Racing Louisville drew NJ/NY Gotham FC 1-1 on Thursday night in the home finale for their inaugural season.
After going down a goal in the seventh minute, it seemed like Racing might end their home matches on a disappointing note. Instead, they rallied and held off the relentless Gotham attack for the remainder of the first half. Racing came out strong in the second half and equalized in the seventh minute off a Cece Kizer goal. The rest of the match was a nail-biter with both teams getting some good chances – especially a late shot from Cheyna Matthews that required a fingertip save from Gotham keeper Kailen Sheridan. Tempers flared as Gotham became increasingly frustrated as their playoff hopes were dashed once again, but the score stayed level.
“I think it is a testament to our resilience,” said Kizer of the team’s ability to earn a draw after going behind early. “I think that is something that a lot of us have talked about in the locker room, and that we want to have that identity of being a resilient team and you come into Louisville here and it’s a tough place to play. It’s not ideal to concede early, but I think for all of us it’s: They get one and we can put one right back.”
This ability to “put one right back” is a recent development for Louisville. For the majority of the season, if Racing went down by a goal, that was that. Around September they began getting single goals back here and there even if they ended in a loss. And then, finally, in their most recent previous match against Orlando, Racing went down by one early and charged back to win 3-1. As a fan watching from the stands, it was like seeing a switch go off. Everything finally came together and clicked. Last night’s match against Gotham shows that wasn’t a fluke. Racing can concede goals and rally to not just avoid a shutout, but actually, pull in some points.
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