poor showing at home after a long rest a bit harder to swallow.
“Obviously, we’re all competitors, so we’re not happy with the result,” said…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Houston Dash – Beautiful Game Network…